The Doctrine of the Virgin Birth according to Select Figures in the Western Church

This chapter provides theological context within which to interpret Karl Barth's treatment of the doctrine of the virgin birth. It shows how the doctrine of the virgin birth developed within the context of original sin and the sinlessness of Christ. The chapter provides a survey of select figures within the Western interpretive tradition that illuminates Barth's distinctive contribution to the doctrine. The legacy of St. Augustine, accepted by St. Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther and, to a degree, John Calvin, was harshly criticized in the modern era. The treatment of the virgin birth in the writings of Irenaeus provides an important comparison with that of Karl Barth, particularly for the different ways that both figures read the virgin birth in light. According to the moderns, the connection between the virgin birth and the sinlessness of Christ depended upon an untenable view of the transmission of original sin in the sexual act.