ABSTRACT
Most historians agree that Jesus Christ did not take a spouse, did not have children, and did not engage in sexual activity. However, some might ask whether Christ could have undertaken these activities. We distinguish between two questions: (1) whether it would have been morally impermissible for an incarnate God to do so, and (2) whether it would have been overall unfitting for an incarnate God to do so. After considering some reasons why someone would answer (1) in the affirmative, we argue that it is morally permissible for an incarnate God to get married, have children, or engage in sexual activity—but showing this requires examining this question from different ethical approaches. We then briefly discuss the notion of fittingness, and address (2). While there are some reasons that favor an incarnate God getting married, having children, or engaging in sexual activity, we argue that it would have been overall unfitting for Christ to have done so, especially given the actual circumstances of the time and location of the incarnation and its subsequent effects.
