THE TABLE PODCAST
The Virgin Birth
Alexander the Great’s birth story may have supernatural themes, but there is no virgin birth or virgin woman clearly present in the text
Was the story of Jesus’ virgin birth copied from Alexander the Great? On an episode of the Table Podcast called “Was the Virgin Birth Copied from Other Religions?” Darrell Bock and I compare the story of Alexander’s birth according to Plutarch to the story of Jesus’ birth according to the gospels. Joining us on the show is Mary Jo Sharp, who suggests taking this alleged virgin birth parallel on head-to-head by reading the full text of Alexander’s story. This is an except from the show.
Darrell Bock: We’ve got a text from Plutarch’s Lives. And it involves Alexander the Great, who was born in 336 B.C. So we are well before the time of Christ. But Plutarch is writing about four centuries later. And let’s talk about this supposed parallel to the birth of Jesus. And we’re going to take Mary Jo’s advice and just look at the text…Nothing beats observing the text. So what is this text telling us about Alexander the Great’s “virgin birth?”
Alexander the Great has no virgin birth story
Mikel Del Rosario: When we think about these things, we think, “What are the similarities?” And it turns out that all things are similar if you ignore the differences. Right? So let’s take a look at this text. I’m going to take some time to read this section out of Plutarch. And just think about the story of Jesus that we hear at Christmastime and what the virgin birth is, and then compare it to this in your mind. Here we go. Plutarch writes:
“It is said that his father Phillip fell in love with Olympias, Alexander’s mother…and after obtaining the consent of her brother, Arridaeus, Phillip betrothed himself to her. On the night before the marriage was consummated, the bride dreamed that there was a crash of thunder, and her womb was struck by a thunderbolt. And there followed a blinding flash from which a great sheet of flame blazed up and spread far and wide before it finally died away.
Sometime after their marriage, Phillip saw himself in a dream in the act of sealing up his wife’s womb. And upon the seal he had used there was engraved, so it seemed to him, the figure of a lion. The soothsayers treated this dream with suspicion since it seemed to suggest that Phillip needed to keep a closer watch on his wife. The only exception was Aristander of Telmessos, who declared that the woman must be pregnant, since men do not seal up what is empty, and that she would bring forth a son whose nature would be bold and lion-like.
At another time, a serpent was seen stretched out at Olympia’s side as she slept. And it was this more than anything else we were told which weakened Phillip’s passion and cooled his affection for her. So from that time on he seldom came to sleep with her. The reason for this may either have been that he was afraid that she would cast some evil spell or charm upon him, or else that he recoiled from her embrace because he believed that she was the consort of some higher being.”
Darrell Bock: Okay. So what do we have?
Mikel Del Rosario: We have nothing at all that looks like Jesus here. We have this serpent lying by her side. And there’s kind of this serpent theme actually that goes into some of these Greco-Roman alleged parallels. But here when it comes to Alexander…I think this implies some kind of a sexual relationship if he thought that she was the consort [of some kind of a god]. But it’s [also] an interpretation of a dream. So it’s very unclear that she was not engaged in any kind of sexual activity.
Darrell Bock: The thing that strikes me about these stories is that they are very, if I can say it, very detailed about the moment of conception. So you’ve got the detail here about the serpent seen stretched out at Olympus’ side as she slept. And this weakened Phillip’s passion. Now, that part I get. So we are dealing here with this portrait in detail of how this act actually took place. So the closest thing that we have is we have Alexander’s birth being attributed to some type of transcendent activity.
Mikel Del Rosario: Sure…which is very different than the very, very short mention in the Bible of “the Holy Spirit will come upon you.” And that’s it. Very simple.
Darrell Bock: Exactly. And there’s no detail given to this at all in the New Testament when we’re talking about Jesus’ birth.
Reading the story shows no virgin birth parallel
Mary Jo Sharp: You really do need to take those parallels head-to-head. Right? The kinds of things that are being said in our society is, “This is an exact copy of the story of Jesus.” [But] when you actually read them – I’m glad Mikel read them – you start to say, “If you’ve ever read Luke 2; If you’ve ever read the story of Jesus’ birth…Well, I don’t see the connection here. I’m not even seeing the same story.” And that’s what happens over and over with these, is that even on the basis level of just reading the stories – not getting into their philosophical world views, not getting into the theology of what this means for mankind, just on the base level you see they’re not the same at all.
In this full episode of the Table Podcast, Dr. Darrell L. Bock, Mikel Del Rosario, and Mary Jo Sharp discus claims that Jesus’ virgin birth story was copied from pagan religions.
Various Speakers - December 18, 2018
Old Testament Fulfillment in the Christmas Story
In this episode, Mikel Del Rosario, Drs. David K. Lowery, Gordon H. Johnston, and Darrell L. Bock discuss the birth of Jesus, focusing on the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy in the Gospel of Matthew.
From Series: "The Table Podcast"
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Note: This Table Podcast episode on the Virgin Birth first appeared on the DTS Voice Web page. This Web site is not affiliated with Dallas Theological Seminary. Mikel is the Cultural Engagement Manager at the Hendricks Center.