Irenaeus of Lyons · a new plain-English translation from the original language
A demonstration that a Virgin shall conceive in the womb, and not merely a young woman.
Steadfast, then, unmanufactured, and singularly genuine is the faith held among us, resting on clear evidence drawn from these very Scriptures, interpreted in the way already set forth; and the assembly of believers, together with John, Matthew, Paul, and the remaining line of witnesses and those who followed them, have declared every prophecy exactly as the Elders' rendering preserves it. For it is one identical Spirit of God who, speaking beforehand through the prophets concerning the nature and manner of the Lord's advent, likewise guided the Elders to a correct rendering of what had rightly been foretold; and that very Spirit further proclaimed through the Apostles that the appointed season of adoption had arrived, that heaven's kingdom had drawn close, and that it takes up residence in all who trust in him who came forth from the Virgin, Emmanuel. So the record itself testifies: before Joseph and Mary were joined together, while she still remained a virgin, she was discovered to be carrying a child by the Holy Spirit; and that the messenger Gabriel told her that the Holy Spirit would come over her and the might of the Most High would cast its shadow upon her, and for that reason the holy one born from her would be named Son of God; and that the messenger told Joseph, in a dream, that this had happened so the word spoken through the prophet Isaiah could reach fulfillment — namely, that a virgin would carry a child in her womb. Now the Elders rendered this Isaiah passage in the following manner: the Lord spoke once more to Ahaz, telling him to request a sign from the Lord his God, whether reaching into the depths beneath or up to the heights above; and Ahaz answered that he would neither ask nor put the Lord to trial. And he was told: is troubling men too slight a thing for you, and how does the Lord furnish a contest? Because of this, the Lord himself will grant you a sign: a virgin will carry a child within her, bear a son, and his name will be called Emmanuel. He will feed on curds and honey, and before he learns to prefer wrongdoing, he will already have turned toward what is good — since before that infant can distinguish good from evil, he will refuse wickedness in favor of choosing the good. With great precision, then, the Holy Spirit conveyed through these words that he was Virgin-born and that he possessed the essence of God (which the name Emmanuel itself declares), while also making plain his humanity by mentioning that he would eat curds and honey, by calling him a babe, and by noting that he had not yet learned good from evil — every one of these being marks proper to an infant of our race. Yet his refusal of wickedness in favor of the good belongs properly to God, so that neither should the eating of curds and honey lead us to regard him as a mere man and nothing beyond that, nor should the title Emmanuel lead us to imagine him as God devoid of flesh.