8\ in one (Prov. xxx, 19) vtorrjr, and in two (Gen. xxiv, 43; Isa. vii, 14) Trap^'ivoc. The same word is also rendered cirijo in the Vidg. in these two passages; in Exod. ii, 8, /(«f//(i ,• in Vs,a.\-x.v\\\,-2iy. jiivencida ; in Cant, i, 3 and vi,8, adolescent ula ; and in i'rov. xxx, 19, adolescentiu, after the Sept. The Syriac follows the Sept. in Isa. vii, 14, but in all the other passages agrees with Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion, who translate iTab:? by I'fawc, not only in Psa. Ixviii, 25; Gen, xxxiv, 43; F^xod. ii, 8; I'rov. xxx, 19 (in which they agree with the Sept.), but also in Isa. vii, 14. Jus- tin Blartyr {IHal.c. Trijph.) complains of the partiality of the Greek translators in rendering n"b" here by vtui'K: (a term which does not necessarily include tiie idea of virginity), accusing these Jewisli writers of wishing to neutralize the ai)plicaiion to the jMessiah of this passage, which the Jews of his time referred to Hezekiah. Jerome says that the Punic for virgo is (f//M«, although the word rruSS" is but twice so render- ed in the Vulg. Gesenius (Comm. in Isa.) maintains, notwitlistanding, that vtai'ii;, not Trap^kvoi;, is the cor- rect rendering in Isa. vii, 14, while he at the same time agrees with Justin that the \)rediction cannot possibly refer to Hezekiah, who was born nine years before its delivery. Fi'irst (^Concordance) explains limbs' by " pu- ella, virgo, nubilis ilia vel nupta, tenera et tlorens ajtate, valens ac vegeta ;" but Hengstenberg i^Christoloyij), al- though admitting that H^Pj? does not necessarily mean a virgin (which he conceives is plain from Prov. xxx, 19), maintains that it is always applied in Scripture to an unmarried woman. Matthew (i, 23), who cites from the Se[)t., applies the passage Isa. vii, 14 to the mi- raculous birth of Jesus from the Blessed Virgin. Prof. Ivobiiison {Gr. and Eng. Lexicon) considers irap^iroQ iiere to signify a bride, or newly married woman, as in Homer (//. ii, 514) :
(" Tlieni bore Astyoche, a viigiu pure"^
Cowper) ;
and considering it to refer apparently to the youthful spouse of the prophet (see Isa. viii, 3, 4; vii, 3, 10, 21), holds that the sense in Matt, i, 23 would then be : Thus was fullilled in a strict and literal sense that which the prophet spoke in a wiiler sense and on a dilferent occa- sion. Though the iiroiihet already had a son, it is by no means improbable that his former wife was deati, and that he was about to be united in marriage to an- other who was a virgin. The prophet predicted the birth of a male child which should occur within the appointed period from one who tvas then a virgin, an event which could be known only to God; and this event should constitute a sign, a proof or demonstra- tion, to Ahaz of the truth of his prediction concerning Syria ami Israel. In this remarkable event the proph- et directed tlie minds of the king and jieople onward to tlie birtli of the Messiah from a virgin, and to him the name '• Immanuel" sluiuld be more appropriately given. Hence the evangelist Matthew, considering the former event as the predicted type of the latter event, applies the passage to the miracidous birth of Jesus from the Virgin. See Emmanuel; Isaiah.
The early Christians contended also for the perpetu- al virginity of Mary against the Jews, who objected to the use of the term fwt' (until, Matt, i, 25) as imi>lying the contrary; but the fathers triumphantly appealed against the Jewish interpretation to Scripture usage, according to which this term fre(]uently included the notion of perpetuity (comp. Gen. viii, 7 ; Psa. Ixi, 7; ex, 1; Isa. xlvi. 4; Matt, xxviii, 20; and see Suicer, The- saur., and Pearson, On the Ci'eed, art. iii). Although there is no proof from Scripture that Mary had other children [see James; Jude], the Christian fathers did not consider that there was any impiety in the suppo- sition tliat she had ( Sincer, nt sup.). But, although not an article of faith, the [lerpetual virginity i;f Mary was
VIRGIN
800
VIRIPLACA
a constant tradition of both the Eastern and the Western Church. The most distin<;uished Protestant theolojfi- aiis have also adopted this belief, and Dr. Lardiier {Cred- ibilily) considered the evidence in its favor so strong as to deserve that assent which ho himself yielded to it. See riiia'KTi'AL Vihginity ov Mahy.
The word TTcipSri-yoc, virf/iii, occurs in ]Matt. i; xxv; Luke i; Acts xxi; 1 Cor. vii; 2 Cor. xi, '2; and Apoc. xiv, 14. In 1 Cor. and Apoc. it is applied to both sex- es, as it frc(|uently is by the fathers, who use it in tlie sense of cwlebs. It is sometimes metapliorically used in the New Test, to denote a hitjh state of moral purity. — Kitto. So also, among the Hebrews, the jtopnlutiitn of a |)lace or city was sometimes personiticd as a female and called viri/in; thus the inhabitants of Tyre (Isa. xxiii, Vl\ of IJabylon (xlvii, 1), of Egypt (Jer. xlvi, 11), and of Judah and Israel, i. e. the Hebrews (Lam. i, 15; Jer. xiv, 17; xviii, 13; xxxi, 4, 21 ; Amos v, 2). See
DAtGiri'ER.
Virgin, Chari-es. a ]\Iethodist Episcopal minister, was born at Hopkinton. N. H., JMay 8, 1787. He was converted at the age of twelve; joined the New Eng- land Conference in 1807; served the Church in several <irciiits; was presiding elder on two districts — Boston and Kennebec; and after his superannuation he resided at Wilbraham, Mass., vviiere he died, April 1, 1853. Mr. Virgin's character was marked by uprightness and de- cision; he was a great friend to the slave; a man of much prayer and emotion. See Minutes of Anuiiul Coi/Jereiices, 1853, p. 184.