The claim that Hitchens and others make is that the Hebrew word behind “virgin” (עַלְמָה alma) in this text simply means “young woman.” The implication is that nothing miraculous is being promised, and that therefore, universal Christian tradition regarding the virgin birth of Christ is based fundamentally on an illegitimate reading of the Old Testament Scripture.
The word canon comes from the Greek kanon (κανων), meaning “rule.” The canon of Scripture thus refers to the rule of Scripture, identifying what is Scripture. But the issue of canon actually deals with two questions: (1) Which books belong in the Bible? (2) And what should be the order of these books?
God is always the hero in the story of the Bible. He created man from the dust to bring Him glory, yet man has continually rebelled against Him. But God in His grace and goodness has been redeeming man ever since, restoring man in his relationship with Him and promising to fully redeem His people at the final resurrection.
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