The First Apology
Chapter 33: The Prediction of Christ's Birth Method
Listen again to how Isaiah explicitly foretold that He would be born of a virgin; for he spoke this way: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bring forth a son, and they shall call His name, ‘God with us.’” For things that were incredible and seemed impossible to people, these God predicted by the Spirit of prophecy as events that would happen, so that when they did happen, there would be no disbelief, but faith, because of their prediction.
But lest some, not understanding the prophecy now referenced, accuse us of the very things we have accused the poets of, who say that Jupiter approached women through lust, let us try to explain the words.
This, “Behold, a virgin shall conceive,” means that a virgin would conceive without intercourse. For if she had been with anyone, she would no longer be a virgin; but the power of God came upon the virgin, overshadowed her, and caused her to conceive while still a virgin. And the angel of God who was sent to the same virgin at that time brought her the good news, saying, “Behold, you shall conceive by the Holy Ghost, and you shall bear a Son, and He will be called the Son of the Highest, and you shall call His name Jesus; for He will save His people from their sins,”—as those who recorded everything concerning our Savior Jesus Christ have taught, whom we believed, since Isaiah also, whom we have now referenced, declared by the Spirit of prophecy that He would be born as we mentioned before.
It is incorrect, therefore, to understand the Spirit and the power of God as anything other than the Word, who is also the firstborn of God, as the aforementioned prophet Moses declared; and it was this Word that, when it came upon the virgin and overshadowed her, caused her to conceive, not by intercourse, but by power. And the name Jesus in the Hebrew language means (Savior) in Greek.
Therefore, the angel told the virgin, “You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” And that the prophets are inspired by none other than the Divine Word, even you, I presume, will agree.