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What does the Apostles’ Creed say about Mary and Jesus’ birth?

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Antonello da Messina: Madonna and Child — Mary *Madonna and Child*, oil and tempera on panel by Antonello da Messina, 1475; in the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.

The Apostles’ Creed states that Jesus Christ "was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary."1

This creedal statement serves to affirm both the supernatural origin of Jesus and his true humanity. By specifying that he was born of the Virgin Mary, the creed emphasizes the Incarnation—the belief that the Son of God became human. While some scholars suggest the primary intent of this phrase was to guarantee Christ’s authentic manhood against early gnostic denials of his physical life, the language also reflects the virgin birth doctrine, which holds that Jesus had no human father and was conceived solely through the Holy Spirit.234

Additionally, many theologians interpret the phrase "born of the Virgin Mary" as an early expression of the belief in her virginitas in partu, or the idea that she remained a virgin during the birth of Jesus.3