The Cumaean Sibyl and the Virgin Birth: Virgil’s Fourth Eclogue, influenced by the Cumaean Sibyl, describes a coming golden age and a child born of a virgin who will usher in peace. Early Christians interpreted this as a pagan prophecy of Jesus Christ’s birth, despite Virgil writing in 40 BCE, before Christianity. The poem may have referred to a hoped-for Roman heir. Nevertheless, Church Fathers like Lactantius cited it as evidence of divine foresight beyond Judeo-Christian tradition. The perceived accuracy illustrates how ancient prophecies were reinterpreted to support new religious movements, blending cultural expectations with spiritual belief across empires.
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