What if Christ Took a DNA Test? | Simon Francis Gaine, OP

Jesus Christ is not only truly God, but he is also truly human, the
divine person of the Word in two natures, divine and human. This
means that his true human nature is integral and complete, composed
of an immaterial soul and a material body. While we believe as
Catholics in the human reality of Jesus’ body, it is not a matter
of faith that we confess certain facts about Jesus’ DNA, including
the mere fact that his human body had and has DNA. Yet theology
today has to grapple with the fact that Jesus had DNA, because we
know since the discovery of the chemical’s full significance in the
twentieth century, that DNA is a fundamental part of the life and
genetic inheritance of earthly living things, ourselves, and Jesus,
included. DNA testing by commercial companies is a way by which
customers can have their DNA matched to relations and regional
populations. This paper asks what would be the result of a DNA test
taken by Jesus, with particular reference to the fact that Jesus
had no biological father. It investigates the question of Jesus’
DNA from different theological perspectives, including the
Thomistic tradition, and surveys possible solutions.