Mary, mother of Jesus

Lore & Background

The synoptic Gospels name Mary as the mother of Jesus. The gospels of Matthew and Luke describe Mary as a virgin who was chosen by God to conceive Jesus through the Holy Spirit. After giving birth to Jesus in Bethlehem, she and her husband Joseph raised him in the city of Nazareth in Galilee, and she was in Jerusalem at his crucifixion and with the apostles after his ascension. Although her later life is not accounted in the Bible, Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and some Protestant traditions believe that her body was raised into heaven at the end of her earthly life, known in Western Christianity as the Assumption of Mary and in Eastern Christianity as the Dormition of the Mother of God. Mary's name in the original manuscripts of the New Testament was based on her original Hebrew name מרים (Miryam), transliterated as Maryam or Mariam. The English name Mary comes from the Greek Μαρία, a shortened form of the name Μαριάμ. In Christianity, she is commonly referred to as the Virgin Mary, in accordance with the belief that the Holy Spirit impregnated her, thereby conceiving her first-born son Jesus miraculously, without sexual relations with her betrothed Joseph. Among her many other names and titles are the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Mary, the Mother of God, the Theotokos, Our Lady, and Queen of Heaven. In Islam, Mary is known as Maryam, mother of Isa. She is often referred to by the honorific title 'Sayyidatuna', meaning 'Our Lady', and also called 'Siddiqah', 'Qānitah', and 'Tahira'. In the Quran, she is described both as 'the daughter of Imran' and 'the sister of Aaron' and Moses, alluding to Miriam from the Hebrew Bible, though a Hadith from Muhammad explains that title is metaphorical.

Reader's Guide

Mary has been venerated since early Christianity and is often considered to be the holiest and greatest saint. There is a certain diversity in the Mariology and devotional practices of major Christian traditions. The Catholic Church and some Oriental Orthodox Churches hold distinctive Marian dogmas, namely her Immaculate Conception and her bodily assumption into heaven. Many Protestants hold various views of Mary's role that they perceive as being in accordance with the Scriptures. The Confessions of the Lutheran Churches have taught the virgin birth, Theotokos, and perpetual virginity. The multiple forms of Marian devotions include various prayers and hymns, the celebration of several Marian feast days in liturgy, the veneration of images and relics, the construction of churches dedicated to her and pilgrimages to Marian shrines. Many Marian apparitions and miracles attributed to her intercession have been reported by believers over the centuries. She has been a traditional subject in arts, notably in Byzantine art, medieval art and Renaissance art. The Eastern and Oriental Orthodox, Catholic, Lutheran, Reformed, Anglican, and Methodist churches believe that Mary, as mother of Jesus, is the Mother of God. The Church of the East historically regarded her as Christotokos, a term still used in the liturgy of the Assyrian Church of the East.

Did You Know?

• Mary is mentioned numerous times in the Quran, including in a chapter (surah) named after her.
• The title 'queen of heaven' had previously been used as an epithet for goddesses such as Isis or Ishtar.
• The earliest New Testament account of Mary is in the epistle to the Galatians, where she is referred to as 'a woman' and is not named.
• In the Gospel of John, the adult Jesus addresses Mary as 'Woman', which in Koine Greek was not disrespectful and could even be tender.