Mary Page FAQ #1 1. What do we know about Mary's life?

In response to the request of many readers, we have produced a general summary of the life of Jesus' mother, Mary. The canonical scriptures (especially the Gospels) are the primary source of information about the Blessed Virgin. Though limited, there are several explicit references to Mary in Scripture. From these comments, some additional facts can be determined. For example, the reign of Herod the Great is mentioned; but its date is not. The time of the reign of Herod the Great has been estimated using non-Biblical sources.

[Birth of Mary] Additionally, certain events from Mary's life are commemorated in the liturgical cycles of many Christian Churches (e.g. Mary's birth). Certain non-biblical accounts [of limited historical value] have elaborated on the spiritual meaning of these events. These accounts often tell us more about the life of the Church than about the life of Mary. However, the integrity of the core facts is assured by the guidance of the 'Spirit of Truth' in the life of the Church.

Finally, there are a number of texts which claim to offer detailed accounts of Mary's life. These include ancient apocryphal texts never accepted into the canon of Sacred Scripture and more recent accounts based on private revelations. Scholars tend to dismiss the historical value of all these accounts. The fact that these accounts tend to contradict each other on certain points of detail proves that not all the accounts are completely accurate. Further, the Church teaches that none of these non-canonical accounts should be believed with the certitude of divine faith. We will include the names of some of the better-known accounts.


Chronological Table of Events in Mary's Life

Year
Event
23/20 BC Birth of Mary to Ann and Joachim
20/17 BC Presentation of Mary in the Temple
11/8 BC Betrothal to Joseph (Mt 1:16; Lk 1:27)
7 BC Annunciation of Christ's Birth to Mary (Lk 1:26-38)
Mary's Visitation to Elizabeth (Lk 1:39-56)
Mary found with Child (Mt 1:18-25)
7/6 BC Birth of Jesus in Bethlehem (Lk 2:1-19)
Circumcision of Jesus at 8 days of age (Lk 2:21)
Purification of Mary after 40 days (Lk 2:22-24)
Prophecy of Simeon concerning Jesus and Mary (Lk 2:25-35)
Prophetess Anna speaks of Jesus (Lk 2:36-38)
Return to Nazareth (Lk 2:39)
6/4 BC Adoration of the Magi (Mt 2:1-11)
Flight into Egypt to save Jesus from Herod (Mt 2:13-14)
4-? BC Return to Nazareth after Herod's death (Mt 2:19-23)
6 AD Finding of Jesus in the Temple at Jerusalem (Lk 2:41-50)
6-? AD Life of Mary and Joseph with Jesus at Nazareth (Lk 2:51)
27/28-30 AD Mary at the Marriage Feast of Cana (Jn 2:1-11)
Mary with Jesus during His Public Life (Mt 12:46-50; Mk 3:31-35; Lk 8:19-21; Jn 2:12-13)
Jesus' indirect praise of Mary for her faith (Lk 11:27-28)
30 AD Mary at the Cross (Jn 19:25-27)
Mary with the Apostles in the Cenacle after Jesus' Ascension (Acts 1:14)
? Mary is assumed to heaven to rejoin her Son.

MARY'S LIFE IN SACRED SCRIPTURE

The Bible does not mention Mary's early life. Focusing on Jesus, Scripture begins to consider Mary in reference to Jesus' origins. In Gal 4:4, Paul tells us of Mary's Jewish roots in order to note Jesus' background.

Life in Nazareth
[Annunciation Scene] Luke tells us that Mary was living at Nazareth when Jesus' conception by the Holy Spirit was announced by the angel, Gabriel (Lk 1:26). Lk 1:5 sets these events during the reign of Herod the Great. Scholars estimate this reign lasted from 37 - 4 B.C. Luke adds that, at that time, Mary was a virgin bethrothed to "a man named Joseph of the house of David" (v. 27). The Hebrew Scriptures set the normal age for bethrothal at 12 1/2.

Mary's conversation with the angel is described in vv. 28-38. Some scholars and theologians see Mary's question about the predicted birth (v. 34) as indicating her intention to remain a virgin for life. Also, the reference to Jesus' Davidic lineage in v. 32 implies a Davidic lineage in Mary, Jesus' only biological parent.

Gabriel also mentions that Elizabeth is Mary's relative (v. 36), having mentioned earlier (v. 5) that Elizabeth was a descendent of Aaron. Hence, Mary also has roots in the line of Aaron.

Visit to Elizabeth
Lk 1:39-56 describes a subsequent visit which Mary made to Elizabeth and her husband, Zechariah. Mary's famous Canticle, the Magnificat (vv. 46-55), occurs during this visit. Since Mary probably customarily spoke in Aramaic, Luke's polished Greek translation probably differs somewhat from Mary's actual words. However, the correspondence of Luke's Magnificat to Old Testament prayers of women (e.g. Deborah, Hannah) and other standard Hebrew prayers (e.g. Amidah) are consistent with authorship by a pious Jewish woman.

Birth in Bethlehem
Matthew (2:1) and Luke (2:4) tell us that Mary delivered Jesus in Bethlehem. Luke writes that this occurred "while Quirinius was governor of Syria" (Lk 2:2). The New Jerome Biblical Commentary estimates the dates for his reign from 6-7 A.D. However, the New American Bible cites evidence placing his reign from 10-8 B.C. Scholars are divided about the actual date Mary gave birth to Jesus. Since, Herod's reign ended around 4 B.C. Jesus' birth must have preceeded it. This error of 4 years in the calculations of 4th century Christian scholars is understandable since events were often associated with olympiads at that time. Jesus was probably born between 6 and 4 B.C. Even with direct information from the Magi, Herod was unable to improve on this two year margin of error (cf. Mt 2:16). Luke mentions local shepherds who visited the Holy Family shortly after Jesus' birth (Lk 2:8-20). Matthew tells us of Magi who came to the site from the Orient. Due to the distance, they probably arrived considerably after the birth. Given the estimate of 6-4 BC for Jesus' birth, and assuming that Mary was betrothed around the customary age and that she conceived Jesus shortly after, we may estimate the year of her birth around 20 BC.

Flight into Egypt
Matthew also informs us that the Holy Family fled to Egypt to avoid Herod's massacre of infants after the Magi's visit. When Herod's sons succeeded him, the Holy Family returned to their home town of Nazareth, where Jesus grew up (cf. Mt 2:16-23). Hence, people assumed that Jesus was born in Nazareth, confusing those who awaited a messiah from David's city of Bethlehem (cf. Jn 7:42).

Mary and Joseph
The Lukan accounts portray Mary [and Joseph] as faithful Jews, having Jesus circumsized and presented to God in accord with Jewish law. Further: "His parents used to go up every year to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover" (Lk 2:41). On one such pilgrimage, Mary and Joseph lost track of their twelve-year-old son and found Jesus in the temple amazing Jewish teachers with his insight (Lk 2:41-51). Joseph is no longer mentioned in Scripture after this event. He probably died shortly after, but almost certainly had died by the time Jesus began his public ministry.

Mary and Jesus' Public Life
It was customary for Jewish men to enter public life after age 30. This was probably the age at which Jesus began his public ministry.

The gospels mention various festal pilgrimages to which Jesus journeyed, a custom he learned from his parents (cf. Lk 2:41). From this evidence, scholars calculate that his public ministry probably lasted around 3 years placing his death around age 33, with Mary around 48 at that time (i.e. 27-29 AD). Though these are estimates, we can safely assume that Jesus died before 37 A.D., when scholars inform us that Pilate left office in the Holy Land.

Mary kept abreast of Jesus' preaching activities and even followed Him to at least some of his lectures (cf. Mt 12:46-50, Mk 3:31-35, Lk 8:19-21). The Greek variants of adelphoi used to refer to brothers and sisters of Jesus in these passages need not be interpreted in the sense of full blood relations. Hence, the Scriptures do not contradict the dogma of Mary's lifelong virginity held by Catholic and Orthodox Christians. However, it may tell us something significant about Mary's life. To use adelphoi for extended family implies an unusually close relationship. These kin may have lived in the same house as Jesus, Mary and Joseph, perhaps after the death of their parents. For more details, consult Joseph Blinzler's Die Bruder und Schwestern Jesu [The Brothers and Sisters of Jesus]. Also, note that Mary's meetings with Jesus were not limited to his preaching sessions. They were also together at certain routine gatherings like the wedding feast at Cana (Jn 2:1-12). In that particular case, Mary's solicitude and Jesus' saving activity made the gathering far from routine.

Mary and Jesus' Passion
Since the Holy Family followed a yearly custom of pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover (cf. Lk 2:41), it is reasonable to assume that Jesus and Mary met there each year. The Synoptics indicate that Jesus continued this customary journey during his public ministry. We may presume that Mary also continued this habit. John explicitly tells us that they were both present when Jesus made his last pilgrimage to Jerusalem and met at his Crucifixion (cf. Jn 19:25).

Though not explicitly mentioned, the above allows us to assume that Mary was present when Jesus celebrated the Last Supper. The Passover meal (celebrated on the vigil for reasons which would become obvious) was traditionally a family affair at which Mary would have been expected to attend and assist with the domestic chores if she was present and able.

After the meal, Jesus was unjustly arrested, accused, condemned, tortured, and crucified under the jurisdiction of Pontius Pilate. Since, Pilate left his post in the Holy Land by 37 A.D., Jesus must have died before then, probably around 28 A.D. He was probably around 33 at the time, making Mary around 48. All four gospels mention Jesus' Crucifixion. Only John specifically mentions Mary's presence. The fact that from the Cross Jesus entrusted Mary to the beloved disciple rather than to a relative was considered evidence of Mary's lifelong virginity by Origen (d. ca. 254).

Mary after Jesus' Death and Resurrection
Scripture tells us that Jesus arose from the grave the following Sunday and was seen by many witnesses over the next forty days. Scripture does not mention his mother as one of these witnesses, nor does Scripture rule out this possibility.

The nine days after Jesus' Ascension to the Father found his followers gathered together in constant prayer just before the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. Acts 1:14 tells us that Mary was among this group. This is the final mention of Mary in the Bible.

Mary's Death
St. Irenaeus (d. 220) tells us that the beloved disciple, John, preached in Ephesus after Pentecost. Presumably, Mary accompanied him there. The Ecumenical Council at Ephesus (431 A.D.) mentions an already-ancient Church commemorating them nearby. One ancient tradition claims that Mary died and was buried at Ephesus. Scholars consider this evidence inconclusive.

We do not know exactly where Mary died or in what year. Another ancient tradition claims Jerusalem as the site of her death and burial. The Catholic dogma of the Assumption teaches that Mary was taken into heaven body and soul (i.e. as a whole person) after the course of her earthly life. The dogma does not specify where, when or how her life ended. Indeed, 'at the end of her earthly course' does not explicitly state that she 'died' in the normal sense. Though not formally a dogma, Mary's entrance into heaven after falling asleep is also the universal ordinary teaching of Eastern Orthodoxy. This belief is consistent with a Marian reading of Rev. 12. Since Rev 12:5 identifies The Woman as the one who gave birth to the Messiah, a Marian interpretation is justified. However, the Church considers other interpretations perfectly valid (e.g. The Woman as Israel or The Church).


MARY'S LIFE IN THE LITURGICAL CYCLE

Several events concerning Mary's life are commemorated during the yearly liturgical cycles of the Catholic, Orthodox and other Christian Churches. Some of the more important celebrations on the current calendars are discussed below. A summary table is given at the end of this section.

December 8
The Roman Catholic feast of Mary's Immaculate Conception celebrates the origins of Mary's earthly existence. Though not mentioned in Scripture, the historical origin of Jesus' mother's life is an undeniable fact.

Under the title: The Conception of St. Anne [when she conceived the Theotokos], this feast was celebrated on December 9 in the Christian Orient perhaps as early as the sixth century. The very start of Mary's life, her conception by her parents, was considered a holy and blessed event with significance for salvation history. After the feast moved to the West [and to Dec 8], emphasis was given to the unique holiness of this event. In 1854, Pope Pius IX defined as Roman Catholic dogma the belief that from the first moment of her conception, Mary was given the personal privilege of freedom from original sin in view of Christ's foreseen merits. The proclamation of the Catholic dogma of Mary's Immaculate Conception was given in the Apostolic Letter, Ineffabilis Deus.

September 8
Nine months after the feast of Mary's conception, the Church commemorates her birth on September 8, another historical certainty only implicit in the Bible. This liturgical commemoration originated in the East in the fourth century. Many of the details which the liturgy presents to the faithful were influenced by the apocryphal Protevangelium Jacobi [First Gospel of James] (ca. 150). For example, the names of Mary's parents, Anna and Joachim, are absent from the canonical Scriptures. We have no apostolic testimony confirming this fact, nothing earlier than the Protevangelium Jacobi. The Church does not place this document on the same level as Holy Scripture. However, it is possible to accept the spiritual truth which underlies this narrative, without necessarily attributing a literal and historical exactness to every detail. The deeper meaning of the story is that from the moment of her birth and even long before it, the Mother of God was specially consecrated to the Holy Trinity, elect and marked out by God.

November 21
On November 21, the Catholic Church celebrates the Memorial of the Presentation of Mary in the Temple (in Eastern usage: The Entry of the Theotokos into the temple). As with Mary's conception and birth, certain details have no clear apostolic foundation and can be traced no earlier than the Protevangelium Jacobi. Since Scripture informs us of Mary's priestly relatives, tales of a special occasion used to commend her to God in Jerusalem seem plausible. Mary's manifest Jewish piety indicates a similar inclination in her parents as its source. Apart from apocryphal details and academic deduction, the inner meaning of this feast is to signify Mary's total dedication to God, in readiness for her future vocation as Mother of the Incarnate Lord.

March 25
On March 25, the Church celebrates the Announcement of the Incarnation by Gabriel to Mary. This feast commemorates events recorded in the Gospel of Luke (1:26-38). The date often falls during Lent. Yet, the feast recalls an event is so central to Christianity that the Byzantine rite specifies a festive liturgy even if the event should fall on Good Friday!

December 25
[Nativity Scene] Nine months after the Annunciation, the Church celebrates the birth of Christ on December 25. The gospels of Matthew and Luke offer many details describing this event. On Dec 26, the Byzantine rite celebrates a minor feast [Synaxis] for Mary, the mother of the one whose birth was celebrated the day before. The Roman rite does something similar on January 1, the final day of the Christmas Octave, celebrating the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. On this date, Eastern Churches commemorate the Circumcision of Jesus (cf. Lk 2:21), a feast also having Marian significance.

January 6
On January 6, the Roman rite celebrates the feast of Epiphany, from the Greek word for 'manifestation'. The Eastern Churches commemorate the baptism of Christ in the Jordan on this date (cf. Mt 3:13-17, Mk 1:9-11, Lk 3:21-22, Jn 1:24-37). The Roman rite calendar includes a Marian element by recalling the adoration of the Magi on this date [as well as Christ's baptism]. The background for this event is found in Mt 2:1-12.

February 2
On February 2, the fortieth day after Christmas, Christians celebrate the 'Feast of the Presentation of the Lord' in the Temple [called 'Encounter of the Lord' in the Christian Orient]. This feast commemorates the presentation of the infant Jesus in the Jerusalem temple forty days after his birth and his meeting with the aged Simeon (cf. Lk 2:22-34). This feast has also been referred to as Mary's purification, since Jewish mothers were expected to undergo a ritual purification bath [Mikvah] forty days after childbirth.

September 15
The Eastern Christian Churches recall the Sorrows of Mary during the Passion cycle (cf. Jn 19:25). For Roman Catholics, September 15 is the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows.

August 15
Finally, the Assumption of Mary is celebrated on August 15. The liturgical commemoration for the 'Falling Asleep of Mary' [Dormitio or Koimesis] originated in the Christian Orient around the 5th century, perhaps considerably earlier in Ephesus. The site of her death is not known, though Jerusalem and Ephesus are mentioned in ancient accounts. Roman Catholics celebrate the Queenship of Mary on August 22 to conclude the Octave of her Assumption.

As with Mary's Conception and Birth, many of the details associated with this event are presented only in later apocryphal texts (e.g. Transitus Mariae from the 5th century). Though the event lacks explicit biblical and apostolic support, the fact that no posthumous relics (e.g. bone) exist from her body is suggestive.

In 1950, Pope Pius XII defined Mary's Assumption into heaven as a dogma of Roman Catholicism: "the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heaven." The proclamation of this dogma was made in the encyclical: Munificentissimus Deus.

After entering heaven, Mary has remained active in the life of the Church. Many Christians believe that she has sometimes manifested her concern in visible appearances and miraculous cures. Some of these events are commemorated on the liturgical calendar (e.g. Our Lady of Lourdes on February 11 (Roman), Protection of Mary on October 1 (Byzantine) - see table below).

Date
Roman Feast
Byzantine Feast
January 1 Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God Circumcision of Jesus
February 2 Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord
Purification of Mary
Encounter of Our Lord in the Temple
February 11 Memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes
March 25 Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord Annunciation of the Mother of God
May 31 Commemoration of the Visitation
July 16 Memorial of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel
August 5 Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica in Honor of St. Mary Major
Our Lady of the Snows
August 15 Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary (Obligation) Dormition of the Mother of God (Obligation)
August 22 Memorial of the Queenship of Mary
September 8 Feast of the Birth of Mary Nativity of the Mother of God
September 15 Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows
October 1 Solemnity of the Patronage of the Mother of God
October 7 Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary
November 21 Memorial of the Presentation of Mary Solemnity of the Presentation of the Mother of God
November27 Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal (Optional Memorial)
December 8 Commemoration of the Immaculate Conception (Obligation) Conception of Saint Ann
December 12 Our Lady of Guadalupe (Optional Memorial)
December 25 Christmas (Obligation) Nativity of Our Lord (Obligation)
December 26 Synaxis of the Mother of God


APOCRYPHAL TEXTS AND PRIVATE REVELATIONS ON MARY'S LIFE

There are a number of ancient texts not in the canon of Sacred Scripture which claim to present details about the life of Mary. The Protevangelium Jacobi [First Gospel of James] (ca. 150) examines her early life and gives us details like the names of Mary's parents (Joachim and Ann).

[Crucifixion Scene] The Transitus Mariae (5th century, Ethiopian) legends recount the end of Mary's life on earth. There are apocryphal accounts of the birth of Mary and of her 'Laments'. There is an entire Coptic cycle of writings on the life of Mary. Finally, the Golden Legend, written by Jacobus de Voragine around 1260 AD, chronicles legends about many saints. Several of these tales involve aspects of Mary's life (e.g. Birth, Purification, Assumption, etc). Though none of the details in these accounts are as trustworthy as those in the Bible, these legends have influenced both the personal piety of many believers, and various liturgical commemorations of these events. For more information, consult the following references:

There are also more recent texts which claim to offer details about the life of Mary based on private revelations from personal mystical experience. Even today, some alleged mystics claim to have received supernatural revelations about Mary's life (e.g. those in Medjugorje claim that her actual birthday falls on August 5). The Church allows her children to examine these works in the spirit of pious devotion, but accords none of their claims the certitude of divine faith. Translations of some of the better known texts are:


BIBLIOGRAPHY


[Assumption Scene] . Dictionary of Mary. New York:Catholic Book Publishing Co. 1985.

. The New American Bible. Chicago:Catholic Press. 1970.

Agreda, Mary of and Fiscar Marison [a.k.a. Rev. George J. Blatter] (Trans). City of God [4 vol] Albuquerque, NM. 1949.

Arras, Victor (Ed). De Transitu Mariae Apocrypha Aethiopice [Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium Vol. 342, 343, 351, 352, Scriptores Aethiopici Tomus 66-69]. Louvain:Secretariat Du CorpusSCO. 1973/74.

Blinzler, Josef. Die Bruder und Schwestern Jesu. Stuttgart:Verlag Katholisches Biblewerk. 1967. pp. 158.

Brown, Raphael. The Life of Mary as seen by the Mystics. Rockford, IL:TAN Books. 1951.

Brown, Raymond E. et. al. (Eds). The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, NJ:Prentice Hall. 1990.

Buby, Bertrand. Mary, The Faithful Disciple. New York:Paulist Press. 1985.

Cameron, Ron (Ed). The Other Gospels. Philadelphia:The Westminster Press. 1982. pp. 191.

Chaine, M. (Ed). Apocrypha De Beata Maria Virgine [Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium Vol. 39 & 40, Scriptores Aethiopici Tomus 22 & 23]. Louvain:Imprimerie Orientaliste. 1955.

Charlesworth, James H. et al. The New Testament Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha:a guide to publications, with excurses on apocalypses. Metuchen, NJ:Scarecrow Press. 1987. pp. 450.

Elliott, James Keith. The apocryphal Jesus:legends of the early church. New York:Oxford University Press. 1996. pp. 214.

Elliot, James Keith (Ed). The Apocryphal New Testament:a collection of apocryphal Christian literature in an English translation. Oxford:Clarendon Press. 1993. pp. 747.

Emmerich, Anne Katherine and Michael Palairet (trans). The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Springfield, IL:Templegate, 1954.

Frizzell, Lawrence. "Mary and the Biblical Heritage" pp. 26-40 in Marian Studies Vol. 46 (1995).

Hervieux, Jaques and Dom Wulstan Hibberd (Trans). The New Testament Apocrypha. New York:Hawthorn Books. 1960. pp. 188.

Miguens, Manuel. "Mary, A Virgin? Alleged Silence in the New Testament" pp. 26-179 in Marian Studies Vol. 26 (1975).

Orsini, Mathieu. The History of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Edinburgh:John Chisolm.

Pius IX, Pope. Ineffabilis Deus [Dec 8 1854]. Boston, MA:St. Paul Books and Media. 1992.

Pius XII, Pope. Munificentissimus Deus [Nov 1, 1950]. Washington, DC:National Catholic Welfare Conference. 1951.

Valtorta, Maria and Nicandro Picozzi (trans). The Poem of the man-God [5 vol]. Italy:Centro Editoriale Valtortiano. 1986.

Voragine, Jacobus de and William Granger Ryan (Trans). The Golden Legend. Princeton, NJ:Princeton University Press. 1993. pp. 391.

Ware, Kallistos et al (trans). The Festal Menaion. London:Faber and Faber. 1969.


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Modified last on December 9, 1996, by Michael P. Duricy. Please send any comments to DURICY@data.lib.udayton.edu.

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