How Old Was Mary When She Was Pregnant With Jesus

How old was Mary when she was pregnant with Jesus?

The biblical traditions do not specify the precise age of the Virgin Mary when she was approached by the angel Gabriel and requested to be the mother of the Saviour of the universe. However, Jewish traditions from the time period offer us with some insight into the situation and an estimated age range. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, “Jewish maidens were deemed marriageable when they reached the age of twelve years and six months, however the actual age of the bride varied depending on the situation.” The marriage was preceded by a betrothal, after which the bride became legally the bridegroom’s property, despite the fact that she did not live with him until around a year later, when the wedding was traditionally performed.” This is consistent with other historical records, and it was still the norm in the Holy Land as late as the early twentieth century, according to some historians.

For example, according to one biblical historian, “Some customs of biblical Palestine have survived through the centuries, and after a trip to the Near East in 1910, Alma White commented on the age of marriage in Palestine, stating that “a girl is usually married in her twelfth or thirteenth year, and sometimes as early a tenth year.” Short life expectancy was one of the driving forces behind this early age, as the typical life expectancy for most individuals in the ancient world was between 30 and 40 years of age at the time of the pyramids’ construction.

A woman can also get pregnant and give birth to a child at a young age, usually between 12 and 14 years old, depending on her genetics.

She was just a few years older than a kid when she was entrusted with the responsibility of rearing Jesus, the Son of God, as a child.

Read on to find out how old St.

More information may be found at: The spiritual significance of the name “Virgin Mary.”

Do We Know How Old Mary Was When She Had Jesus?

Advent calendars, manger scenes, and paintings of Mary represent her as a youthful lady in her twenties when she gave birth to the Lord Jesus Christ, despite the fact that she was much older. Despite the fact that these representations are aesthetically pleasing, they are not biblically accurate. When she gave birth to Jesus, Mary would not have been in her twenties, according to tradition.

How Old Was Mary?

The Bible does not explicitly state how old Mary was when she gave birth to Jesus, so we can only guess. We do know that Mary was a young virgin when she became pregnant with Jesus. “This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about,” according to the Gospel of Matthew: “His mother Mary was promised to be married to Joseph, but before they got together, she was discovered to be pregnant by the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:18). We are not told the age of Mary in this section of Scripture, but we are informed that she was a virgin and that she had agreed to be married to Joseph.

  1. Mary would have been between the ages of 12 and 16 when she became pregnant with Jesus, according to scholars (Ibid.).
  2. It is estimated that Mary was around 14 years old when the angel Gabriel informed her of the birth of the Lord in her womb, according to tradition (Ibid.).
  3. While the Bible does not specify how old Mary was when she gave birth to Jesus, we may safely assume that she was a young lady at the time of his birth.
  4. Many people, including the Catholic faith, have exalted Mary to a level of importance that she does not deserve.
  5. Mary was not innocent, since she understood her own need for the Savior to redeem her from her sins and turn to him for salvation (Luke 1:46-49).
  6. Mary is not God, and she does not act as a go-between for us and the Father, as some believe.
  7. A similar statement is made about Jesus as our mediator in Hebrews, who says that he has the ability to rescue entirely those who come to God through him because he “always lives to intercede for them” (Hebrews 4:15).
  8. God’s plan to redeem mankind included Mary, who played a vital role; nonetheless, she was only a servant of the Lord, not the Lord himself.
  9. There is a lot we can learn about life from Mary’s experiences as a young girl.

As previously stated, Mary would have been between the ages of 15 and 16 when she gave birth to Jesus, making her the most plausible candidate for the role of mother. In other words, Mary would have been a teenager at the time of her death.

Is Her Age Important to Know?

Because she was pregnant with the Son of God, Mary had a strong sense of faith and maturity despite her young age. Teenagers these days are fascinated with social media, fashion, and celebrities, among other things. Mary was completely devoted to the Lord and dedicated her life to serving Him. Despite the fact that Mary was a virgin at the time of Jesus’ conception, the Holy Spirit supplied the means for Jesus to be conceived (Luke 1:29-38). Mary’s pregnancy would have elicited suspicious looks and scorn from the other residents of the town, despite the fact that she had not been unfaithful to Joseph.

  1. She didn’t dispute Gabriel or try to get away from God’s plan for her life; instead, she followed it.
  2. “I pray that your promise to me will be realized” (Luke 1:38).
  3. The prospect of such a situation must have been terrifying for Mary, yet she decided to be courageous and bold, and to put her confidence in the Lord.
  4. As soon as Joseph learned of Mary’s pregnancy, he would have been filled with thoughts of betrayal, agony, and misery, which would have overwhelmed his heart.
  5. It would have been impossible for you to accept that your engaged wife was pregnant as a result of God’s providential intervention.
  6. The child she will bear will be named Jesus because he will rescue his people from their sins, and you will be the one to give him that name” (Matthew 1:20-21).
  7. Even before the angel revealed to Joseph in a dream that Mary had not been unfaithful to him, he had made the decision to divorce her on his own.
  8. Mary’s life would not have been spared by Joseph’s decision to divorce her in private, but it would have been saved by his decision to do it.
  9. Joseph demonstrated tremendous love, generosity, and faith via his deeds.

We do not know how old Joseph would have been at the time of Jesus’ birth; nonetheless, Jewish norms at the period required Jewish males to get married in their mid- or late-teens; yet, it is possible that they married when they were older than their late-teen years for a variety of reasons (Ibid.).

Why Does This Matter?

However, while the ages of Mary and Joseph are important components of the Christmas tale, the most important aspect of the Christmas story is the birth of Jesus into the world. God’s presence among the people was symbolized by Jesus’ birth, and He had come to redeem humanity from our sins. This Christmas season, may we all rejoice and celebrate the magnificent birth of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, in the same way as Mary and Joseph did on the night of Jesus’s conception. Further reading may be found at: When God chose Mary to be the mother of Jesus, he had a good reason.

  • What Is the Importance of Mary’s Song During the Holiday Season?
  • iStock/Getty Images Plus/Denis-Art are the photographers that captured this image.
  • Having completed both a Bachelor of Arts and a Master’s degree in Christian Ministry, she has a strong academic background in theology to her credit.
  • In her spare time, she enjoys seeing new places and experiencing new things.

How Old Was Mary When She Had Jesus?

The Virgin Mary, who functioned as Jesus’ mother on Earth, is regarded as having a high level of spiritual maturity. Because of her example of faith and confidence in God, she has inspired a large number of others. Mother Mary is frequently shown as a fully matured woman in works of art. But, honestly, how old was Mary when she became pregnant with Jesus? It is believed that Mary was a young adolescent when she gave birth to Jesus, according to historians. How young are we talking about? When Jesus was born, historians agree that Mary was between the ages of 12 and 14 years old, at the most.

Because of her youth, Mary was not deterred from confidently pushing forward into the plans that God had for her future.

Background on Mary’s Life and Calling

Mary grew up in a Jewish family that was devoutly religious throughout the first century. In the third year of her life, Mary’s parents, Joachim and Anne, brought her to a temple and dedicated her to the Almighty. Their home in Galilee, which was then a part of the old Roman Empire and is today a part of the state of Israel, was where they reared her. After reaching adolescence, Mary entered into a legal engagement to be married, as was customary in her culture at the time. She had already made up her mind to marry Joseph, a devoutly committed man, when God took her by surprise by sending the angel Gabriel to deliver an amazing announcement to her on the day of her wedding.

What transpired is described in detail in Luke 1:28-38: A guardian angel came up to her and said, “Greetings, you who are much blessed!'” I assure you that the Lord is with you.’ Mary was deeply worried by his comments, and she wondered what sort of greeting he had intended for them.

He will be magnificent, and he will be referred to as the Son of the Most High.

In response, the angel said, “The Holy Spirit will descend upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” As a result, the holy one who is about to be born will be addressed as the Son of God.

Because no message from God will ever be in vain.’ When Mary was asked who she was, she said simply, ‘I am the Lord’s servant.’ ‘I pray that your promise to me is fulfilled.’ “Then the angel vanished without a trace.” It was not an issue for Mary because of her age in her culture, but it was a problem because of her unwed pregnancy.

Accepting God’s summons required tremendous courage on Mary’s part.

In fact, Joseph was so worried by Mary’s pregnancy that he meant to cancel their engagement in a method that was both legal and would avoid exposing Mary to public humiliation.

The child she will bear will be named Jesus because he will rescue his people from their sins, and you are to name him after Jesus (Matthew 1:20-21).

When God called Mary, she celebrated by singing this wonderful hymn, which is described in Luke 1:46-55: “It is well with my soul.” In response, Mary said, ‘My soul exalts the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has taken note of the lowly situation of his servant.’ From this day forward, all generations will refer to me as blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me – and his name is sacred.

Those who fear him will continue to be protected by him from generation to generation.

He has deposed monarchs from their thrones, but he has also exalted the lowly and humble.

He has provided nice things for the hungry, but he has sent the wealthy leave empty-handed. He has aided his servant Israel, keeping in mind that he has vowed to be kind to Abraham and his offspring forever, just as he did to our forefathers.” Credit for the image: Getty Images/Studio-Annika

How Old Was Mary When She Had Jesus?

So, how old was Mary when she became pregnant with Jesus? When Jesus was born, historians estimate that Mary was between the ages of 12 and 14 when he was born. Mary was a teenager, which in today’s culture appears startlingly young to be a mother. She had a brother and two sisters. Young motherhood, on the other hand, was usual in the milieu in which Mary lived at the time of her birth. Couples were marrying and starting families significantly earlier in history than they are now on average.

  1. It’s possible that being so young when she learnt of God’s plan was a blessing in disguise for the Virgin Mary.
  2. In Jesus’ words, we are all encouraged to pursue the feeling of wonder that children are recognized for possessing.
  3. Unless you transform and become like tiny children, Jesus tells his followers in Matthew 18:3, they will never be allowed into the kingdom of heaven.
  4. At the same time, Mary’s spiritual maturity was more than her chronological age would indicate.
  5. Mary was able to handle her responsibilities successfully because she placed a major emphasis on building a strong faith.
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What Does This Teach Us about Who God Calls?

In Mary’s magnificent example, we can see how God may use those who have a great faith to do wonderful things. The type of trust that God is seeking for is described in Hebrews 11:1 as follows: “Faith is now trust in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see,” says the author. When Mary was called by God to be the human mother of Jesus, she had no idea how that would turn out, but she was sure in her belief that God would accomplish something magnificent via that plan. It was because of Mary’s great faith that she was able to play an essential part in God’s plan to preserve humanity.

  • My book, Wake Up to Wonder, demonstrates how everyone of us may become a part of a miracle simply by responding positively anytime God calls us to action.
  • God challenges us on a daily basis to develop in our faith, and we may not understand why he directs us to behave in a particular scenario or what will happen as a result of our actions.
  • The greater the number of times we choose to react in love when God calls us, the less fear we will feel.
  • As a result, when we remove fear from our lives, amazement pours in.
  • In other words, the more we purposefully choose love over fear, the more we may experience awe, and the more that awe will encourage us to pursue God’s purpose for our lives and react obediently when God asks us to follow his lead.
  • We are told in Hebrews 11:6 that “it is impossible to satisfy God without faith,” since anybody who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who truly seek him in order to be accepted by him.
  • “How old was Mary when she had Jesus?” one might wonder.
  • The way Mary put her faith into action was by pushing through her fears and continuing to accomplish the work God had called her to do.
  • As a result of Mary’s life, God was able to accomplish wonderful things.
  • Photograph courtesy of Getty Images/Liliboas Whitney Hopler is the author of theWake Up to Wonderbook and theWake Up to Wonder blog, both of which help individuals survive by allowing them to be in wonder of their surroundings.
  • As a writer, editor, and website developer for prominent media organizations, Whitney has worked for companies such as Crosswalk.com, The Salvation Army USA’s national magazines, and Dotdash.com.

Whitney holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Texas at Austin (where she produced a popular channel on angels and miracles). She has also authored the young adult novel Dream Factory, which is available on Amazon. Follow Whitney on Twitter to stay up to date.

How old was the age of Mary when she got pregnant?

In Mary’s lovely example, we can see how God may use those who have a great faith to do amazing things. The type of trust that God is seeking for is described in Hebrews 11:1: ” Faith is now defined as “trust in what we aspire for as well as assurance about what we do not yet see.” At the time of God’s summons to serve as Jesus’ human mother, Mary had no idea how it would all turn out, but she was secure in her belief in God’s ability to do something good via that plan. It was because of Mary’s great faith that she was able to play a significant part in God’s plan to preserve humanity.

  • It is explained in my bookWake Up to Wonderhow we each may become a part of an incredible miracle just by responding positively anytime God invites us to action.
  • Our faith is continually challenged by God, and we may not comprehend why he directs us to behave in a certain situation or what will happen as a result of our actions.
  • As we make a conscious decision to react in love when God calls, the less dread we will feel.
  • Fear is driven away by pure love, though.
  • In my book, I discuss research that indicates how feeling wonder while confronting uncertainty helps us see God’s guidance and purpose more clearly and effectively.
  • It is God’s desire for everyone of us to participate in his work in the world, and he is delighted when we do it in an honest and true manner.
  • From Mary’s example of faith, you may learn how to put your own faith into action and to rejoice in the knowledge that God will reward you for your efforts.

The truth is that she was fairly young in age, yet she was mature in her faith at the time.

In contrast to her circumstances, she remained focused on God’s promise to her at the time.

If you respond “yes” to God’s calling for your life, he will accomplish something beautiful in your life as well.

Whitley Hopler is the author of the Wake Up to Wonderbook and the Wake Up to Wonder blog, both of which encourage individuals to flourish by allowing them to be inspired by the world around them.

As a writer, editor, and website developer for prominent media organizations, Whitney has worked for companies such as Crosswalk.com, The Salvation Army USA’s national magazines, and Dotdash.com.

Whitney holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of California, Berkeley (where she produced a popular channel on angels and miracles). The young adult novelDream Factory is another of her works. Follow Whitney on Twitter to keep up with her latest adventures.

How old was Mary when she gave birth to Jesus?

What age was Mary when she became pregnant with Jesus?

The Bible Answer

The Bible does not specify how old Mary was when she gave birth to Jesus, just that she was a young woman. The age of Mary at the time of Jesus’ birth is not known, nor are there any historical texts that indicate her age. Despite this, we may draw some plausible inferences about Jewish practices based on what they were like back in those days and at that time.

Mary Was Most Likely Between The Ages 12-16 Years Old According To Scholars

Most scholars and historians agree that Mary was between the ages of 12 and 16 years old when she gave birth to Jesus, despite the fact that many contemporary images of her bearing Jesus portray her as an attractive young lady in her early 20s. Although this appears to be a very young age to us now, under Jewish norms at the time, it was normal for ladies to get betrothed (engaged) to a man at a very young age, often as young as 12. While the Bible does not specify Mary’s age, it does state that she was a virgin who was engaged to be married to a man called Joseph at the time of her conception.

It goes without saying that knowing how old Mary was isn’t anywhere near as significant as knowing the person to whom she gave birth!

Mary, a Teenage Bride and Mother

This article will provide answers to two frequently asked questions: “Can you tell me how old Mary (Jesus’ mother) was when she became pregnant?” “Can you tell me how old Mary was when she gave birth to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?” Thousands of works of art, including paintings, sketches, sculptures, and even “live manger scenes,” depict Mary, Jesus’ mother, during the time of the baby Jesus’ conception.

However, the majority of images depict her as a young lady in her twenties. Mary was, without a doubt, an extraordinary woman.

For example, it appears that no one, even herself, anticipated that the Messiah would be born of a virgin at that historical period.

She was well aware that accepting God’s gift of pregnancy would bring conflict and grief for her and her family, but she chose to embrace God’s plan for her life, declaring, “.Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38 – English Standard Version).

  • We know this because it was usual practice at the time for females to marry at a young age, such as at that age.
  • We continue to write in the same manner today, omitting any facts that everyone is already aware of due to tradition and culture.
  • Really?” What exactly is a ‘drove?’ He must have traveled a long distance to go down that path.” We all understand what it means to “drove along the road,” therefore we don’t provide any specifics when we write about it.
  • When I was teaching my children about the Bible many years ago, I told them that Deborah the prophetess was “named Barak” (Judg.
  • My small daughter interrupted me and demanded to know Barak’s phone number.
  • Her reply made sense in light of her knowledge of customs and cultural practices.
  • Mary would have been between the ages of 12 and 14, if she had been betrothed (engaged) but not yet legally married, and old enough to give birth to and breastfeed the Messiah.

M.

In his book, James Neil points out that everyone married because they felt bound to fulfill God’s promise to be prolific and multiply, and that girls are “given in marriage” at the age of eleven or twelve, but this is not the upper limit.

Both the Greeks and the Romans had a significant impact on the biblical world, but the Greeks had the most effect.

Roman females were also known to marry at an early age, sometimes even before reaching puberty.

Furthermore, a large number of infants died at an early age, and a large number of mothers died during childbirth.

Mary also had a big family, as was customary at the time, with at least seven children.

13:55) She had at least two girls because Jesus had “sisters” as well as brothers (Matt.

Her male offspring were Jesus, James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas (Matt.

(Matt.

Boys were also married at a young age, but a little later than girls.

A similar phenomenon occurred in the ancient Roman world, when a Roman child transitioned from the white toga with red border, which served as a sign of youth, to the pure white toga worn by a Roman man and citizen was normally between the ages of 14 and 17.

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Because it is nearly probable that Joseph had died by the time Jesus began his ministry, it is commonly considered that he married late in his life.

One example is that when Jesus relocated his headquarters to Capernaum, his mother and brothers joined him, but his father did not (John 2:12).

While the fact that Joseph died by the time Jesus was 30 does not necessarily imply that Joseph was a lot older man when he married Mary, it does suggest that he was a considerably younger man because many individuals die at an early age due to accidents or sickness.

Endnotes Scripture quotes marked (ESV) are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard VersionTM TM 2001, published by Crossway Bibles, a subsidiary of Good News Publishers, and are cited in the text.

(Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville, 2001), p.

Philip King and Lawrence Stager’s Life in Biblical Israel (Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville, 2001).

Tenney, editor, The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible (Regency Reference Library, Grand Rapids, MI, 1976), Vol.

Page 83 and 173 of Alma White’s Jerusalem Egypt Palestine Syria (Pillar of Fire, Zarephath, New Jersey, 1936), in which she describes Jerusalem, Egypt, Palestine, and Syria as “a city at the heart of the world.” Page 293 of William M.

Everyday Life in the Holy Land, by James Neil, published by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge in London in 1913, page 223.

110, and in Mary Johnston’s Roman Life (Scott, Foresman and Co., Chicago, 1957), p.

Page 115 of Robert Flaceliere’s book, Love in Ancient Greece (New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1962), which discusses the subject of love in ancient Greece.

This statement was not uttered by the people of Nazareth to make a remark about Jesus’ relatives, but to make a remark about his own family.

147 in Alfred Edersheim’s Sketches of Jewish Social Life (William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI, reissued 1979), which is a collection of sketches of Jewish social life. Mary Johnston’s Roman Life, published by Scott, Foresman and Company in Chicago in 1957, is on page 146.

How old was Mary when Jesus was born?

QuestionAnswer However, while the Bible does not specify how old Mary was at the time of Jesus’ birth, most Christian historians believe that she was between 15 and 16 years old at the time of Jesus’ birth. Following Jewish tradition at the time, a young woman could become engaged to a young man as early as 12 years of age, though the consummation of their marriage through ceremony and physical intimacy would not occur until they were legally married, which could take months or even years later after the engagement had taken place.

  1. She would have had to go a long way across the area of Samaria if she had wanted to get there.
  2. However, even with adult escorts, there is a strong possibility that Mary would have needed to be both physically and mentally mature in order to undertake such a travel.
  3. God refers to Mary as “highly favored” while describing Jesus’ mother (Luke 1:28).
  4. Her song (Luke 1:46–55) is replete with citations from and references to the Old Testament—according to some estimates, there are ten quotations from and allusions to the Old Testament in theMagnificat—yet another significant indication of Mary’s wisdom and spiritual maturity.

How Old Was Mary When She Gave Birth to Jesus?

It was in November 2017 that the ages of Mary and Joseph at the time of Jesus’ birth drew widespread attention, as a result of the Republican Alabama State Auditor Jim Ziegler’s support for the Republican Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore, who has been accused of having an inappropriate sexual relationship with a fourteen-year-old girl when he was thirty-two. “.consider, for example, Joseph and Mary,” Ziegler remarked. Mary was a teenager, while Joseph worked as a carpenter as an adult. They were adopted as Jesus’ parents.

  1. Perhaps a touch out of the ordinary.” Roy Moore, according to Ziegler, is exonerated of any responsibility for his alleged ephebophilia as a result of this reality.
  2. Even if Ziegler is absolutely accurate in his assertions, this does not imply that men in their thirties now are excused from having sexual contact with fourteen-year-old girls.
  3. Allowing the entire subject of Roy Moore’s guilt to be set aside, we must ask, “Is Ziegler accurate in his estimation of Mary’s age at the time of her conception of Jesus?” In other words, was Mary a teenager when she gave birth to Jesus, or was she a young adult?
  4. Answering this question has proven to be difficult.
  5. First and foremost, the gospels state absolutely nothing about the ages of Mary and Joseph at the time of Jesus’ birth, or at any other point in time during their lives.
  6. Second, the birth narratives included in the Gospels of Matthew 1:18–2:23 and Luke 2:1–40 are conflicting and unconvincing, as is the story of Jesus’ conception.
  7. This implies that even the information provided by the gospels concerning the birth of Jesus is suspect.

The Gospel of Mark, the earliest and most authentic of the extant gospels, indicates that Jesus’ mother’s name was Mary in Chapter 6, verse 3 of the book of Mark.

In light of the fact that Jesus’ brothers are also mentioned by Paul in his epistles, which were written before the gospels were written, and James, Jesus’ brother, is mentioned by the Jewish historian Titus Flavius Josephus (c.

100 AD) in hisAntiquities of the Jews20.9.1, there is little reason to be skeptical of the accuracy of this information.

Joseph and James are portrayed as carpenters in this painting, in an attempt to depict a realistic scenario in which they would be employed.

Is it possible that Jesus was the eldest of Mary’s children?

Despite this, early Christians most likely made up the story of the virgin birth in an attempt to fulfill a mistranslated version of a prophecy found in the Book of Isaiah 7:14.

However, in the Greek Septuagint, the Hebrew word ‘almh, which means “young woman,” is mistranslated as the Greek word o (parthénos), which can also mean “young woman,” but is more commonly used to mean “virgin.” The prophecy in Isaiah 7:14 is not even about the Messiah; rather, it is about the birth of King Hezekiah of Judah, who would later become the Messiah.

  1. Many early Christians who were reading the Greek Septuagint came to believe that the Messiah was supposed to have been born of a virgin as a result of this belief.
  2. The legend of the virgin birth arose as a result of this event.
  3. If this is correct (and this is a big if), then it would appear that Jesus was one of the older siblings, if not the oldest of the siblings.
  4. In first-century Judaism, the age of marriage for young women was twenty-one.
  5. Women in ancient Mediterranean societies were frequently married around their mid-teenage years, shortly after reaching puberty, according to historical records.
  6. Men, on the other hand, are more likely to marry in their early thirties.
  7. For the first century BC, women in Jewish society often married at a young age, which was similar to the age of marriage for women across the ancient Mediterranean world (i.e.

Unlike their Greek and Roman counterparts, Jewish males, on the other hand, appear to have married while they were younger.

If we assume that Jesus was Mary’s first child, then she would have been between fourteen and twenty years old when she gave birth to him, assuming that he was Mary’s first child.

The fact that Mary was an adolescent and Jesus’ father was a man in his early thirties is absolutely feasible, but it is more likely that they were close to the same age.

It should be noted that this legend has no basis in the gospels or any other early surviving Christian literature and was merely made up in late antiquity to defend the Catholic belief that Mary remained a perpetual virgin and never bore any children after the death of Jesus.

ABOVE: A painting by the Italian Baroque painter Guido Reni portraying Joseph carrying the newborn Jesus is on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Hello!

A double degree in classical studies and history is now my goal at Indiana University Bloomington, where I am enrolled full-time.

I am completely captivated with the ancient world, and I write about it on a regular basis. My primary field of research is ancient Greece, although I also write on other periods and regions of human history. View all of Spencer McDaniel’s blog entries.

5 things to know about Mary, the mother of Jesus

It is definitely true that Mary, the mother of Jesus, is the most revered saint in the Christian faith. Despite this, we know very little about her. There is nothing in the New Testament that mentions her birth, death, physical appearance, or age. Aside from the stories of Jesus’ birth that are exclusively included in the gospels of Matthew and Luke, she is expressly referenced at just three other events in the life of her son, all of which take place after his birth. At a wedding when Jesus transforms water into wine, she makes an unsuccessful attempt to visit her son while he is teaching, and she witnesses his execution with her son.

So, here are five facts we do know about her that are worth sharing.

1. She was an accidental virgin

In the Gospel of Matthew, we are told for the first time that Mary was pregnant before she and Joseph had sexual relations. According to reports, she was “with child from the Holy Spirit.” Matthew used a prophesy from the Old Testament to demonstrate this point, stating that a “virgin will conceive and have a son, and the name of the child will be Emmanuel.” Matthew was referring to the Old Testament in its Greek translation. As a result, the original Hebrew term “almah” had been translated as “parthenos” in the Greek Old Testament, and from there into the Latin Bible as “virgo” and finally into English as “virgin.” Instead of just “young lady,” the Greek word “parthenos” refers to “a virgin intacta,” which indicates literally “a virgin who has not been defiled.” Briefly stated, Mary was referred to be a virgin due to a translation error in which the word “young lady” was rendered as “virgin.” Education of the Virgin by Guido Reni is a painting by Guido Reni.

Commons image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

2. She was a perpetual virgin

During and after the birth of Jesus, according to early Christian faith, Mary continued to be a virgin. This was likely only appropriate for someone who was referred to as “the mother of God” or “the God-bearer.” According to Saint Ambrose of Milan (c.339-97 CE), the doctrine of Mary’s perpetual virginity was ardently defended: “Blessed Mary is the gate, through which it is written that the Lord hath entered in by it; therefore, the gate shall be shut after birth; for, as a virgin, she both conceived and gave birth.” Several centuries later, the Lateran Synod of 649 CE, a council convened in Rome by the Western Church, made it an article of faith that Jesus was conceived “without seed” and that Mary “incorruptibly carried, her virginity being unaffected even after his birth.” All of this is happening despite the fact that the Gospels state that Jesus had siblings and sisters (Mark 3.32, Matthew 12.46, Luke 8.19).

Antonio Veneziano painted a tempera on panel picture of the Virgin and Child in 1380. Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts is a must-see.

3. She was immaculately conceived

Since the time of Saint Ambrose, it has been widely acknowledged in Western theology that Mary never committed a sin. Was her sinlessness in this life, however, due to the fact that she was born without “original sin”? As a matter of fact, according to Western theology, each and every human being was born with original sin, which is considered to be the “genetic” result of the transgression of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Due to an increasing cult of devotion to the Virgin Mary during the medieval period, there were fine-grained theological disagreements on the subject.

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It wasn’t until 1854 that the Catholic Church was able to fix the situation.

was maintained free from every taint of original sin, is a truth revealed by God and consequently one in which all the faithful should accept firmly and consistently.

4. She ascended into heaven

The early decades of the Christian tradition were deafeningly silent on the subject of Mary’s death. However, by the seventh and eighth centuries, the belief in the physical ascension of Mary into heaven had gained a solid foothold in both the Western and Eastern churches, and was widely accepted. More information may be found at: What may paradise be like, according to today’s essay? The Eastern Orthodox Greek Church adhered to the tradition of Mary’s death and burial. In accordance with this, Mary died in a natural way, and her soul was thereafter accepted by Christ.

She was then carried physically into the presence of God.

In 1950, the belief in Mary’s ascension into heaven was officially recognized as Catholic teaching.

The Assumption of the Virgin, painted by Luca Giordano in 1698, is a masterpiece.

5. She is a sky goddess

When Mary was physically exalted into heaven, no bodily relics were left behind for us to venerate. Despite the presence of breast milk, tears, hair and nail clippings, the majority of her relics were of a “second order” nature, including clothing, jewelry, veils, and shoes. In the lack of her skeletal remains, her worshippers had to make do with visions — in Lourdes, Guadalupe, Fatima, Medjugorje, and other pilgrimage destinations. Her pilgrimage sites, like those of the other saints, were places where she might be summoned in order to beseech God to grant the requests of her followers.

In popular devotion, she was depicted as a sky deity who constantly wore blue clothing.

She was the goddess of the moon and the star of the sea, and she was worshipped as such. Commons image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons She was tied to the star sign Virgo (which is not unexpected), and she was known as the Queen of Heaven and the Queen of the Angels, among other titles.

r/AskBibleScholars – How old was Mary when she was pregnant with Jesus?

The Bible really doesn’t mention much of anything. Matthew, who was quoting scripture, may be interpreted as indicating she was a young woman (as opposed to a virgin). The Greek language allows for such a reading and may even be more accurate in this regard). Tradition has it that she was between the ages of 14 and 16. This would have been historically correct if Jesus had been Mary’s first child, which appears to be the case based on the evidence. It is extremely likely that Joseph, or whomever may have been the father, was 30 to 35 years old, but legend commonly claims that he was 90 years old.

In one version of events, he was a widower with four boys and two daughters when he met Mary when she was 12 years old.

She marries Joseph when she is 14 and a half years old.

This was done in order to maintain the notion that Mary was a perpetual virgin.

Jesus Was a Rape Baby

According to the Gospel of Mary and other early church documents, Mary, the mother of Jesus, was most likely betrothed to Jesus’ earthly father Joseph when she was 12 years old, though she could have been as old as 14. She was most likely betrothed to Joseph when she was 12 years old, though she could have been as old as 14. The Catholic Church and evangelical churches generally maintain that she was no more than 15 years old when she was elevated to the position of Mother of God. The obligation for Mary’s care had been shifted from her father to Joseph, an adult widower who had legal authority over her as a result of her engagement to Joseph.

  1. Mary got pregnant with Jesus at some point during that year, when she was still a virgin and legally under Joseph’s care.
  2. It is exceedingly doubtful that Jesus was conceived as a consequence of a teenage relationship, as has been suggested.
  3. In response to his wife’s announcement that she was expecting a child, Joseph followed the instructions of the Angel Gabriel and generously adopted father care for Jesus.
  4. God, according to the biblical account, was the predator.
  5. The writers who penned the Bible said that when Mary became the Mother of God, she bowed dutifully to her heavenly Father.
  6. She was raped since she was unable to provide her permission under any circumstances.
  7. She had no clue what would happen if she refused to accept the role of Mother of God, which had been allocated to her.

There was a significant disparity in power between the two parties.

According to the Biblical account, the Angel Gabriel compelled Mary into submission and obedience by threatening her.

They make a strong case that she was exceptional and capable of giving permission in a unique way.

A youngster cannot give permission to pregnancy if the authoritative figure is a parent or guardian.

It is not a matter of “free will.” Christians have a long history of praising Mary’s obedience while failing to acknowledge that she was being exploited for her reproductive organs.

God’s penis did not make it into Mary’s vaginal cavity.

As a result, none of them had sexual pleasure or release as a result of the “overshadowing,” which, according to Trump’s Christian ideas about sexuality, rendered the impregnation “pure” and “holy.” It is taken even farther by Trump Catholics, who have declared Mary to be a perpetual virgin, and so an eternally un-erotic and in-orgasmic submissive mother.

  • Because God’s “overshadowing” of Mary was not violent, the Trump Christian believes God’s “overshadowing” of Mary was not sinful.
  • Those who prey on unconscious girls and women are patronized by Trump’s God, who is also their patron saint.
  • They can only submit to it out of obedience and the dread of being abused, tortured, or killed if they refuse to do what they are told.
  • To be fair, Biblical leaders and authors did not have access to our current knowledge into teenage psychology and affirmative permission, which we take for granted.
  • In 2017, the year of Jesus’ birth, all females between the ages of 12 and 14 gain from deferring marriage and motherhood until their early twenties or later.
  • Throughout the Bible, merciless brutality, infanticide, genocide, rape, and sexual abuse, exploitation, and assault are sanctioned, yet these events are brushed over by liberal Christians and thrown under the rug as unimportant residues of ancient Biblical culture, according to them.
  • Instead of drawing inspiration from the comparatively compassionate but nonetheless sexist Jesus, Trump Christians praise Biblical rape and war culture, as opposed to liberal Christians who do the same.

The candidates they support promise to slash public funding for pre-natal care, child care, pediatric visits, maternal and child nutrition, early childhood education, public schools, reproductive health care, breast and cervical cancer screenings, drug and alcohol rehabilitation, job training, clean air and water, public transportation, student loans, the minimum wage, and nearly all federal and state programs that promote health, critical thinking, economic security, and an educated workforce.

  1. Christians on the liberal side say that the loving ministry of Jesus is irreconcilable with policies that do little to alleviate needless suffering.
  2. “How can they (anti-government evangelicals and conservative Catholics) call themselves Christians?!?!?” asks a common question among secular Americans who are aware with this great record of vigorous Christian humanitarianism.
  3. Christianity’s original sin is referred to as the “Original Sin.” As stated in the opening verse of the New Testament, “An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah,the son of David, and the son of Abraham” is included.
  4. The genealogy contains 40 men and 5 females who had offspring, including Mary, “the mother of Jesus,” according to the legend.
  5. From the beginning, the Christian Bible makes it plain that the girls and women who conceived, carried, and delivered the fathers in Jesus’ patrilineage, as well as Jesus’ own mother Mary, had absolutely no significance in the establishment of Jesus as the Messiah.
  6. When the three wise men came to visit, they brought gifts and adoration to the newborn Jesus rather than his mother.
  7. Trump’s Christian God was unconcerned about whether or not Mary’s 12-year-old body was mature enough to bear a pregnancy or give birth to a healthy child.
  8. In part, this explains why Trump supporters support politicians who reject financing for organizations that promote the health and safety of girls and women.
  9. Child marriage, pregnancy, and delivery risk the lives of around 15 million girls each year, both internationally and in the United States, causing them mental, physical, spiritual, sexual, financial, and educational harm, as well as causing them to drop out of school.
  10. As a result, we cannot expect Trump Christians to empower girls living in today’s patriarchal cultures to postpone marriage and childbirth.
  11. Trump’s evangelical supporters think that Jesus’ work is particularly significant because he is the only one who can claim to be the Son of God.

They do not consider the exploitative “overshadowing” of Mary to be a “legitimate rape,” but rather a “method of conception” and a “gift from God.” Anti-choice activists are motivated by their belief in the “virgin birth.” The Christian belief is that everything begins with conception, that the presence of God is always present at conception, and that every pregnancy is consensual since God consents to all conceptions.

It is their belief that all pregnancies, regardless of the circumstances of conception, should be submitted to by girls and women.

Trump Voters who identify as Christian strongly believe that God, not girls and women in consultation with medical professionals, should always have the final say on whether or not a pregnancy should be carried to term.

In the eyes of Trump Christians, there is nothing more significant that girls and women can do in life than to become receptacles for the reproduction of children.

This powerful imbuement on the moment of conception causes Trump Christians to lose sight of the inhumane ethos associated with forced pregnancy and childbirth, which is common in Catholic countries, where women who choose abortion are imprisoned.

It is time for secular thought leaders to stop being so fearful of confronting Mary’s misogynist theology of the virgin birth.

Christmas, when Christians commemorate the birth of Jesus, their Savior and God’s only son, they implicitly endorse the non-consensual rape of Mary every year.

The ultimate salutation for a power hungry, opportunistic pedophile and serial sexual abuser, it is the death knell for him.

It’s past time for us to stop ignoring the obvious truth about Christianity, which is the religion that has the greatest influence on American politics.

She holds a Ph.D. in theology from Yale University. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara, as well as a Master of Divinity from Howard University, among other qualifications.

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