ANNA

From the Gospel we know little about Mary, the Mother of God: in addition to the story of the Annunciation, the birth of Jesus Christ and His childhood, She appears on the pages of Scripture only in a few episodes. But church tradition has brought to us testimonies about the Mother of God of the first Christians, which were passed on from mouth to mouth. Here are some of them.

Do you know how old Joseph, Mary's husband, was?

Modern Western cinema likes to present Joseph the Betrothed as a man aged 30-40. Orthodox tradition says something else: “From the descendants of David, which was highly revered among the Jews, twelve wifeless elders were chosen; and their rods were laid in the sanctuary. Among them was Joseph. And his rod froze overnight; and even on it, according to the testimony of Blessed Jerome (340-419), a dove was visible flying from above. Hence the knowledge that the Most Pure Virgin was being given to Joseph for safekeeping. Elder Joseph at that time was, others think, about eighty years old” (Metropolitan Veniamin (Fedchenkov)).

She had nothing stern in her eyes, nothing careless in her words.

Do you know what the Blessed Virgin was doing at the time of the Annunciation?

“The angel found the Most Pure Virgin not outside her home and her upper room, not on the city streets among the people and worldly conversations, not fussing around at home in the cares of life, but practicing in silence, prayer and reading books, as the icon image of the Annunciation clearly shows, representing the Virgin Mary with a book placed before Her and open, as proof of Her constant exercise in reading divine books and thinking about God. At the very time when the heavenly messenger appeared to the Virgin, She, as the godly fathers of the Church believe, had in her mind the words of the prophet Isaiah: “Behold, the Virgin shall conceive with child” (Is. 7:14), and pondered how and when there will be that strange and unusual conception and birth for a girl’s nature” (St. Demetrius of Rostov).

An angel came to preach the gospel to Mary. Do you know what and who an angel is?

“An angel is an entity endowed with intelligence, constantly moving, free, incorporeal, serving God, and by grace receiving immortality for its nature: only the Creator knows the form and definition of this entity. She is called incorporeal and immaterial in comparison with us. For everything in comparison with God, the only incomparable one, turns out to be both gross and material, because only the Divinity is in strictly speaking immaterial and incorporeal” (Reverend John of Damascus).

Do you know why the Virgin Mary is called “The Most Honest Cherub and the Most Glorious Without Comparison Seraphim”?

“Because She received in Her womb the God-man, the Son and Word of God, Who took from Her human nature and united it with His Divine nature in His hypostasis” (Elder Ephraim of Philotheus).

Do you know why the Mother of God is depicted on the icon of the Annunciation with a lily flower?

The lily flower symbolizes purity. For her incomparable purity and chastity, She was chosen by God and awarded a great miracle - she remained a virgin at the conception of the Savior and after His birth.

Do you know what the Blessed Virgin Mary looked like?
Description appearance Church historian Nicephorus Callistus gave the following to the Most Holy Theotokos:
“The Blessed Virgin was of average or slightly above average height, golden hair, quick, olive-colored eyes, arched and blackish eyebrows, an oblong nose, flowering lips, a face not round and not sharp, but somewhat oblong, long arms and fingers. She had nothing stern in her gaze, nothing imprudent in her words, testifies Saint Ambrose. In conversations with others, She remained calm, did not laugh, was not indignant or angry. Her movements are modest, her step is quiet, her voice is even, so appearance personifies the purity of Her soul.”

Is there somewhere an icon of the Mother of God painted from Her during her earthly life?
The Most Holy Theotokos, just like the Savior, revealed her miraculous image in the city of Lydda during his lifetime.
The apostles Peter and John preached in Samaria, where the converts built a temple in the city of Lydda to the glory of the Blessed Virgin. Upon returning to Jerusalem, the apostles begged her to consecrate this temple with her visit and blessing. She agreed to this and, sending them back, said: “Go and rejoice: I will be there with you!” When the apostles arrived in Lydda and entered the temple, they saw an image of the Mother of God painted by an unknown person on one of the inner pillars. Moreover, her face and details of clothing were made with amazing art and precision. Later the Blessed Virgin also arrived there. Seeing Her image and the multitude of those praying in front of it, She rejoiced and bestowed miraculous power on the icon.

Do you know that the Mother of God came to the tomb of Her Son?
The Jews, who hated Christians, did not want the Mother of God to come to the tomb of the Savior, who knelt there, cried and burned incense. The high priests posted guards and ordered them to strictly monitor that none of the Christians dared to come to this place. If the Mother of Jesus violated the ban, She was ordered to be killed immediately. The guards vigilantly lay in wait for the Blessed Virgin, but the power of God hid Her from the soldiers on duty at Calvary. They never saw the Mother of God, although She continued to come there. In the end, the guards, under oath, reported that no one was coming to the coffin and the guards were removed.

At the moment of the Annunciation, Mary read and reflected on the words of the prophet Isaiah

Do you know how many years the Blessed Virgin Mary lived on earth?
Church authorities - St. Andrew of Crete, St. Simeon Metaphrastus, St. Demetrius of Rostov, Rev. Porfiry Uspensky, as well as prominent church historians Epiphanius and George Kedrin - claim that the Most Pure Virgin lived “to extreme old age.” According to calculations based on the participation in the burial of the Mother of God Dionysius the Areopagite (57), at the time of the Dormition the Mother of God was 72 years old.

Do you know why the parents of the Blessed Virgin endured reproach for many years?
The parents of the Virgin Mary were reviled for a long time because of their infertility. It was believed that this testified to God's punishment for sins. This circumstance caused not only grief to parents who could not have children, but also a lot of inconvenience on the part of the people: Joachim was prevented from making sacrifices in the temple, believing that he was displeasing to God because he did not create offspring to the Israeli people. Anna was also humiliated by those around her for her infertility. Since it was known that the Savior would be born from the seed of David, each family hoped that this would happen through its descendants. Therefore, not having the ability to procreate meant losing this chance.

Do you know what craft the Mother of God owned?
According to Tradition, during her life at the temple, the Virgin Mary worked on yarn and sewed priestly vestments. When She was given to Joseph the Betrothed for safekeeping, the need arose to make a new curtain for the Jerusalem Temple. Part of the work on this order from the high priest was carried out by the Virgin Mary. After the Annunciation of the Archangel Gabriel, the Blessed Virgin went to her relative Elizabeth (Luke 1: 39-56). According to legend, on the way She went to Jerusalem to give away part of the curtain, which by that time she had already made.

At the time of the Dormition of the Mother of God she was 72 years old

Did you know that Joseph, by law, had to judge Mary because she did not become pregnant by him?

The angel, in fact, announced to Mary such a pregnancy for which there were no legal grounds. And according to the law, they were supposed to be stoned for this, because there were no such precedents for a virgin to conceive without a husband, and, accordingly, according to logic, such a pregnancy could only arise from adultery. In any case, Maria faced shame for the rest of her life. But She simply trusted God: “Behold, the Servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word"(Luke 1:38) . But Mary did not yet know how Joseph would react to such an event: he was engaged to a girl, and suddenly - pregnancy! At first, the elder just wanted to quietly break off the engagement, without asking his bride anything and without trying to punish Maria in any way: “Joseph, Her husband, being righteous and not wanting to make Her public, wanted to secretly let Her go.”(Matt. 1:19). But, however, the birth of a child out of wedlock would have placed Her outside of society, and Her further fate would have been terrible. And again it took the appearance of an angel, but this time to Joseph, so that he would accept Her with the Baby in her womb and call Mary his wife: "But when he thought this,–Behold, the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said: Joseph, son of David! Do not be afraid to receive Mary your wife, for what is born in her is of the Holy Spirit.”(Matt. 1:20). It’s not often that we have to talk about Joseph’s courage and endurance. However, it is worth paying attention to the fact that in the eyes of the entire Israeli society, Joseph was the husband of Mary and was considered the father of Jesus, and only Joseph and Mary themselves knew what sacrifice the named father of Christ had to make.

I myself am a Protestant, but I respect Orthodox Church(I quite often attend services at the Sretensky Monastery); and regarding the interpretation of the New Testament, in general I think that there is no better interpretation of John Chrysostom (including among Protestants). I can say a lot of good things about Orthodoxy and true Orthodox Christians, but many points in Orthodoxy remain incomprehensible to me. For example, I have the following question: On what basis did Orthodoxy and Catholicism develop the veneration of the Virgin Mary and other Saints? Where in the Bible is it written that the Virgin Mary was an Ever-Virgin?

Priest Afanasy Gumerov, resident of the Sretensky Monastery, answers:

The high veneration of the Most Holy Theotokos is based on the fact that She is the real Mother of the truly incarnate God. Therefore, the Archangel Gabriel, who appeared to her to notify Her of this great event, calls her “grace-filled.” This word is never applied to any person in the entire Bible. We can firmly and decisively say that Her veneration began during her lifetime. Are the words of Her closest relative St. Elizabeth does not express the same feelings with which we, Orthodox, reverently address the Mother of our Savior: “And where does it come from for me that the Mother of my Lord came to me? For when the voice of Your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leaped for joy” (Luke 1:43-44). The Mother of the great Prophet and Baptist John, not on her own, but, filled with the Holy Spirit, turns to Her with the same words that are present in our prayers: “Blessed are You among women” (1:42). The Holy Gospel proclaims the future glory of the Most Holy Theotokos: “from now on all generations will call me blessed” (1:48). Our church services, prayer services, iconography - all this is the fulfillment of this gospel prophecy.

Through Her, the Lord showed great benefits: He became incarnate and redeemed us from eternal death. Our grateful souls are filled with feelings of love both for God and for His Mother, Who, with Her highest virtues, served the cause of our salvation. As the Mother of our Heavenly Parent, She is also our Mother. We are all brothers and sisters not only in Christ, but also by virtue of the fact that we have our common Mother. Is it possible to say about anyone that he loves his mother too much, that he reveres her too much? Especially when we're talking about about the Mother of the Heavenly King.

About the Ever-Virginity of Mary. She is the only one in the New Testament whom the evangelist calls the Virgin, using this word as a title: “In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a husband named Joseph, from the house of David; and the name of the Virgin is Mary” (Luke 1:26-27). Let us pay attention: from the Gospel text it is clear that the Virgin Mary, although already betrothed, wants to remain a virgin. To the words of Archangel Gabriel: “You will conceive in your womb and give birth to a Son” (1:31), She says: “How will this be when I don’t know my husband?” (1:34). She is Joseph's wife according to law. If she had intended to have children in this marriage, then the birth of the Son predicted by the archangel would not have been surprising. The answer given to Her by the heavenly messenger saved Her from the embarrassment caused by the greeting: “The Holy Spirit will come upon You, and the power of the Most High will overshadow You; Therefore the Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God" (1:35).

The New Testament recognizes marriage as honorable and the bed undefiled (Heb. 13:4), but virginity is placed higher: “He said to them: Not everyone can receive this word, but to those who have been given it, for there are eunuchs who were born like this from their mother’s womb; and there are eunuchs who are castrated from people; and there are eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:11-12); “But if they cannot abstain, let them marry” (1 Cor. 7:9); “These are they who have not defiled themselves with their wives, for they are virgins; these are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They are redeemed from among men, as the firstborn of God and the Lamb, and there is no guile in their mouth; they are blameless before the throne of God” (Rev. 14:4). Many of Christ’s disciples went through virginity. Can the first and most perfect Christian woman, adorned with all possible virtues, be inferior to them? All God-enlightened holy fathers (among them St. John Chrysostom) speak about the Ever-Virginity of the Most Holy Theotokos.

The feminine principle, the image of a woman-mother, giver of life, is revered in all world religions. So, in Ancient Greece thus became, in Asia they prayed to the goddess Cybele, in Egypt the supreme feminine personified. The Christian religion was no exception. The image of the Blessed Virgin Mary contains both the divine miracle of the origin of life and earthly path an ordinary woman, whose fate turned out to be far from cloudless.

Childhood and youth

The father of the Mother of God was Joachim, a believing and righteous man. A mother named Anna, like her husband, always followed the letter of God's Law. This family lived in complete harmony, only one thing darkened the existence of the spouses: the absence of children. For many years, Anna and Joachim prayed that God would send them a child, but their prayers were in vain. The suffering of the childless couple was intensified by the ridicule of those around them, who did not miss an opportunity to slander the grief of this righteous couple.

Anna and Joachim had been married for almost 50 years and were already desperate to have a child. But one day Anna, walking through the garden, saw an angel. He promised the surprised woman that she would soon become a mother, and her child would be known to the whole world. Anna hurried home to tell her husband about the vision. Imagine Anna’s surprise when it turned out that Joachim had also seen an angel who announced that the prayers for the child had been answered.

After some time, Anna actually became pregnant. Then the couple made a vow that they would give the newborn to serve the Lord. The daughter was born on time and received the name Maria (in Hebrew this name is pronounced Miryam and is translated as “beautiful”, “strong”). The neighbors of Joachim and Anna began to gossip again, this time marveling at the miracle.

The couple raised their daughter and were preparing to fulfill their promise. Three years later, they gave little Maria to be raised in the Jerusalem temple. Surprisingly, the girl easily climbed the fifteen steps to the temple gates, which were sometimes difficult for adults too.

A few years later, the righteous Anna and Joachim died. Maria continued to live at the temple, studying with other girls in special school. Here, young pupils were taught the basics of science, taught the Word of God, and also prepared for worldly life, housekeeping and raising children. Until the age of 12, Maria lived within the walls of this school. The girl was best at sewing. There is a legend that it was she who was entrusted with sewing the curtain and bedspread for the temple sanctuary.

Given such an upbringing, Maria should have grown up enviable bride- hardworking, pious and educated. But such a fate did not attract the girl, and she took a vow of celibacy. This created certain difficulties: mature girls were not allowed to live at the temple, and the grown-up Mary had to leave God’s house.

But according to the laws of that time, she was not allowed to live alone. The clergy, who became attached to their pupil, found a way out: Mary was married to the elderly widower Joseph, who, due to his age, had to preserve the girl’s purity, allowing her not to break her word given to God.

At first, the old man was not happy about the young bride who fell on his head. In addition, the man was afraid of gossip behind his back and ridicule of relatives and neighbors - the age difference was so great. However, Joseph did not dare to contradict the will of the priests and took Mary into the house, calling him his wife.

Birth of Jesus Christ

After some time, Joseph, who worked as a carpenter, left home for several months, going to another construction site. Maria, remaining on the farm, looked after order, weaved and prayed a lot. According to legend, while she was praying, an angel appeared to the girl and told her about the imminent birth of her son.

The boy, according to the angel, was destined to become the savior of people, the one whose coming the Jews had long awaited. Mary was embarrassed by this revelation, because she remained a virgin. To which she received the answer that she would suffer from higher power, and not from male seed. This day in Christian tradition became the Feast of the Annunciation - in memory of the good news that the Virgin Mary received.

And indeed, Maria soon realized that she was pregnant. The woman did not yet realize the role that her son had to play, but she understood that she had become a participant in a real miracle of the immaculate conception.

Joseph, who returned home after some time, immediately noticed the changes that had occurred in his wife. This kind man did not immediately believe Maria’s story, deciding that the naive girl had simply become a victim of deception by some neighbor’s young man who had seduced her.

The old man did not blame his wife and even wanted to secretly allow her to leave the city so that she would not become a victim of justice: treason in those days was severely punished, unfaithful woman could have been stoned and whipped. Then an angel appeared to the carpenter, telling him about the immaculate conception of Mary. This convinced Joseph of his wife’s innocence, and he allowed the girl to stay.

Shortly before the due date, Caesar Augustus announced a general population census. To do this, people had to come to Bethlehem on their own. Joseph and Mary set off on their journey. Arriving at the place, they found that the city was simply overcrowded with crowds of people. It was not possible to find a place to stay for the night, and the couple decided to spend the night in a cave in which the shepherds hid their cattle from the rains.

It was there that Mary gave birth to a son. The boy's first cradle was a manger for feeding animals. That same night, the star of Bethlehem shone above the cave, the light of which told people about the appearance of a miracle on earth. In addition, the light of the star of Bethlehem was seen by the Magi, who immediately set off on their journey to personally worship the newborn Son of God and present him with gifts.

Seven days later, as required by the law of the time, the baby was circumcised and given a name. The son of the Virgin Mary was named. Then the boy was brought to the church to present him to God and make the traditional sacrifice. A certain elder Simeon, who also came to the temple that day, blessed the baby, realizing who was in front of him. To Maria, he allegorically hinted that both she and her son were destined for a difficult fate.

Gospel Events

While the Holy Virgin Mary was in Bethlehem with her husband and newborn baby, the cruel and ambitious King Herod learned about the birth of the Son of God. However, the soothsayers who told Herod about the miracle that had happened could not answer the question into whose family Jesus was born.

Then, without hesitation, the king ordered the destruction of all the newborns that were in Bethlehem. Joseph was warned about the impending trouble by an angel who again appeared to the elder in a dream. Then the carpenter took refuge in Egypt with Mary and the baby, and only when the danger had passed did he return with his family to his native Nazareth.

ABOUT further biography The Virgin Mary is written sparingly in the Gospel. It is known that Mary accompanied Jesus Christ everywhere, supporting him and helping him carry the Word God's people. The woman was also present at the miracle performed by Jesus, who turned water into wine.

It is obvious that Mary had a hard time: the constant sermons that her son preached did not always evoke a good response in people. Often Jesus and those accompanying him had to endure ridicule and aggression from those who did not want to accept the tenets of religion.

On the day when Jesus Christ was crucified by the executioners, Mary felt the pain of her son and even fainted when the nails pierced his palms. And although the Mother of God knew from the very beginning that Jesus was destined to accept torment for the sins of people, the mother’s heart could hardly withstand such suffering.

Death and Ascension

Mary spent the rest of her life on Athos, preaching among the pagans and carrying the Word of God. Now a large complex of monasteries and cathedrals has been built on that site, each of which contains evidence of miracles revealed by the Mother of God: numerous miraculous icons(some of them, according to legend, are not made by hands), the belt of the Virgin Mary (kept in the Vatopedi monastery), as well as the relics of people canonized by the church.

At the end of her life, Maria spent all her days in prayer, asking her son to take her to him. One day, an angel appeared to the woman again, announcing that her prayers had been heard, and after three days her wish would be fulfilled. Maria, who joyfully received the news of her imminent death, devoted three days to saying goodbye to those who were dear to her.

On the appointed day, Mary, lying on her deathbed, humbly awaited her fate. People close to her gathered around her. They all witnessed a new miracle: Jesus Christ himself descended from heaven to take his mother with him. Mary's soul left her body and ascended into the Kingdom of God. The body that remained on the bed seemed to glow with grace.

According to the records of the historian Eusebius of Caesarea, Mary died in 48 after the Nativity of Christ, but there are other written testimonies that name more early dates, and later ones. According to biblical legends, the Mother of God lived 72 years.

Some time later, the apostles discovered that the body of the Virgin Mary had disappeared from the burial cave. On the same day, the Mother of God appeared to them and announced that her body had been ascended to heaven following her soul, so that she could become a Holy Intercessor before God for people in need of help. Since then, the day of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary has been considered one of the main Christian holidays.

According to the traditions of Muslims (who revere Christ not as the Son of God, but as one of the prophets), Jesus (or Isa) performed the first miracle while still in the womb of the Virgin Mary. This happened on the day of birth, when the Mother of God was already completely exhausted from pain. Then Jesus pointed out to the woman a spring created by God and date palm strewn with fruits. Water and dates strengthened Mary's strength and eased her suffering during childbirth.

On some icons, the Mother of God is depicted holding lilies in her hands. This flower was not chosen by chance: the lily is considered a symbol of chastity, purity and purity.

A description of the appearance of the Virgin Mary was preserved in the works of the church historian Nicephorus Callistus. Judging by the records of this man, the Mother of God was of average height. The Virgin’s hair shone with gold, and her eyes, lively and quick, were the color of olives. Nikifor also noted Mary’s “luscious lips, arched eyebrows and long arms and fingers.”

After the earthly death of the Mother of God, several places remained which, according to legend, are considered the inheritance of the Virgin Mary. This is Mount Athos, the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, Iberia (now the territory of Georgia) and the Seraphim-Diveevsky Monastery. It is believed that prayers read in one of these areas will certainly be heard by the Mother of God.

December 8, the day of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, is even declared a non-working day in some countries. From European countries This decision was made by Italy, Austria, Switzerland, and Spain. On this day in Catholic churches and Orthodox churches Services are held and prayers are read. This day is also considered a holiday in Argentina and East Timor.

Despite the fact that Mount Athos is considered one of the earthly inheritances of the Virgin Mary, women are not allowed to enter the territory of the monastery complexes. This rule is even enshrined in law, and violators will face severe punishment (including imprisonment). However, this prohibition was violated twice: during civil war in Greece (then women and children took refuge in the forests on the slopes of the mountain) and during the period of Turkish rule over these territories.

Memory (in the Orthodox tradition)

• March 25 - Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• July 2 - Position of the honorable robe of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Blachernae
• August 15 - Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• August 31 - Position of the belt of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Chalcopratia
• September 8 - Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• September 9 - Memory of the holy righteous Joachim and Anna, parents of the Mother of God
• October 1 - Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• November 21 - Entry into the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• December 9 - Conception righteous Anna Holy Mary
• December 26 - Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary