According to religious tradition, Mary was an Israelite
Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee and the mother of Jesus. Among her many
other names and titles are the Virgin Mary or Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of
God, and Saint Mary in Western churches, Theotokos in Orthodox Christianity,
and Maryam, mother of Isa in Islam. She is identified in the New Testament [Mt
1:16, 18-25] [Lk 1:26-56] [2:1-7][2] and in the Qur'an as the mother of Jesus
through divine intervention. Christians hold her son Jesus to be Christ (i.e.
the messiah) and God the Son Incarnate (see Trinitarian monotheism), whereas
Muslims regard Jesus as the messiah and one of the most important prophets of
God sent to mankind.
The canonical gospels of Matthew and Luke describe Mary as a
virgin Traditionally, Christians believe that she conceived her son
miraculously by the agency of the Holy Spirit. Muslims believe that she
conceived by the command of God. This took place when she was already betrothed
to Saint Joseph and was awaiting the concluding rite of marriage, the formal
home-taking ceremony. She married Joseph and accompanied him to Bethlehem,
where Jesus was born. In keeping with Jewish custom, the betrothal would have
taken place when she was around 12, and the birth of Jesus about a year later.
The New Testament begins its account of Mary's life with the
Annunciation, when the angel Gabriel appeared to her and announced her divine
selection to be the mother of Jesus. Church tradition and the Gospel of James
AD 145 state that her parents were an elderly couple, Saint Joachim and Saint
Anne. The Bible records Mary's role in key events of the life of Jesus from his
conception to his Ascension. Apocryphal writings tell of her subsequent death
and bodily assumption into heaven.
Christians of the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox
Church, Oriental Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, and Lutheran churches
believe that Mary, as mother of Jesus, is the Mother of God and the Theotokos,
literally "Bearer of God." Mary has been venerated since Early
Christianity. Throughout the ages she has been a favorite subject in Christian
art, music, and literature.
There is significant diversity in the Marian beliefs and
devotional practices of major Christian traditions. The Catholic Church has a
number of Marian dogmas, such as the Immaculate Conception of Mary the
Perpetual Virginity of Mary, and the Assumption of Mary into Heaven. Catholics
refer to her as Our Lady and venerate her as the Queen of Heaven and Mother of
the Church; most Protestants do not share these beliefs.[9][10] Many
Protestants see a minimal role for Mary within Christianity, based on the
brevity of biblical references.
