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Mary, the mother of JesusMary, in the Bible, mother of Jesus. Christian tradition reckons her the principal saint, naming her variously the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady, and Mother of God (Gr., theotokos). Her name is the Hebrew Miriam.Her LifeThe events of her life mentioned in the New Testament include her betrothal and marriage to Joseph; the archangel Gabriel's annunciation to her of Jesus' birth; her visitation to her cousin Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist; Jesus' nativity; her purification at the Temple; her station at the Cross, where Jesus instructed that she and his disciple John should consider themselves related as mother and son; her visit to Christ's tomb after his resurrection; and her attendance in the room with the Twelve Apostles at Pentecost. Although few other details of her life are mentioned or implied in the Bible, tradition has it that she was the daughter of St. Joachim Joachim, Saint , in tradition, the father of the Virgin and husband of St. Anne; there is no mention of him in the Bible. His cult is ancient in the East, but modern in the western Church. Feast: Aug. 16. Her Significance in ChristianityVirginity and Immaculate ConceptionSince the early church the theme of Mary's virginity has served as an important emblem of Christianity's ascetic ideal. The Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and some Protestant traditions teach the perpetual virginity of Mary, placing a nonliteral interpretation on New Testament references to Jesus' "brothers." The Roman Catholic Church additionally has proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception (declared in the bull Ineffabilis Deus of Pius IX, 1854), according to which Mary was conceived without original sin. The Roman Catholic Church further teaches that Mary was freed from actual sin by a special grace of God. Intercession and VenerationFrom earliest times Mary's intercession was believed to be especially efficacious on behalf of humankind and the church; since the Middle Ages, recitation of the rosary rosary [rose garden], prayer of Roman Catholics, in which beads are used as counters. The term, applied also to the beads, is extended to Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist prayers that use beads. ApparitionsApparitions of the Virgin have been reported since ancient times, and some have led to new cultuses and shrines, typically associated with cures. These apparitions include those at Guadalupe Hidalgo Guadalupe Hidalgo , shrine, central Mexico, in the Federal District. The basilica of Guadalupe containing the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe (feast: Dec. 12) is the focal point of the most famous pilgrimage in the Western Hemisphere. Patroness and Artistic SubjectMary in her aspect of the Immaculate Conception is the patroness of the United States, and Our Lady of Guadalupe was declared Empress of all the Americas by Pope Pius X. With Lumen Gentium (1964), Pope Paul VI proclaimed Mary as Mother of the Church. In the 1980s, while it was still a part of the USSR, Pope John Paul II dedicated Russia to her. Artistic representations of Mary are innumerable; for differing aspects, see Christian iconography under iconography iconography [Gr.,=image-drawing] or iconology [Gr.,=image-study], in art history, the study and interpretation of figural representations, either individual or symbolic, religious or secular; more broadly, the art of representation by pictures BibliographySee H. C. Graef, Mary (2 vol., 1963–65); H. A. Oberman, The Virgin Mary in Evangelical Perspective (1971); S. Benko, Protestants, Catholics and Mary (1978); H. Küng, ed., Mary in the Churches (1983); M. O'Connell, ed., Theotokos: A Theological Encyclopedia of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1983). Mary, 1867–1953, queen consort of George V of EnglandMary, 1867–1953, queen consort of George V of England. Daughter of the duke of Teck and great-granddaughter of George III, she was engaged first to George's elder brother, the duke of Clarence, who died in 1892. She married George, then duke of York, in 1893. Among her sons were Edward VIII and George VI.Mary, persons in the BibleMary, in the New Testament.1 Mary Mary, in the New Testament. 2 Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene [traditionally Greek=of Magdala], Christian saint, a woman widely venerated in Christendom. The name Madeleine is a French form of Magdalene. She appears in the New Testament as a woman whose evil spirits are cast out by Jesus, as a watcher at the 3 Wife of Cleophas Cleophas , in the New Testament, husband of one of the Marys who stood at the foot of the Cross. This is apparently Mary the mother of St. James the Less, but the father of James the Less is Alphaeus. 4 Mary of Bethany, sister of Lazarus and Martha. She sat at Jesus' feet while Martha served. She has come to symbolize the life of contemplative love of God. Some identify her with St. Mary Magdalen. 5 Roman lady saluted by Paul. 6 Mother of St. Mark. 7 Mother of Saint James the Less. Mary, city, TurkmenistanMary or Mari (mä`rē), city (1991 pop. 94,900), capital of Mary region, SE Turkmenistan. Lying in a large oasis of the Kara Kum desert, on the Murgab River delta, Mary is the center of a rich cotton-growing area. It is a rail junction and carries on extensive trade in cotton, wool, grain, and hides. Mary is also a major center of the natural gas industry. Mary arose in 1884 as a Russian military-administrative center c.20 mi (30 km) from the site of ancient Merv Merv , ancient city, in Turkmenistan, in a large oasis of the Kara Kum desert, on the Murgab River. The city, known in antiquity as Margiana, or Antiochia Margiana, was founded in the 3d cent. B.C. on the site of an earlier settlement...... Click the link for more information. and was itself called Merv until 1937. Maryor St. Mary or Virgin Mary(flourished beginning of the Christian Era) Mother of Jesus. According to the Gospels, she was betrothed to St. Joseph when the archangel Gabriel appeared to her to announce the coming birth of Jesus. Other incidents in the Gospels in which she appears include the visit to Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist; the birth of Jesus and his presentation in the Temple; the coming of the Magi and the flight to Egypt; the marriage at Cana in Galilee; the attempt to see Jesus while he was teaching; and watching at the cross. Eastern Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, and most Protestant denominations hold Jesus to have been divinely conceived and Mary to have remained a virgin. The Roman Catholic church also holds to the doctrine of her Immaculate Conception and her bodily assumption into heaven. Catholics pray to Mary as an intercessor. See also Mariology. Mary1 1. New Testament a. Saint. Also called: the Virgin Mary. the mother of Jesus, believed to have conceived and borne him while still a virgin; she was married to Joseph (Matthew 1:18--25). Major feast days: Feb. 2, Mar. 25, May 31, Aug. 15, Sept. 8 b. the sister of Martha and Lazarus (Luke 10:38--42; John 11:1--2) 2. original name Princess Mary of Teck. 1867--1953, queen of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (1910--36) by marriage to George V Mary2 New Testament a. Saint. Also called: the Virgin Mary. the mother of Jesus, believed to have conceived and borne him while still a virgin; she was married to Joseph (Matthew 1:18--25). Major feast days: Feb. 2, Mar. 25, May 31, Aug. 15, Sept. 8 b. the sister of Martha and Lazarus (Luke 10:38--42; John 11:1--2) Mary the Madonna; beatific mother of Christ. [N.T.: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John; Christian Iconography: NCE, 1709] See : Love, Maternal Mary apotheosized as mother of Christ. [N.T.: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John] See : Motherhood
Mary the mother of god, the Virgin Mary, the Madonna; in Christian mythology the mother of Jesus Christ. In the Gospels it is said of Mary that she was the wife of Joseph, that she immaculately conceived and gave birth to Jesus Christ, and that she was present at the execution of Jesus. The Apocrypha tell about Mary in more detail. In Christianity the cult of Mary formed under the influence of pagan cults of the mother-goddess or fertility goddess (Isis, Astarte, and others). In the fourth century Mary was declared by Christian theologians to be “immaculate” and “ever virgin” (despite references in the New Testament to the brothers of Christ). At the Ecumenical Council of 431, Mary was officially declared the mother of god. The image of Mary proved to be more comprehensible to the masses of believers than the abstract Trinity. The cult of Mary (the “intercessor” for mankind) gained widespread popularity, especially among Catholics. Many religious holidays and icons are dedicated to Mary. Certain dogmas absent from Eastern Orthodoxy have been proclaimed in Catholicism, including in 1854 the dogma of Mary’s own immaculate conception by her mother and in 1950 the dogma of Mary’s bodily assumption (after her death) into heaven. In 1964, Pope Paul VI proclaimed Mary the “mother of the church.” The theme of the blessed virgin and child occupies an important place in medieval art. During the Renaissance great canvasses by Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, and others were devoted to the image of Mary (the Madonna). A. P. KAZHDAN Mary (until 1937, Merv), a city, administrative center of Mary Oblast, Turkmen SSR. Situated on the Murgab River and the Karakum Canal. Junction of railroad lines to Tashkent, Krasnovodsk, and Kushka. Population, 67,000 (1973; 8,500 in 1897; 37,000 in 1939; 48,000 in 1959). Industry in Mary includes a big wool-washing factory, a cotton gin, a machine-building plant, a housing-construction combine, food enterprises, (a flour mill, a bakery, a meat combine, and a dairy plant), leather enterprises, and rug-making enterprises. The Mary State Regional Electric Power Plant, which is located nearby, went into operation in 1973. Mary is the site of medical and teacher-training colleges, the Museum of History and Revolution, and a drama theater. Mary arose in 1884 as the military and administrative center of Merv District. The ruins of ancient Merv are 30 km east of the city. Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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