Theotokos, Mother of God, Mother of God, Virgin Mary
- in the church tradition of the name of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who gave birth to Jesus Christ.
The name “Theotokos” is known among all Orthodox Slavs. The constant epithet of the Mother of God among the Orthodox Slavs is Most Holy, Most Pure, sometimes replacing her name.
The folk cult of the Mother of God differs from the church cult in being more down to earth. The Mother of God acts as a protector from troubles, evil spirits, misfortunes and suffering. She is a heavenly intercessor, sympathetic, merciful and sympathetic. Therefore, they often turn to her in prayers, conspiracies, and spells.
The Virgin Mary is considered the patroness of women in labor. And, of course, the Mother of God is the intercessor of children in this and the next world.
With the exception of Jesus Christ, there is not a single saint in Christian iconography who has been so often depicted by artists of all times as the face of the Blessed Virgin. At all times, icon painters tried to convey to the face of the Mother of God all the beauty, tenderness, dignity and grandeur of which their imagination was capable.
The Mother of God in Russian icons is always in sadness, but this sadness can be different: sometimes sorrowful, sometimes bright, but always filled with spiritual clarity, wisdom and great spiritual strength. The Mother of God can solemnly “reveal” the Child to the world, she can gently, press her Son to Herself, or lightly support Him - She is always full of reverence, worships her Divine Child and meekly resigns herself to the inevitability of sacrifice. Lyricism, enlightenment and detachment are the main features characteristic of the depiction of the Virgin Mary on Russian icons.
Only a small part of the iconography dedicated to the Mother of God - the Mother of God - is presented here.
Kazan is the most revered icon in Rus', the image of the intercessor of the entire people.
Vladimirskaya - The image of the intercessor mother in all troubles and sorrows.
Quick to Hear- pray for the Lord to hear people’s prayers.
Iverskaya - they pray for protection from enemies and ill-wishers.
Soothe my sorrows- pray for consolation in sad moments of life.
Merciful - they pray for the granting of a Divine miracle, healing.
Feodorovskaya - people pray in front of this icon during difficult childbirth.
Jerusalem - pray for family well-being, health, conceiving children.
Kozelshchanskaya - pray for the healing of orthopedic diseases,
Three-handed - pray for the healing of diseases of the hands and feet.
Look to humility- pray for healing from illnesses, oh women's health and well-being.
blessed sky- pray for a gift God's Grace V Everyday life, help with business.
Softening evil hearts
- pray to soften the hearts of those who come to you with evil thoughts.
Tenderness - mothers pray for the successful marriage of their daughters, for happiness and prosperity.
Smolenskaya - pray for help in finding the right paths in life.
Barskaya - pray for good relations in the family, for children and health.
Unexpected joy- pray for the gift of spiritual insight.
Three joys - they pray for forgiveness for their sins.
Prayer to all icons of the Mother of God
O Most Holy Virgin, Mother of the Lord Most High, Intercessor and protection of all who resort to You! Look down from Thy holy height upon me, a sinner, falling before Thy most pure image; hear my warm prayer and offer it before your beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ; beg Him to illuminate my gloomy soul with the light of His Divine grace, to deliver me from all need, sorrow and illness, to grant me a quiet and peaceful life, physical and mental health, to pacify my suffering heart and heal its wounds, to guide me for good deeds, may my mind be cleansed from vain thoughts, and having taught me to fulfill His commandments, may He deliver me from eternal torment and may He not deprive me of His Heavenly Kingdom. O Most Holy Theotokos! You, Joy of all who mourn, hear me who mourns; You, called the Satisfaction of Sorrow, assuage my sorrow; You, Kupino the Burning, save the world and all of us from the harmful fiery arrows of the enemy; You, the Seeker of the Lost, do not allow me to perish in the abyss of my sins. According to Bose, all my hope and hope is in Tyabo. Be an Intercessor for me in temporary life and for eternal life before Your beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, Intercessor. To you, Most Holy Mother of God, Most Blessed Mary, reverently honor you until the end of my days. Amen.
PS. The popular veneration of the Mother of God is associated with the “Feasts of the Mother of God” - Annunciation - April 7th,
Dormition - August 28, Christmas - September 21, Intercession - October 14, Entry into the Temple - December 4.
01/20/2016 5 007 0 Jadaha
Unknown
According to the Gospels, Mary was a Jewish girl from Nazareth who gave birth to a child who became the founder new religion. For believers this is undeniable, but for atheists it is unrecognizable. But not all Christians have a cult of the Mother of God. Some people do not recognize its holiness.
As soon as they don’t call her - Mother of God. Our Lady. The Virgin Mary, Holy Virgin, Madonna... In fact, a simple Jewish girl from Nazareth named Miriam is one of the most revered saints. She is known not only in Christianity, but also in Islam under the name Seide Mariam; even a separate sura No. 19 is dedicated to her.
Everything we know about Mary comes from the Bible, Koran, Talmud and other religious works. No historical data about the existence of this person has been preserved.
Biography
Mary was a relative of Elizabeth, the wife of Zechariah, a priest of Abi's line, a descendant of Aaron, from the tribe of Levi. She resided in Nazareth in Galilee, presumably with her parents.
Tradition speaks of Mary’s upbringing in an atmosphere of special ritual purity and of her “introduction into the temple” when Mary was 3 years old: “And now the Child was three years old, and Joachim said: Call the immaculate daughters of the Jews, and let them take the lamps and stand with with lit [lamps] so that the Child does not turn back, and so that She loves the temple of the Lord in her heart.”
In the Temple, Mary was met by the high priest (Orthodox tradition believes that it was Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist) with many priests. The parents placed Mary on the first step of the stairs that led to the entrance to the Temple. According to the Gospel of pseudo-Matthew:
“... when She was placed in front of the temple of the Lord, She ran up fifteen steps, without turning back and without calling her parents, as children usually do. And everyone was filled with wonder at the sight of this, and the priests of the temple were amazed.”
Then, according to legend, the high priest, by inspiration from above, introduced the Virgin Mary into the Holy of Holies - inner part temple in which the Ark of the Covenant was located. Of all the people, the high priest entered there only once a year.
At the temple, Maria lived and was raised together with other children, studied Holy Bible, did handicrafts and prayed. However, upon reaching adulthood (12 years old), she could not remain at the temple, and a husband was chosen for her by traditional rite. Her husband was the carpenter Joseph. Then the Annunciation occurred - the archangel Gabriel sent by God informed Mary about the impending immaculate birth of the Savior from her.
The Bible tells us that when Joseph learned that Mary was pregnant, he almost broke off the engagement, but then an angel appeared to him in a dream and said to him: “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take your wife Mary into your home, because she pregnant with the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” After this, Joseph woke up and did as the angel told him. He took his wife into his house. completing the wedding ceremony.
Interestingly, Christian dogma says that Mary was a virgin before, during and even after the birth of Christ. This doctrine, or "post partum", denied by Tertullian and Jovinian, was defended by later orthodoxies, resulting in the development of the term "Ever-Virgin", established at the Fifth Ecumenical Council in Constantinople.
In the year of Jesus' birth, by order of Emperor Augustus, a census was carried out in the country. To do this, all residents had to return to their native places, wherever they had not lived by that time. Joseph and his family went to their hometown of Bethlehem. When they arrived in Bethlehem, there was no room in the inn, and they had to stay in a cattle cave, where Jesus was born.
Eight days later the baby was circumcised and given the name Jesus. When the days of their purification under the law of Moses ended, they brought the child to the temple of Jerusalem in accordance with the requirements for firstborns prescribed in the law of Moses. Then they returned to Bethlehem, and after a visit from the Magi, the entire family fled to Egypt to escape persecution. They returned to Nazareth only after the death of King Herod.
When the evangelists describe the events of the life of Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary is mentioned as being present at the wedding in Cana of Galilee. For some time she was with her son in Capernaum.
The Bible is somewhat contradictory about the relationship between Mary and Jesus. On the one hand, they had to be good, but on the other, Jesus did not want to see her and did not help during one of his sermons: “And His Mother and His brothers came to Him, but they could not come to Him because of the crowd. And they let Him know: Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see You. He answered and said to them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it” (Luke 8:19-21).
On Golgotha, the Mother of God stood near the cross. The dying Christ entrusted his mother to the Apostle John. Only in these two Gospel episodes (John 2:4; John 19:26) is Jesus’ personal appeal to Mary, but he does not call her a mother, but a woman. He calls her mother only once, but not his own, but his disciple (John) in John. 19:27: “Then he said to the disciple: Behold your mother!”
The Acts of the Holy Apostles does not indicate whether the Virgin Mary was even on the day of Pentecost among the apostles, when the Holy Spirit descended on them in the form of tongues of fire.
Orthodox theologians answer negatively, believing that the Holy Spirit previously resided on the Virgin Mary.
It is not known exactly how her old age passed and where her life ended. It is believed that she died in Jerusalem or Ephesus 12 years after the ascension of Christ. According to Tradition, Mary left this world in 48. Tradition believes that the apostles from all over the world managed to come to the deathbed of the Mother of God, with the exception of the Apostle Thomas, who arrived three days later and did not find the Mother of God alive. At his request, her tomb was opened, but there were only fragrant shrouds. Christians believe that Mary's death was followed by her ascension, and that Jesus himself appeared with a host of heavenly powers for her soul at the moment of death.
This is known from several apocrypha: “The Tale of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary” by Pseudo-John the Theologian (appeared in the middle of the 5th century or later), “On the Exodus of the Virgin Mary” by Pseudo-Melito of Sardis (not earlier than the 4th century), the work of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, "The Word of John, Archbishop of Thessalonica." All of the listed apocrypha are quite late (V-VI centuries) and differ from each other in content. Therefore, the Church did not accept their entire content, but only the main idea that the Virgin Mary rested blessedly and her soul was accepted by Christ.
Reverence. Virgin Mary among the early Christians
The cult of the Mother of God did not arise immediately. Only several centuries after her death do the first evidence of her veneration appear. The first of such evidence is the presence of her images in the Roman catacombs, where Christians performed divine services and hid from persecution. The first frescoes and images of the Virgin Mary were discovered in the catacombs (frescoes of Cymeterius Priscilla, “Prophet Balaam before Mary breastfeeding”, “Adoration of the Magi” and others). These frescoes and images are still of an antique nature.
Christians
Orthodox veneration of the Mother of God originates from her Byzantine cult, the center of which was Constantinople. On May 11, 330, Constantine the Great officially moved the capital of the empire and dedicated New Rome to the Blessed Virgin Mary. This dedication is reflected in the mosaic of the southern entrance to the Church of Hagia Sophia, which depicts the Virgin Mary enthroned with the Child in her arms, flanked by Constantine the Great and Justinian the Great. The first dedicates Constantinople to Christ and the Mother of God, and the second main church Empire, Hagia Sophia. Final decision The issue of veneration of the Mother of God was adopted in 431 by the Third Ecumenical Council.
IN Catholic world The Mother of God, under the influence of folklore and some pagan traditions in the early and middle Middle Ages, is the personification of nature, the mother goddess, the first manifestation of heavenly, transformed nature. This is where the tradition of depicting the Madonna among nature came from: “Madonna of Humility”, where the Madonna sits on the ground among flowers, “Madonna in a strawberry patch”, etc.
In the legend of Theophilus, which arose in the 13th century in the Byzantine Empire, but became especially popular in Western Europe, particularly in France, tells about a young man who was in the service of a bishop. He, tired of the hardships of life, sold his soul to the devil, and thereby made a quick career, but repented and turned to Mary for help, who took Theophilus’s receipt from the devil.
But not in all Christian churches there is a cult of the Mother of God. Protestant churches believe that the veneration of the Virgin Mary contradicts the main postulate of the Reformation - excluding any intermediaries between God and man. Nevertheless, Martin Luther still recognized the ever-virginity of Mary and even the possibility of her intercession before God. The veneration of some Mother of God holidays was preserved in Lutheranism until the Age of Enlightenment. However, Ulrich Zwingli already rejected the possibility of praying to the Mother of God, and the most decisive opponent of her veneration was John Calvin, who considered it idolatry, so it died out quite quickly in the Swiss Reformation.
Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Mary is the mother of Jesus Christ and that she conceived him virginally. Because they consider Jesus Christ to be the Son of God, but not Almighty God, therefore they do not consider Mary to be the Mother of God. They believe that Christians should only pray to God, and not to Mary.
Mary in Islam
In Islam, Mary is seen as the virgin mother of the prophet Isa. It is written about her in the Koran, in Surah “Mariam”. This is the only surah of the Qur'an named female name. It tells the story of Mary and Jesus according to the Islamic view.
ANNA
IN 80 BC was born Joachim, Maria's father.Anna born in 74 BC V large family, becoming the fourteenth child. Anna's mother was then 45 years old. Anna's parents were middle-income people at that time. They lived in the city of Nazareth, were engaged in cattle breeding and had a small herd. In addition, Anna's father kept a small inn. There were three rooms in the courtyard where visiting merchants stayed.
Nazareth was located very well, just on the way from Egypt to India, and caravans constantly visited this town.
Simeon often stayed at their house - famous fortune teller. This is the same 113-year-old elder Simeon who waited for the newborn Jesus to appear in the temple. It was he who said then: “Praise the Lord that I waited for this!” At that time, Simeon was still young. He practiced medicine, treated with herbs and could predict the future. He did this with the help of thirteen stones and a lamb shoulder. Simeon threw them up, and then carefully studied what kind of layout was obtained from the stones that fell to the ground. At that moment, the unknown future of man was revealed to him. Previously people They treated the predictors with great respect and faith. Simeon's prophecies always came true, and people often turned to him for help.
Little Anna was then 12 years old. Anna amazed everyone with her hard work and did her best to help her mother with the housework. At such a young age, she already knew how to work like an adult: milking a cow and running a household. At the same time, she was distinguished by her enormous love of life, irrepressible gaiety and, most importantly, a childish sense of pity for all living things. She felt sorry for everyone - the old people, the weak and sick wanderers and neighbors, animals, she could not calmly look at anyone’s suffering. Anna had a big and kind heart. Anna simply fell in love with the fortuneteller Simeon. He was so unusual and mysterious. He was doing something incomprehensible and mysterious - a real magician...
The room in which Simeon stayed was divided into two parts by a curtain. Anna, a terribly curious girl, hid in the second half of the room and from there carefully watched Simeon from the side, fascinated by his actions. She really wanted to understand what their mysterious guest was doing, and she wanted to learn it herself. Simeon also paid attention to the curious child. He liked Anna for her spontaneity, kindness and obvious, undisguised thirst for new knowledge. He slowly began to teach the girl the art of healing and revealed to her some of the secrets of medicine.
Simeon was not mistaken - Anna turned out to be a capable student and grasped everything right on the fly. Soon she herself could speak out a toothache, remove a purulent abscess from a patient’s body, or soothe a pain in the stomach.
Previously, home healing was practiced everywhere. Each family had a person who could provide assistance to sick household members or pets. Magic, healing and predictions of the future did not surprise or frighten anyone; they treated this calmly, with faith and understanding. No one divided medicine into official and folk.
One day Anna begged Simeon to tell him what would happen to her when she grew up, what future awaited her. Simeon, agreeing, spread out the stones and silently looked at the resulting layout for a long time. He sighed, looked at Anna and did not say anything.
The intrigued girl began to persistently tease him, persuading him to tell her the truth. Simeon refused for a long time, but then in the end, succumbing to her persuasion, he said: “You will live a difficult and short life. And you will die when you give birth to a child, at the age of 54. You will have a girl, whom you will have to name Maria. This will be an extraordinary girl. Time will pass, and she will have a son named Jesus. This man will be the Messiah, he will bring people new faith who will save the world."
After this prediction, Simeon began to look at the little girl with completely different eyes. From ancient prophecies, Simeon knew that someday on the land of Judea a man would be born who in the future would turn the whole world upside down, cleanse it of filth and vice, and give people new life. And now - wow - this prophecy comes true right before his eyes!
Simeon now prayed for only one thing - just to live to see this. have a bright day and see the Savior of the world with my own eyes, if only I have enough strength to wait for this miracle!
After all, it turned out according to the prophecy that the Mother of God Mary would be born when Simeon would be almost a hundred years old! If only I could live to see this day!
At the age of 13, Anna was married to 19-year-old Joachim. In those days, children grew up very quickly; at the age of 13, a girl was considered already of age and ready for marriage. They lived in the Holy Land, were well-born and rich, but they had no children. In the society around them, the absence of children in the family was tantamount to a curse, disfavour from Above, and therefore the priest stopped allowing Joachim into the temple. He left home into the desert and decided never to return. Anna was left alone in the house, grieving over her misfortune. On her wedding anniversary with Joachim, she wept bitterly in the garden: “Woe to me, to whom I have become like; I have not become like the birds of the air, because the birds of the air are fruitful before you, Lord! Woe to me, I have not become like the beasts of the earth, because they too have children! Even the waves will give birth to waves that play and splash, praising God. And I cannot compare with the earth, because the earth bears its fruits...” Anna’s cry was heard, the heavenly messenger - an Angel - assured Anna that she would soon have a girl, who would be called Mary.
Icon "Meeting of Joachim and Anna"
Images of Joachim and Anna are not uncommon in icon painting; they were always represented in the same way: Joachim - as an old man with a long beard, Anna - in a long himation with a covered head. Sometimes they were among the selected saints of the icon. There was also a special composition “Meeting of Joachim and Anna.” Joachim and Anna hugged each other when they met after the gospel and Joachim's return from the desert to his home.
Nativity of the Virgin Mary
Years passed. Anna had long forgotten about Simeon’s prophecy. Business, housekeeping, everyday life - life went on as usual. Joachim and Anna were considered prosperous in Nazareth married couple middle income. They kept livestock - goats, cows, horses, bulls. And a large flock of sheep. In addition, Joachim owned a small creamery, which produced sour cream, cottage cheese, and butter. Despite his advanced age of 60, Joachim still worked hard, trying to keep up with the housework everywhere.
Suddenly the unexpected happened - his wife Anna became pregnant again. At 54 years old! Just some kind of miracle! And only now Anna remembered about Simeon! She told all her loved ones - her husband, relatives - about the prophecy made to her in childhood: that she would become pregnant at 54 years old and die in childbirth, and the resulting child should be named Mary, and this girl would then become the mother of Jesus - the Messiah, who would suffer a lot and will bring new faith to this world.
Anna's loved ones were simply confused. What kind of prophecy, where does it come from, what kind of Messiah, will Anna really die, how can this be, and who will then raise the child?
Joachim was already 60 years old, and he was unlikely to be able to raise the girl alone.
In those days, having many children was common. And none of the relatives could take little Maria into their home. And then Anna remembered her distant relative Elizabeth. Elizabeth's mother was a second cousin of Anna's mother. Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah had no children of their own, so they agreed to take Mary in with them.
Early in the morning, at 6:15 a.m., July 21, 20 BC. e. In the house of Joachim, a girl was born who was named Maria. Anna, unable to endure a difficult birth, died, as predicted by Simeon.
Saints Joachim and Anna
The icon painter was usually commissioned to depict the parents of the Mother of God by families who had no children or were expecting their first child.
The child was very sick, and it was not certain that the girl would survive without mother's milk. Therefore, Joachim entered his daughter into the family genealogical lists only when there was danger early death passed, i.e. exactly two months later - September 21.
This date began to be considered Mary’s birthday. In our time, on this day, September 21, one of the twelve great church holidays- Christmas Holy Mother of God.
All babies born three days before July 21 and September 21 are often gifted children, and all of them are under the protection of the Virgin Mary.
July 21 is a special day. Nature itself rejoices and celebrates the birth of the Virgin Mary - the air is filled with the heady smells of summer and sun, an extraordinary lightness settles in the soul of all people, in the morning everyone wakes up with good mood, sensing that something extraordinary was going to happen today.
Dormition of Righteous Anna
July 25/August 7 - Dormition of Righteous Anna, mother of the Most Holy Theotokos.
Icon of the Dormition is right. Anna, mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary
According to legend, Saint Anna acquired two estates in Jerusalem: the first at the Gethsemane Gate, and the second in the Valley of Jehoshaphat. In the second estate, she built a crypt for deceased family members, where she was buried along with Joachim. The most pure body of the Mother of God was buried in this family cemetery. A temple was erected at the burial site. There is a legend that St. Equal to the Apostles Helena built a basilica here. In 614, the temple was destroyed, but the tomb of the Mother of God was preserved. Most of The modern building dates back to the times of the Crusaders. This is an underground temple, with 50 steps leading to it, with chapels of Sts. Godfathers Joachim and Anna and Joseph the Betrothed, located on the sides of the stairs.
Funeral crypt of Joachim and Anna in the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary 
Tombs of St. Joachim and Anna in the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary
In con. X century On Mount Athos, the monastery of St. Anna was built - the most ancient of all Athonite monasteries. Devastated for many years by sea robbers, it was in the 17th century. was restored by the Patriarch of Constantinople Dionysius, who acquired the foot of the holy righteous Anna from the Christians of Asia Minor. In 1680, a cathedral church was erected there in memory of the Dormition of St. Anna. From that time on, the monastery began to bear the name “St. Anna”. It is famous on Mount Athos for the high ascetic deeds of its monks.
Not far from the skete of St. Anna there is the so-called New Skete of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary or “Little Anna”. The proximity of these blessed places emphasizes the connection between the sacred events of the conception and birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Under the holy blessed king Justinian (527-565), a temple was built in her honor in Deutera, and Emperor Justinian II (685-695; 705-711) renovated her temple, because righteous Anna appeared to his pregnant wife ; at the same time, her body and maforium (veil) were transferred to Constantinople. The Dormition of St. Righteous Anna is celebrated on August 7 (July 25).
Currently, particles of the relics of St. Anne are located:
- in Athonite monasteries ( left foot in the Great Skete of Righteous Anna, right foot at the Kutlumush monastery, left hand in the Stavronikita monastery);
- in various monasteries and churches in Greece (including the Monastery of St. John the Evangelist on Patmos, the Church of Panagia Gorgoepikoos in Thessaloniki);
- to the church of St. Nicholas in Pyzhi, Moscow;
- October 26, 2008, a particle of the relics of St. Anna was brought from Athos to the temple complex of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God in Dnepropetrovsk, where she was placed in an ark in the lower aisle of the cathedral church in the name of Joachim and Anna;
- July 10, 2011, a particle of the relics of St. Anna was transferred to the Valaam Monastery.
Troparion of Righteous Anna
Voice 4
You, the Pure Mother of God, God-wise Anno, bore the life that you gave birth to in your womb. Moreover, you have now reposed in heavenly acceptance, where those who rejoice are the dwelling place, rejoicing in glory, honoring you with the love of sins, asking for cleansing, ever-blessed.
Kontakion of Righteous Anna
Voice 2
We celebrate the memory of the ancestors of Christ, who faithfully ask for help, to free everyone from all sorrow, calling: Our God is with us, glorify these, as you have been pleased.
Glorification of the Dormition of Righteous Anna:
We magnify you, holy and righteous Anno the Pramate of Christ our God, and we all honorably glorify your dormition.
The miraculous icon and part of the relics of St. Righteous Anna in the monastery of St. Anna on Mount Athos.
On June 17, 2006, Valaam met the icon of the holy righteous Anna, the foremother of Christ, who has great grace from the Lord to heal from the disease of infertility. This is a list with miraculous icon, which is located in the Skete of St. Anne on Mount Athos. There are now three such lists in the monastery, all of them are exact copies the miraculous image of St. Anna, and were written directly to the monastery of St. Righteous Anna. Countless numbers have come and come to Athos letters of thanks from parents who gained the opportunity to have children thanks to the intercession of the holy righteous Anna.
Prayers for marital infertility
For help with marital infertility, turn with prayers to the righteous Godfathers Joachim and Anna, the prophet Zechariah and Elizabeth, the Monk Roman, the martyr Paraskeva, named Friday.
Meeting of St. Righteous Joachim and Anna. Fragment of an icon from the 17th century.
Prayer to the righteous Godfathers Joachim and Anna:About the ever-glorifying righteous women of Christ, the holy godfathers Joachim and Anno, standing before the heavenly throne of the Great King and having great boldness towards Him, as from your most blessed Daughter, the Most Pure Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, who deigned to be incarnate!
To you, as a powerful intercessor and zealous prayer books for us, we, sinners and unworthy (names), resort to you. Pray for His goodness, that He may turn away His anger from us, righteously moved against us by our deeds, and may, despising our countless sins, turn us to the path of repentance, and may He establish us on the path of His commandments. Also, through your prayers, preserve our life in the world, and in all good things ask for good haste, all that we need from God for life and piety, freeing us from all misfortunes and troubles and sudden death through your intercession, and protecting us from all enemies, visible and invisible, for let us live a quiet and silent life in all piety and purity, and so in the world this temporary life has passed, we will achieve eternal peace, where, through your holy prayer, may we be made worthy of the Heavenly Kingdom of Christ our God, to Him, together with the Father and the Most Holy Spirit, belongs all glory , honor and worship forever and ever. Amen.
Personal petition of Righteous Anna for the gift of a child(from the Chetyi-Menya of St. Demetrius of Rostov):
Woe is me, Lord! Who will I be like? Neither to the birds of the air, nor to the beasts of the earth: for they too bring You, O Lord God, their fruit, but I alone am barren. Woe is me, Lord! I am alone, sinful, without offspring. You, who once gave Sarah the son Isaac in her old age. You, Who opened the womb of Anna, the mother of Your prophet Samuel, look now upon me and hear my prayers. Stop the sadness of my heart and open my womb, and make me, barren, fruitful, so that we bring what I have born to You as a gift, blessing, singing and glorifying Your mercy.
Kissing Zechariah and Elizabeth. End of XV - began. XVI century
Virgin Mary (Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God) - Jewish woman from Nazareth, according to , the mother of Jesus Christ. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke describe Mary as a virgin, and Christians believe that she conceived a son as an immaculate Virgin by the Holy Spirit. The miraculous birth occurred when Mary was already betrothed to She married Joseph and accompanied him to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born.
Icon of the Mother of God “Tenderness of Seraphim of Sarov”He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.
Mentions of the Virgin Mary in the Bible.
The Virgin Mary is mentioned several times in the New Testament. Most often the Immaculate Virgin Mary is mentioned in Gospel of Luke. She is mentioned by name 12 times. All references are related to the birth and childhood of Jesus.
Icon of the Mother of God "Tikhvin" Gospel of Matthew mentions her name six times, five of them in connection with the infancy of Jesus and only once (13:55) as the mother of the adult Jesus.
Gospel of Mark calls her by name once (6:3) and refers to her as the mother of Jesus without calling her by name in 3:31 and 3:32.
Gospel of John mentions her twice, but never by name. The Gospel says that the Virgin Mary accompanied Jesus when He began His miracles in Cana of Galilee. The second reference says that the Virgin Mary stood at the cross of Jesus.
IN Acts it is said that the Apostles, Mary and the brothers of Jesus gathered in the upper room after the Ascension of Jesus.
IN John's Revelation a woman clothed with the sun is described. Many believe that this is a description of the Virgin Mary.
Genealogy of the Mother of God.
There is little mention in the New Testament of the origins of the Virgin Mary. John 19:25 says that Mary had a sister.
Standing at the cross of Jesus were His Mother and His Mother’s sister, Mary of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.
It is semantically unclear from this phrase sister of His Mother, Mary of Cleopas, Is this one person or two different women? . Jerome believes that this is one person. But the historian of the early second century, Hegesippus, believed that Mary of Cleopas was not the sister of the Virgin Mary, but her relative on the part of Joseph the Betrothed.
According to the author of the Gospel of Luke, Mary was a relative of Elizabeth, the wife of the priest Zechariah, and thus came from the line of Aaron from the tribe of Levi. Others believe that Mary, like Joseph, to whom she was betrothed, was from the house of David.
Biography of the Virgin Mary.
The Immaculate Virgin Mary was born in Nazareth in Galilee. After her betrothal to Joseph (betrothal is the first stage of a Jewish marriage), the angel Gabriel appeared to her and announced to her that she would become the mother of the promised Messiah. After the first expression of disbelief at the announcement, she replied: “I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word.” Joseph the Betrothed planned to calmly separate from her, but an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and told him “do not be afraid to accept Mary your wife, for what is born in Her is from the Holy Spirit.”
Betrothal of Mary to Joseph. I. Chernov 1804-1811 The angel, in confirmation of his words, also told Mary that her relative Elizabeth, previously barren, conceived by the grace of the Lord. Mary went to the house of her relative, where she saw with her own eyes Elizabeth’s pregnancy and completely believed in the words of the angel. Then the Virgin Mary made a speech of gratitude to the Lord, which is known as the Magnificat or doxology of the Virgin Mary.
After staying three months in Elizabeth's house, Mary returned to Nazareth. According to the Gospel of Luke, Joseph, Mary's husband, was ordered by the Roman Emperor Augustus to return to his hometown of Bethlehem to take the Roman census there. While in Bethlehem, Mary gave birth to Jesus in a manger, since there was no room for them in any inn. On the eighth day, Mary's baby was circumcised according to Jewish law, and named Jesus, which in Hebrew means "Yahweh is salvation."
After the days of purification had passed, Jesus was carried to Jerusalem to be presented before the Lord, as custom required. The Virgin Mary sacrificed two turtle doves and two pigeon chicks. Here Simeon and Anna prophesied about the future of the baby. After visiting Jerusalem, the Immaculate Virgin Mary and Joseph the Betrothed, together with the baby Jesus, returned to Galilee, to their city of Nazareth.
According to the Gospel of Matthew, an angel appeared to Joseph at night and warned that King Herod wanted to kill the baby. Holy family fled at night to Egypt and remained there for some time. After the death of Herod in 4 BC. BC, they returned to the land of Israel, to Nazareth in Galilee.
Virgin Mary in the life of Jesus
According to the New Testament, at the age of twelve, Jesus is separated from his parents upon returning from the Passover celebration in Jerusalem, but the presence of his mother is still traced in His earthly life.
Bible scholars have much debate about why Jesus separated from his parents, and in particular from his Mother, since the fate of his earthly father is unknown, Joseph is mentioned in last time in the Bible when Jesus was 12 years old. Some point to conflict within the Holy Family. Several quotes from the Bible really prove this point. The Gospel of Mark describes the moment:
And His Mother and His brothers came and, standing outside the house, sent to Him to call Him.
The people were sitting around Him. And they said to Him: Behold, Your mother and Your brothers and Your sisters are outside the house asking You.
And he answered them: Who are my mother and my brothers?
And looking around at those sitting around Him, He said: Behold My mother and My brothers;
for whoever does the will of God is My brother, and sister, and mother. ()
Quote attributed by the Gospel of Mark to Christ: “ There is no prophet without honor, except in his own hometown, among their relatives and in their own home ". Also proves the possibility of conflict.
If there was a conflict in the Holy Family, then the reason for it could be the family’s lack of faith in Christ as the son of God.
American biblical scholar Bart Ehrman believes that "there are clear indications in the Bible not only that Jesus' family rejected his message during his public ministry, but that He, in turn, rejected them publicly."
The Virgin Mary was present when, at her suggestion, Jesus performed his first miracle at the wedding at Cana, turning water into wine. The Virgin Mary was also at the cross on which Jesus was crucified. The moment described in the Gospel when Mary hugged dead body her son is a common universal motif in art, and is called "pieta" or "pity".
After the Ascension of Jesus, we find one single mention of the Virgin Mary in Acts. After this there is no mention of Mary. Her death is not recorded in Scripture, but Catholic and Orthodox traditions believe that her body was taken to heaven. Belief in the bodily Ascension of the Virgin Mary - dogma Catholic Church and many others.
Data about the Virgin Mary from apocryphal texts.
The following biographical information is taken from apocryphal literature.
According to the apocryphal Gospel of James, Mary was the daughter of Saint Joachim and Saint Anne. Before Mary's conception, Anna was barren and was far from young. When the girl was three years old, she was brought to the Jerusalem Temple.
According to apocryphal sources, at the time of her betrothal to Joseph, Mary was 12-14 years old, and Joseph was 90, but these data are unreliable. Hippolytus of Thebes claimed that Mary died 11 years after the Resurrection of Jesus and died in 41.
The earliest surviving biographies of the Virgin Mary are Life of the Virgin Mary created in the 7th century by Saint Maximus the Confessor, who considered the Virgin Mary key figure early Christian Church.
In the 19th century, the so-called House of the Virgin Mary was found in a house near Ephesus in Turkey. It was found based on the visions of Anna Catherine Emmerich, an Augustinian blessed nun from Germany. The nun, 2 years before her death, during one of the many visions of the Mother of God, received detailed description places where Mary lived before her Assumption.
According to legend, the Blessed Virgin Mary retired to Ephesus during the persecution of Christians along with John the Theologian. In 1950, the House of the Virgin was reconstructed and turned into a chapel.
Virgin Mary in Orthodoxy
The Orthodox tradition has accepted the doctrine of virginity. According to this doctrine, the Virgin Mary “conceived a virgin, gave birth to a virgin, remained a virgin.” Hymns to the Mother of God are an integral part of worship in the Eastern Church and their positioning within the liturgical sequence indicates the position of the Mother of God after Christ. IN Orthodox tradition, the order of listing the saints begins with Our Lady, followed by angels, prophets, apostles, Church fathers, martyrs, etc.
One of my favorites Orthodox akathists dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Five of the twelve great church holidays in Orthodoxy are dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
- Nativity of the Virgin Mary
Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a holiday dedicated to the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Nativity of the Virgin Mary is celebrated on September 21.
- Introduction to the Temple
Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary into the Temple- a holiday dedicated to one of the events in the life of the Virgin Mary. Her parents Jochim and Anna brought their daughter to the Temple at the age of three, as they had previously vowed to dedicate the child to God. The holiday is celebrated on December 4th.
- Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The holiday is celebrated exactly 9 months before the birth of Christ. The day is dedicated to the appearance of an angel who announced to the Virgin Mary that she would become the mother of God on Earth.
Orthodox holiday celebrated on the day of the death of the Virgin Mary. According to the apocrypha, the Virgin Mary died on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. There now is the Catholic Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. According to the apocrypha “The Tale of the Dormition of the Holy Mother of God,” the apostles were carried on clouds from all over the world to the deathbed of the Mother of God. Only the Apostle Thomas was delayed for three days and did not find the Virgin Mary alive. He wanted to say goodbye to the Virgin Mary. At his request, the tomb of the Virgin Mary was opened, but the body was not there. Therefore, it is believed that the Virgin Mary ascended to heaven. The Dormition of the Virgin Mary is celebrated on August 28.
- Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary celebrated on October 14. The basis of this Orthodox holiday there is a legend about the appearance of the Mother of God to the holy fool Andrew. This happened in Constantinople, which was besieged by enemies. The people in the temple prayed to God for salvation from the barbarians. Saint Andrew the Fool saw the Mother of God praying for the salvation of the people of Constantinople. Then the Mother of God took the veil from her head and covered the people who were present in the temple with it, thereby protecting them from visible and invisible enemies. The cover of the Mother of God sparkled brighter than the rays of the sun. It is believed that the Mother of God saved Constantinople.
Veneration of the Mother of God in the Orthodox Church.
The prerequisites for the exaltation of the Virgin Mary by all peoples (tribes) are given in the Bible itself, where it is said on behalf of the Virgin Mary:
... My soul magnifies the Lord, and My spirit rejoices in God, My Savior, that He has looked upon the humility of His Servant, for from now on all generations will bless Me; that the Mighty One has done great things for Me, and holy is His name ().
In chapter 11 of the Gospel of Luke, the words of a woman from the people are quoted:
...blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts that nourished You!
Moreover, John the Theologian in the Gospel of John testifies that Jesus performed the first miracle at the request of his mother, therefore the Mother of God is revered as an intercessor for the human race. Exists great amount icons of the Mother of God. Many of them are considered miraculous.
Humanity has been waiting for its Savior for a very long time. Also in Old Testament God promised that the Savior would come into this world through a woman, but without male seed. The Virgin Mary voluntarily agreed to this, although at that time it was very dangerous, including for life. The Virgin Mary had enough faith, spiritual strength and humility to take this step. The Mother of God knew from the very beginning that the earthly ministry of her Son would end quickly and tragically. As a mother, she endured the worst to save humanity.
Mariology - the doctrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Mariology is the theological study of the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus. Christian Mariology seeks to connect the Holy Scriptures and the traditions and teachings of the Church about the Virgin Mary in the context of social history.
There are different Christian views on the role of the Virgin Mary in Christianity, from complete veneration of Mary in Roman Catholic Church to minimizing the role of Mary in Protestant evangelical theology.
A significant number of publications in this area were written in the 20th century by theologians Raimondo Spiazzi (2500) and Gabriel Roccini (900). The centers of modern Mariology are the Pontifical Institute of Mariology and the Pontifical Academy of Mariology.
The Mother of God is the patroness and Holy Virgin, most revered in Christendom. She is called the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, Blessed Virgin. In Christianity, she is considered the mother of Jesus Christ. She is the most revered and greatest of all saints.
Wears holy name Theotokos, because she gave birth to the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom the entire Christian world considers Almighty God.
The Mother of God was born in the city of Nazareth, in Galilee. Mary's parents were Saint Anne and Saint Joachim. They were already a very middle-aged married couple, and they had no children. However, Anna had a vision from a heavenly angel that she would soon give birth to a child. A girl was born, they named her Maria. Before three years the girl lived with her parents. Then, along with the rest of the children, she was brought up in a place where she prayed a lot. After reaching adulthood, she left the temple because a husband was chosen for her. This was a man from the tribe of David, an elderly man, Joseph the Betrothed. Joseph was chosen because a miracle happened the day before - his staff blossomed in an extraordinary way. The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and announced that she would be the mother of the long-awaited and promised Messiah. Mary conceived him through the Holy Spirit. There was a prediction that the Mother of God would give birth to a son who would save her people from their sins. She ended her life in the city of Jerusalem 12 years after the ascension of Christ, she was 48 years old. Mary's death was marked by her Ascension on the third day, and on last moment During her life, Jesus Christ himself appeared to her.
Akathist is a song, or more precisely a genre of Orthodox church hymnography, which is performed while standing. The Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos can be read as part of a prayer service and other services. It is especially recommended to do this at the morning of the holiday called Praise of the Most Holy Theotokos. This is one of the main songs in the Christian world. Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos is song of thanksgiving, which is addressed to the Mother of God herself. All Christians revere the image of the Queen of Heaven in a special way, pay homage to her and praise her deeds.
Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos is also gratitude to the one who is the Intercessor of all Orthodox people. It is about her that every Orthodox person thinks about when he is offended, humiliated, in sorrows and in distress. The Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos says that this saint awaits sincere human repentance. She guides sinners on the path of a true Christian and helps them turn to a righteous life. She extends a helping hand to everyone who turns to her and even to those who live in sin but ask for help.
Akathist to the Mother of God speaks of special treatment to immaculate souls, to people with a pure heart and good thoughts. People with the highest spirituality and purity of heart clearly feel the presence of her son, God, at the moment of turning to the saint. Akathist to the Mother of God calls for careful preservation God's word and live as the Virgin Mary lived - in perfect purity.
Icons of the Mother of God are considered miraculous, since a person has a spiritual connection with God, through the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos - these are prayers that bring peace and prosperity to family relationships. For example, if you are about to get married, pray near the icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary called “The Unfading Flower.”
The words that usually sound in front of this icon are requests to choose the right spouse, to get rid of quarrels in the family. Very pure, fiery words of prayer, sounding from the heart, will help you find what you are asking for, and will also allow you to achieve reconciliation in the event of a quarrel in the family. Prayers to the Most Holy Theotokos are filled with the main meaning - purity and chastity.
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