Illustration created for this project.
Mary (mother of Jesus) — the Blessed Virgin
A young woman of Nazareth, betrothed to Joseph, who bore Jesus by the Holy Spirit and treasured all these things in her heart.
What we know — and how we know it
Bible — stated in scripture (with verse) · 3
Archaeology — physical evidence · 1
Origin & birthplace
Family & lineage
BibleMother of Jesus, and a kinswoman of Elizabeth the mother of John the Baptist.
Luke 1:36
Life, role & deeds
Juandev — CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
ArchaeologyExcavations at Nazareth have uncovered a small first-century farming village, fitting the humble setting of the Gospels.
First-century remains at Nazareth — a courtyard dwelling excavated near the Church of the Annunciation by Yardenna Alexandre (Israel Antiquities Authority, 2009), and the agricultural terraces of the Nazareth Village Farm published by S. Pfann, R. Voss & Y. Rapuano, 'Surveys and Excavations at the Nazareth Village Farm (1997–2002)', Bulletin of the Anglo-Israel Archaeological Society 25 (2007); cf. K. Dark, 'Roman-Period and Byzantine Nazareth and its Hinterland' (Palestine Exploration Fund / Routledge, 2020).
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Nazareth
Prophecy & fulfilment
BibleHer conceiving as a virgin is presented as fulfilling Isaiah's sign of Immanuel.
Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:22–23
Where in scripture
LukeJohnFamily
In their own words — 9 recorded sayings
“And Mary said to the angel, How may this be, because I have had no knowledge of a man?” — Luke 1:34
“And Mary said: I am the servant of the Lord; may it be to me as you say. And the angel went away.” — Luke 1:38
“And Mary said: My soul gives glory to God; My spirit is glad in God my Saviour. For he has had pity on his servant, though she is poor and lowly placed: and from this hour will all generations give witness to the blessing which has come to me. For he who is strong has done great things for me; and holy is his name. His mercy is for all generations in whom is the fear of him. With his arm he has done acts of power; he has put to flight those who have pride in their hearts. He has put down kings from their seats, lifting up on high the men of low degree. Those who had no food he made full of…” — Luke 1:46-55
“And when they saw him they were surprised, and his mother said to him, Son, why have you done this to us? see, your father and I have been looking for you with sorrow.” — Luke 2:48
“When they had not enough wine, the mother of Jesus said to him, They have no wine.” — John 2:3
“His mother said to the servants, Whatever he says to you, do it.” — John 2:5
“So the sisters sent to him, saying, Lord, your dear friend is ill.” — John 11:3
“When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she went down at his feet, saying, Lord, if you had been here my brother would not be dead.” — John 11:32
…and 1 more recorded sayings.
Speaker attribution: Clear Bible MACULA (CC BY 4.0). Wording: Bible in Basic English (public domain).
Events
Places in their life
Photo: Israel_photo_gallery — CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
In art
