A: Scripture is tight-lipped regarding details of Mary’s personality and life. It speaks only to the essentials of her religious vocation and role in the Incarnation and Jesus’ salvific work. The apocryphal writings, non-canonical early writings dealing with Jesus’ and Mary’s life as well as other apostles and events surrounding the earliest times of Christianity are merely expansive and sometimes generously complement lacunas found in Scripture. This is not to say that apocryphal writers are of higher authority than Scripture. It is Scripture in all its sobriety and sometimes frustrating poverty of information that constitutes the measuring rod of our faith. However, the apocryphal writings have documentary value. They witness contemporary feeling and reverence about Mary. They tell us what some people at a given time thought about Mary, and what their expectations and spiritual beliefs on her behalf were.
The following presentation attempts at gathering most of what the apocryphal writers tell us about Mary, without any claim of being comprehensive. The listing of the various items regarding aspects of Mary’s person and life gives reference to their sources (see abbreviations in second column), which in turn are mentioned with more specific bibliographical information as attachment to this presentation.
|
Aspects of Mary’s life |
Sources |
|
|
|
||
|
Events |
Miraculous Birth of Mary |
Protoevangelium of
James” (PJ) |
|
|
Announcement of Mary’s
birth by an Angel to Anne and Joachim |
PJ |
|
|
When Mary was six months
old, she could walk seven steps |
PJ |
|
|
At her first birthday
Joachim held a banquet inviting the High Priests |
PJ |
|
|
Her bedroom was a sanctuary |
PJ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Presentation of M in the Temple at age three |
PJ |
|
|
Mary’s
betrothal to Joseph at age
|
PJ |
|
|
Mary was asked to spin
the veil for the temple |
PJ |
|
|
Added details to Mary’s
Annunciation (she sees the Angel twice): She went to the well to fetch
water when she heard a voice. Then at home while
she was spinning the veil the angel appeared to her.
Annunciation took place in Jerusalem |
PJ |
|
|
The High Priests sent
Mary into the wilderness. She returned unharmed. |
PJ |
|
|
Nativity in a cave:
Midwife’s testimony to Mary’s virginity and Mary’s vindication
before the High Priest The cave where
Mary gave birth was illumined with intense light so that the eye could not
take it |
PJ |
|
|
M encountered Jesus on
the Way of the Cross |
Gospel of Nicodemus/Acts
of Pilate (NP) |
|
|
Christ appeared to M
after the resurrection |
Gospel of Gamaliel (GG) |
|
|
Vision of Hell |
Transitus Mariae |
|
|
Mary’s coming in glory
before her Son’s coming in glory |
Apocalypse of Paul (AOP) |
|
|
Mary is a descendent of
David |
PJ |
|
|
In the temple Mary was
fed by a heavenly messenger |
PJ |
|
Intercession |
Mary’s intercession |
PJ, |
|
|
Due to M’s intercession
God allotted seven periods for penance to straying humans |
SO |
|
|
Two miracles of the Infant
Jesus worked for women who appealed to Mary |
Arabic Gospel of the
Infancy (AGI) |
|
|
The apostles asked M to
ask the Lord to reveal to them all things in heaven |
Book of Resurrection of
Christ (BRC) |
|
Reactions |
Upon entering the temple,
Mary danced |
PJ |
|
|
Mary is terrified upon
hearing the voice at the well. M laughs and her cheeks
become flushed at the Annunciation |
PJ |
|
|
She rejoices and is
touched in her heart with shame at the Annunciation |
PJ |
|
|
Mary cried bitterly when
Joseph doubted her insisting ‘I am innocent.’ |
PJ |
|
|
Mary hid from the people
once her pregnancy became visible. She was sixteen years old |
PJ |
|
|
M urges that Joseph be
invoked by the poor |
PJ |
|
|
At the cross M is
overwhelmed with grief, weeping, crying aloud |
NP |
|
FEASTS |
Conception of Mary |
JP |
|
|
Nativity of Mary |
JP |
|
|
Presentation of M in the
Temple |
PJ |
|
TITLES |
Highly Favored One |
BRC |
|
|
Tabernacle of the Most
High |
BRC |
|
|
Salvation of the World |
BRC |
|
|
Mother, Queen, and
Servant |
BRC |
|
|
Mother of the heavenly
King |
BRC |
|
|
Mary’s Virginity |
PJ, Odes of Solomon (OS)
Acts of Peter (AP) Sibylline Oracles (SO) The Ascension of Isaiah (AI)
History of Joseph the Worker (HJW) |
|
JOSEPH |
Joseph’s doubt: he did
not want to take Mary as his wife since there was such an age gap. He
feared to be made fun of. |
PJ |
|
|
Two brothers of the Lord
are sons of J. from a former marriage |
PJ |
|
|
Joseph took Mary out of
fear of the Lord but left her alone while going on a journey to build
houses. |
PJ |
|
|
Joseph
did not know how to
register Mary because she was too young to be his wife |
PJ |
|
|
Joseph
found a cave where Mary
could give birth |
PJ |
|
|
His sons guarded the cave
while he looked for a Hebrew midwife |
PJ |
Legend:
|
PJ |
Protoevangelium of James |
|
OS |
Odes of Salomon |
|
AP |
Acts of Peter |
|
SO |
Sibylline Oracles |
|
AI |
The Ascension of Isaiah |
|
HJW |
History of Joseph the Worker |
|
AGI |
Arabic Gospel of the Infancy |
|
BRC |
Book of Resurrection of Christ |
|
AOP |
Apocalypse of Paul |
|
NP |
Gospel of Nicodemus/Acts of Pilate |
|
GG |
Gospel of Gamaliel |
|
Hennecke Schneemelcher, Neutestamentliche Apokryphen 1959. English translation edited by R. McL. Wilson |
|
James, M. R. The Apocryphal New Testament 1969 |
|
Rush, A. C. "Maria en los evangelios apocrifos," In: J.B.Carol, Mariologia 1964, pp. 156 – 181 |
|
Rush, A. C. Outlines of Mary’s holiness in New Testament Apocrypha, In: Virgo Immaculata III pp. 259-268 |
|
Schmid, H. R. Protoevangelium Jacobi, A commentary 1965 |
|
Schmidt, K. L. Kanonische und apokryphe Evangelien und Apostelgeschichten 1944 |
|
Strycker, E. de La forme la plus ancienne du Protévagile de Jacques, 1961 BS2860.2.J2 S8 |
|
Tischendorf, C. Evangelia apocrypha Evangelia apocrypha, adhibitis plurimis codicibus graecis et latinis maximam partem nunc primum consultis atque ineditorum copia insignibus, 1876, new edition 1966 BS2850.G7 T5 1966 |
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