Mary’s Life Up to the Birth of Jesus

By Colin C. Caso

(Footnotes are at the bottom of the manuscript).

There are two types of windows in our world: uncolored windows and stained windows. Uncolored windows are clear and transparent, offering people who peer through them an unobstructed view of the world beyond. Clear, functional, and straightforward. Colored windows, or stained glass, on the other hand, transform the light that passes through, coloring it, shading it, twisting it into something striking and mesmerizing. Stained glass turns ‘the light’ that passes through it into a ‘story’ of significance. This allows a person to form a deeper connection with ‘the light,’ for while light is simple, ‘the light’—the one with color—both contradicts and validates (John 1:8). Stained glass does not merely let light into the world—it elevates it, allowing for the ‘light’ to be “true” and “full” (John 1:14).

Mary, the mother of Jesus of Nazareth, is like a stained-glass window. She is not merely a human vessel for the acclaimed Jewish Messiah, but instead an ark filled with the covenant of divine light; “the Light” (John 1:5; 8:12). 

In multiple trains of thought, she is the most ‘extraordinary ordinary’ human in the history of Christian theory, thought, and practice; a person who transforms and magnifies “the Light,” allowing for it to be visible to the world in ways that people can’t often see, for her soul “doth magnify the Lord.” (Luke 1:46). The Blessed Virgin is a person who is humble, obedient, and full of grace; she does not diminish the God of Israel’s presence but magnifies it in a profound way (Luke 1:48; Luke 1:28; Philippians 2:8). She allows for a veil over humanity to come to the “Light” in an accessible and safe way (Luke 1:28; 38). For just as a stained-glass window draws attention not to itself but to the light that comes through it, the same is with Mary—for she is not “the light” but a person of flesh and blood who allows for the embodiment of “the Light.” (John 1:8, 8:12; 1 John 1:5, 2:5; 2^nd Corinthians 4:6).

When we, the readers of the Christian Scriptures, come to the character, figure, and idea (i.e., ‘the life’) of Mary, we come to recognize her as this ‘stained-glass intersection’ through which the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob’s divine light shines, uniquely refracted into the human experience and Biblical Canon (e.g., Genesis 50:24; Exodus 3:15; Acts 7:32). Her story, particularly her rather unconventional beginnings, is not one of classical acceptance of the law but of active participation in the law, allowing for her not to be a recipient of grace but the living reflection of grace itself (e.g., Luke 1:47).

Mary, or Maria in Latin, Maria or Mariam (Μαρία; Μαριάμ) in Greek, and Miriam (מִרְיָם) in Hebrew, is first introduced to the reader of the Christian Scriptures in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Although both Biblical accounts of Mary’s life with Jesus of Nazareth were written well after she lived, she and her Son resided during the late Second Temple Period, a time of Roman occupation in Judea, a region in the Southern Levant.^[1] She lived in Nazareth, a small, humble, and relatively insignificant village in Galilee, located in the northern part of that same region (John 1:46).

The ‘prophecy’ of the figure, character, and idea of Mary is, of course,  found in the Hebrew Scriptures. While the name and person of ‘Mary’ are not explicitly named in the Hebrew Scriptures, interpretations from Christians find prophetic allusions to her within the ancient texts. For example, in the Book of Isaiah, 7:14, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel,” ^[2] is often understood by Christians as a foreshadowing of Mary’s virgin conception of Jesus (‘Emmanuel’ means ‘God with us,’ original language in footnotes). In a similar fashion, the Book of Micah, states in 5:2, “And thou, Bethlehem Ephrata, art a little one among the thousands of Juda: out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be the ruler in Israel: and his going forth is from the beginning, from the days of eternity,” is often seen as a valid connection to Mary’s role in bringing the Messiah (cf. Matthew 2:6). Further connection in the Deuterocanonical books of The Wisdom of Solomon and Sirach develops the prophecy further but less transparently. The Wisdom of Solomon describes Wisdom as a ‘spotless mirror’ and The Book of Sirach’s command to ‘make your dwelling in Jacob’ is seen as prefiguring Mary’s purity and her role as the God-bearer, in whom God’s presence dwells, particularly in apostolic theology (e.g., Wisdom 7:26; Sirach 24:8; cf. 1^st Corinthians 3:16).

Mary’s physical and literary beginnings start in the first book of the Christian Scriptures, The Gospel of Matthew, where she is presented in a genealogical and narrative context, allowing for an emphasis on her role in the fulfillment of prophecy. The Gospel of Matthew establishes Mary as the betrothed spouse of Joseph and the virgin mother of Jesus, conceived by the Holy Ghost. It also aligns broadly to demonstrate how Jesus is the fulfillment of Jewish Messianic expectations (Matthew 1:18-25). In contrast to this, the Gospel of Luke portrays the Blessed Virgin with a personal and intimate tone, offering a more emotional account instead of a narrative one, standard with both the entire Gospel itself and the Book of Acts (cf. Luke 1:48). According to the Gospel of Luke, the person of Mary was a young virgin in Nazareth who received a divine message from the Archangel Gabriel, announcing that she would conceive the Son of God through the Holy Ghost (Luke 1:26-38). This moment, more commonly referred to as the Annunciation, marks the ‘start’ of the Biblical account of her role in salvation history.^[3] The story, which is depicted in Luke 1:26-38, is not just a simple historical event in the life of the acclaimed Jewish Messiah coming to earth, but a rather pivotal theological moment that contradicts and validates.

This scene in Luke’s Gospel is written fairly poetically and has a lyrical quality to it. It is in this way that Mary, the humble virgin, the simple homemaker, the Servant of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, is highlighted with divine favor (Luke 1:28, 30; Genesis 6:8; Exodus 33:17).

 In it, she is described as being “full of grace” —a translation of the Greek word Κεχαριτωμένη (kecharitōmenē), which is used in Luke 1:28, is a perfect passive participle of χαριτόω (charitoō), meaning ‘highly favored’ or ‘endowed with grace’; perfect tense indicates a completed action with ongoing effects. This contributes to the Catholic understanding of Mary’s Immaculate Conception, which holds that Mary was preserved from all sin from the moment of her conception, having been graced by God from the very beginning, for it is this person, or the stained-glass window, that allows for the intersection of the divine and the human, where the God of Israel’s plan is initiated through Mary’s willing acceptance. The narrative unfolds from the Angel of Gabriel’s startling appearance and message, “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women… Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God,”which fundamentally changes the simple virgin life, her understanding, and her desire (Luke 1:28, 30). Mary is told she will conceive a “Son of the highest” and then proceeds to greet Gabriel with a simple and somewhat crude question: “How shall this be done because I know not a man?” Gabriel’s response, “…The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:32, 34, 35). Gabriel explains the power of the Holy Ghost to her, allowing for a just and miraculous conception. She then proceeds to have a declaration, “And Mary said: Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word.”—a complete and total surrender to God’s will. This act of faith and obedience to the Most High is central to Christian understanding of the Annunciation and broader theology—the moment when ‘the Word’ became flesh—initiated incarnation (John 1:1, 14; cf. Hebrews 1:13). Humility and divine initiative laid the groundwork for the unfolding story of Jesus of Nazareth.

The other significant moment in the introduction to Mary’s life, is her visit to Elizabeth, who, inspired by the Holy Ghost, recognizes the Blessed Virgin as the “mother of my lord” (Luke 1:43). This is after Elizabeth’s husband, Zachary is visited by the Angel Gabriel, telling him that they (i.e., Elizabeth and Zachary)^[4] will conceive a son, who would later become John the Baptist. This encounter with Elizabeth leads Mary to proclaim Her Magnificat, a hymn of praise that speaks about powerful themes found in the Hebrew Scriptures, such as those in the Psalms (i.e., the God of Israel’s patterns of justice, mercy, and obedience).²⁹ It also echoes themes found in similar hymns sung by women in the Hebrew Scriptures, such as the Song of Hannah, found in The Book of 1^st Samuel, 2:1-10.^[5] When read in context, Her Magnificat is well justified because Mary was a Jewish woman living in a thoroughly Jewish cultural and religious milieu.

The Magnificat is more of a profound theological proclamation than an actual hymn. It allows for an affirmation of God’s preference for the humble and His triumph over the proud: “He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble. He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.” (Luke 1:52-53). In context, her Magnificat serves as a foreshadowing of her role in salvation history. It reveals a sense of intimate knowledge of the Scriptures while allowing for the identification and prefiguration of her Son’s mission to the marginalized.^[6] The Magnificat establishes Mary as the model of a faithful, obedient servant to the ‘new’ God, aligning her with the righteous figures of the Hebrew scriptures and setting the foundation for her pivotal role as the ‘Mother of God.’ These two stories are from the core of Mary’s introduction, which is everything up to the birth of Jesus, and is a rather profound entry while also prefiguring her historical role—a role that extends beyond her immediate presence in the Gospel narratives.

Early Christian texts such as the Protoevangelium of James elaborate on the idea of her perpetual virginity and divine selection (Proto. of James 8:1, 21:1).^[7] By the 4th and 5th centuries, devotion to Mary had become widespread, with theological affirmations such as Ignatius of Antioch’s reference to the virgin birth. ^[8]In addition to this, Justin Martyr’s comparison of Mary to Eve frames her as the “New Eve.”^[9]

The evolution of thought around these introductory stories, as well as the general idea, theory, and practice around Mary, did not end in early Christian thought. In 431 AD, the Council of Ephesus affirmed Mary as Theotokos (‘God-bearer’),^[10] reinforcing her centrality in Christological debates.^[11] Mary continued to evolve in Orthodox and Catholic circles, each celebrating these stories and her future life in similar—albeit—different ways.³⁸ For example, in the Roman Catholic Church, the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception was formally defined in 1854 by Pope Pius IX, proclaiming that Mary was conceived without original sin, thus preserving her purity.^[12] A doctrine that further emphasizes her role as the “New Eve”^[13] or a sinless vessel chosen by God to bear Jesus. Western thought continues to develop Marian devotion and thought to this day, including the celebration of her Assumption in 1950, when Pope Pius XII declared that Mary was assumed body and soul into heaven at the end of her earthly life.^[14]

Women in this part of history, when Mary lived, had little to no social autonomy and were primarily defined by their roles and submitting to their husbands. This provides a reason for the way Marian doctrine in Western thought was developed and wasn’t fully granted or asserted in the early stages of doctrine development because of the prevailing limitation placed on women in society. A betrothal, for example, is a legally binding contract. This put Mary under the authority of Joseph, making her ‘unexpected’ pregnancy a profound moral and a rather odd social predicament. The cultural expectation of this time would be to stone her for being pregnant without Joseph’s seed (e.g., Deuteronomy 22:23-24; if the pregnancy was discovered within a city, and there was no evidence that she was raped). So, Joseph’s decision to take Mary as his wife after receiving a divine revelation in Matthew 1:20-21 is all the more significant.

The treatment of the female gender throughout world history has created countless moral problems. Mary and her role are one of them. A young girl, visited by an angel, being told that she would bear the Son of God, is a fundamentally unimaginable responsibility. In a time when bearing a child out of wedlock was both culturally and religiously forbidden, her blatant willingness to accept the reasonableness is extraordinary, like Hagar (Genesis 16:9). “Here am I, the Servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word’” is an immense showcase of remarkable faith and submission to divine will (Luke 1:38). This is in total contrast with the story of Zachary for example. His reaction to Gabriel’s message further highlights the moral weight the Blessed Virgin carries in embracing her role, despite the fear, societal pressure, and potential ostracism she faced (Luke 1:18-20, 38).

As it was once said, Mary is the stained-glass window through which the divine light of “the Word” shines through, transforming, elevating it, becoming a visible beauty. The “handmaid of the Lord” came from humble origins in Nazareth and then had to bear the acclaimed Jewish Messiah (Luke 1:38). Not by asking for it but allowing herself to become the embodiment of grace, magnifying the God of Israel’s bodily flesh and divine presence rather than diminishing it. Like stained glass, she does not obstruct the light but reflects it in refractive ways, validating and contradicting, allowing for the human experience to glimpse the divine. The introduction to her life, from the Annunciation to the Magnificat, reveals a person with a soul of profound faith and obedience. Finding herself in a time of low autonomy for the female gender, her willingness to embrace the divine gift (or horror) was nothing short of radical. She accepts the burden that the Jewish Messiah will bring, becoming not the vessel but the ark itself of the New Covenant—fulfilling the prophetic echoes of the Hebrew Scriptures and becoming a future cornerstone of Apostolic teaching.

From being recognized as the Theotokos, the God-bearer, to becoming a veil of grace and light, she is the human who brought forth divinity into the world. In the end, Mary is not the light; she is the window through which the light reaches mankind. For just as stained glass makes light tangible, full of grace and truth, color and beauty, Mary makes the divine accessible and personable—allowing mortals to see, feel, and be transformed by the eternal light beyond the window.

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^[1] Jonathan L. Reed, Archaeology and the Galilean Jesus: A Re-examination of the Evidence (Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press International, 2002).

^[2] Emmanuel: Hebrew: עִמָּנוּאֵל, ‘Immanu’el.’  Ἐμμανουήλ in LXX and Matt 1:23.

^[3] ‘Start’ as in, the start of her earthly life; The Gospel of Mathew comes before the Gospel of Luke in the Christian Scriptures.

^[4] Zachary (Douay-Rheims) appears as Zechariah (RSV, NAB) and Zacharias (KJV); variations stem from transliterations of the Greek (Ζαχαρίας) and Hebrew (ְזַכְרָיה), meaning ‘Yahweh remembers.’

^[5] The Navarre Bible: St. Luke’s Gospel (Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2005), p. 40.

^[6] Joseph Ratzinger, Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives (New York: Image Books, 2012), p. 80.

^[7] Protoevangelium of James 8:1, 21:1, in The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament, trans. R. H. Charles (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1913), p. 700-710.

^[8] Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Ephesians, in The Apostolic Fathers, trans. Bart D. Ehrman (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2003), p. 73.

^[9] Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, in The Ante-Nicene Fathers Vol. I, ed. Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1885), p. 224.

^[10] Θεοτόκος (Theotokos); compund, Θεός (Theós), meaning ‘God’ τόκος (tókos), meaning ‘childbirth’ or ‘offspring.’

^[11] “The Council of Ephesus,” in The Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series 2, Vol. 14, ed. Philip Schaff (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1994), p. 124-128.

^[12] Pope Pius IX. Ineffabilis Deus. December 8, 1854.

^[13] St. Irenaeus. Against Heresies, Book 3, Chapter 22. ca. 180 AD.

^[14] Pope Pius XII. Munificentissimus Deus. November 1, 1950.