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In
the 5th century, at the holy Ecumenical Council of
Ephesus, the
Holy Mother's position as "Mother of God"
and "Bearer of God" (Asdvadzamayr-Asdvadzadzin)
was doctrinally established. Only those aspects of St.
Mary's life which are directly related to Christ are
mentioned in the Holy Gospels. The remainder of her
biography is attributed to tradition, which is found in
much of the most ancient of ecclesiastical literature.
St. Mary was the daughter
of Joachim and Anna of Nazareth (originally Bethlehem).
Anna, being barren, prayed and made special vows for a
child. She then had her only child, a daughter named
Mariam (or Mary). Although Mary was born naturally
(having both a father and mother) she is considered
morally pure and immaculate. It is for this reason that
the church not only celebrates her birth but also her
conception, which the Armenian and the Greek Orthodox
churches celebrate on December 9th and the Roman
Catholic church celebrates on the 8th.
The concept of her being
morally immaculate later developed into the question of
her Immaculate Conception (from Anna), a doctrine
adopted by the Roman Catholic Church in 1854. The
Armenian Church, on the other hand, does not accept
this, as it attributes to Mary that which belongs only
to Christ; only Christ was immaculately conceived. Yet,
her purity is unquestioned. According to the teaching
of the Armenian Church, at the time of the Annunciation
when the Holy Spirit entered her she was cleansed of all
sin (original sin) as she was to be the vessel in which
God manifest was to be incarnated.
After the Ascension of
her divine son, the remainder of Mary's life comes to us
through tradition. It states she lived out the rest of
her days in Jerusalem, cared for by St. John the
Evangelist. She died in Jerusalem some 15 years after
Christ's Ascension and was buried in her family tomb in
Gethsemane.
After she passed away,
all the apostles -- save Bartholomew who was absent at
that time -- conducted her funeral with great ceremony
at a cave-like tomb in the Garden of Gethsemane. Later,
St. Bartholomew returned and wished to see Mary one last
time. He convinced the Apostles to open the tomb.
Upon opening the tomb,
they could not find her body. Angels' voices were heard
for three days and nights. They interpreted the angels'
singing as a sign that our Lord had assumed (taken up)
His Mother into heaven as He had promised her. They
found the empty tomb a confirmation of that promise for
she had not been dead but had fallen asleep. For this
reason, the church refers to the end of her earthly life
as "the dormition" rather than "death."
The
church, on the occasion of Mary's "death", offers the greatest
respect with great solemnity and rituals. While there are other
feasts associated with Mary, the feast of the Assumption of Mary
is a non-variable commemoration and the oldest of all those
dedicated to the Holy Mother. All churches celebrate it on
August 15th. The Armenian Church celebrates this feast on the
nearest Sunday to the 15th of August (August 12-18), a schedule
adopted at the time of St. Nersess the Graceful.
Assumption is one of the five
major feasts known as tabernacles and comprises a week of
fasting, Navagadik, and a Memorial Day. In the early
centuries the observance was for three days; but as arranged by
Shnorhali, it was extended to nine days.
The tradition concerning the
death of the Holy Mother appears nearly identically in the
traditions of all the ancient churches. The concept can be
found in sacred, ancient prose and poetry. Yet, it did not
become a basic teaching (doctrine) of the church until the 9th
century. And it wasn't until the 12th century that the feast
was titled "the Assumption."
Feast of the Conception of
St. Mary
Although chronologically the
first in the events of the Holy Mother's life, this feast
entered in the church calendar relatively late and has no
specific hymn of its own.
Feast of the Birth of the
Holy Mother of God
The second feast of the Holy
Mother is her birth, which is non-variable and celebrated alike
by all traditional churches on September 8th. There
is no information concerning her birth and, in fact, the place
of her birth, whether Nazareth or Bethlehem-- nor the date.
Based on the Jewish tradition of that time, it is safe to say
she was between 14 and 18 years of age when the Annunciation
took place.
Presentation to the Temple
of the Holy Mother of God
The third feast of the Holy
Mother of God is the Presentation to the Temple at the third
year, which is non-variable and is celebrated by all the
traditional churches on November 21st. The meaning
of this feast is, that since Mary's parents made a vow, she was
presented to the Temple at an age when she could be separated
from her parents. According to tradition, she stayed there for
a time and at seven was given over to the care of pious widows
and maidens who lived at the Temple. One of them was the
prophet Anna. After seven years, Mary became betrothed to
Joseph the carpenter.
The other commemorations
concerning Mary's life are recorded in the Holy Gospels, and
perhaps belong more to the commemorations of Christ's life, as
they are an integral part of His plan of redemptive economy.
They are:
The Annunciation,
which on one hand is part of the fulfillment of the Messianic
prophecy and plan, and on the other, the most important event in
Mary's life.
The Visit to Elizabeth,
which is a celebration of Mary's maternity. The Roman Catholic
Church celebrates the feast separately on July 2nd
as a manifestation of God.
Christ's 40th Day
presentation to the Temple,
which is called by some the Sanctification of St. Mary. In
Jewish tradition, mothers present themselves to the temple 40
days after giving birth for purification.
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