Mary
Mary was a virgin of the family of David, espoused to Joseph the carpenter, also of David's seed from Bethlehem Judah. The Ascension of Isaiah states that the angel of the Spirit appeared, Joseph kept her as a holy virgin though with child, and she saw a small babe and was astonished. The Cave of Treasures records that Yónakhir begot Mary by Dina, of whom Christ was born, and Joseph circumcised the Child at eight days old according to the Law.
The Cave of Treasures affirms she was of the seed of David and Abraham, contrary to those who called her an adulteress, and links her ministers to the angels on Jacob's ladder. The Kebra Nagast names her Our Lady of Salvation and the twofold Virgin, notes angels at Christ's birth, and traces the Pearl through Abraham and Isaac.
Biography
- Occupation
- Mother of Christ
- Era
- Roman Judea
Key Chapters
Key Passages
Mary in Cave of Treasures 41
The Cave of Treasures 41:4
And, because of this, Paul cried out and said, “If they had only known [it] they were not crucifying the Lord of glory.”...
4nd, because of this, Paul cried out and said, “If they had only known [it] they were not crucifying the Lord of glory.” Let the mouths of the heretics be stopped who in their madness impute passibility to the Eternal God. Now, when Christ was eight days old, Joseph, the betrothed of Mary, rose up to circumcise the Child according to the Law, and he circumcised Him according to the custom that was the Law.
Mary in Cave of Treasures 48
The Cave of Treasures 48:3
Now, it is manifest to those who possess understanding that the ladder which Jacob saw symbolizeth the Cross of our Rede...
3ow, it is manifest to those who possess understanding that the ladder which Jacob saw symbolizeth the Cross of our Redeemer. And the angels who were going up and down were the ministers of Zechariah and Mary, and the Magi, and the shepherds. And the Lord Who was standing at the top of the ladder symbolized Christ, Who stood on the Cross that He might go down to redeem us.
Mary in Cave of Treasures 66
The Cave of Treasures 66:4
Jacob took to wife Hadbhith, the daughter of Eleazur, and begot by her Joseph. Yónakhir took Dina, the daughter of Pákód...
4acob took to wife Hadbhith, the daughter of Eleazur, and begot by her Joseph. Yónakhir took Dina, the daughter of Pákódh, and begot by her Mary, of whom was born the Christ. And because none of the early writers could discover the order of succession of the generations of their fathers, the Jews urged the sons of the Church very strongly to show them [who were] the fathers of the blessed Mary in the order of the succession of their families.
Mary in Cave of Treasures 67
The Cave of Treasures 67:1
And because Joseph was the son of Mary’s uncle, by the fore-knowledge of God, Who knew that Mary would be certainly atta...
1nd because Joseph was the son of Mary’s uncle, by the fore-knowledge of God, Who knew that Mary would be certainly attacked by the Jews, Mary was given to Joseph, who was the son of her uncle, that he might take care of her. Observe, O our brother Nemesius, that the fathers of the blessed woman Mary belonged to the succession of the generations of David.
Mary in Cave of Treasures 70
The Cave of Treasures 70:8
Such were the things which the Magi expected to see, but they saw them not; they saw sights which were far better than t...
8uch were the things which the Magi expected to see, but they saw them not; they saw sights which were far better than these when they went into the cave. They saw Joseph sitting in astonishment, and Mary in a state of wonderment, but there was no couch with cushions laid upon it, and no table with food laid out upon it, and no sign of the preparations which accompany royal state.
Mary in Cave of Treasures 71
The Cave of Treasures 71:1
Now Christ was eight days old when the Magi presented their offerings; and Mary received them at the very time when Jose...
1ow Christ was eight days old when the Magi presented their offerings; and Mary received them at the very time when Joseph circumcised Christ. In truth, Joseph circumcised Him according to the Law, but he only went through (or imitated) the act of cutting, for no [flesh] whatsoever was cut off from Him.
Mary in Cave of Treasures 78
The Cave of Treasures 78:1
And know thou also that Christ dwelt in Mary, and suffered in Nazareth, and was born in Bethlehem, and was laid in a man...
1nd know thou also that Christ dwelt in Mary, and suffered in Nazareth, and was born in Bethlehem, and was laid in a manger, and was carried by Simeon in the Temple of Solomon, and was reared in Galilee, and was anointed by Mary Magdalene, and ate the Passover in the house of Nicodemus, the brother of Joseph of Rametha, and was bound in the house of Hannan, and was struck with a reed in the house of Caiaphas, and embraced the pillar and was scourged with a whip in the Pratorium of Pilate, and on Friday, on the first day of Nisán (April), on the fourteenth day of the moon, our Redeemer suffered.
Mary in Cave of Treasures 79
The Cave of Treasures 79:4
from Zadok to Achin; from Achin to Eliud; from Eliud to Eleazar; from Eleazar to Mathan; from Mathan to Jacob and Yonakh...
4rom Zadok to Achin; from Achin to Eliud; from Eliud to Eleazar; from Eleazar to Mathan; from Mathan to Jacob and Yonakhir; from Yónákhir to Mary; from Mary to the manger; from the manger to circumcision; from the circumcision to the Temple; from the Temple to Egypt; from Egypt to Galilee; from Galilee to Jerusalem; from Jerusalem to the Jordan; from the Jordan to the desert; from the desert to Judah; from Judah to the preaching;
Mary in Cave of Treasures 85
The Cave of Treasures 85:4
And forty days after His Resurrection He bestowed upon the Apostles the laying on of hands of the priesthood, and He wen...
4nd forty days after His Resurrection He bestowed upon the Apostles the laying on of hands of the priesthood, and He went up to heaven, and sat down on the right hand of His Father. Then the Apostles gathered themselves together and went up into the Upper Chamber with Mary, the Holy Virgin, and Simon Peter baptized Mary, and John, the virgin, received her [into his house].
Mary in Kebra Nagast 33
The Kebra Nagast 33:9
And in the Acts of the Apostles Luke the Evangelist wrote, saying, " He was the governor of the whole country of Gaza, a...
9nd in the Acts of the Apostles Luke the Evangelist wrote, saying, " He was the governor of the whole country of Gaza, an eunuch of Queen Hendake, who had believed on the word of Luke the Apostle."
Mary in Kebra Nagast 36
The Kebra Nagast 36:16
For no man hateth the place where he was born, and everyone loveth the things of his native country....
16or no man hateth the place where he was born, and everyone loveth the things of his native country.
Mary in Kebra Nagast 49
The Kebra Nagast 49:4
And the enemy shall be afraid of thee, and thine adversaries shall cast themselves under the sole of thy foot....
4nd the enemy shall be afraid of thee, and thine adversaries shall cast themselves under the sole of thy foot.
Mary in Kebra Nagast 68
The Kebra Nagast 68:3
And then passing from him that Pearl went into those who were the firstborn, and came to Abraham. And it did not go from...
3nd then passing from him that Pearl went into those who were the firstborn, and came to Abraham. And it did not go from Abraham into his firstborn Ishmael, but it tarried and came into Isaac the pure.
Mary in Kebra Nagast 70
The Kebra Nagast 70:21
And Honase begat Kalamyos, and Kalamyos begat Joachim, and Joachim begat Mary, the daughter of David. And again 'lli beg...
21nd Honase begat Kalamyos, and Kalamyos begat Joachim, and Joachim begat Mary, the daughter of David. And again 'lli begat Malki, and Malki begat Mati, and Mati begat 'flli, and Jacob, and Hanna, the wife of Joachim. And 'feli took a wife and died without children.
Mary in Kebra Nagast 95
The Kebra Nagast 95:10
And Gregory the Bishop, the worker of wonders, answered and said unto them, " Verily, salvation hath been given unto all...
10nd Gregory the Bishop, the worker of wonders, answered and said unto them, " Verily, salvation hath been given unto all of us Christian people, unto those who have believed in our Lady Mary, the likeness of the heavenly Zion.
Mary in Kebra Nagast 96
The Kebra Nagast 96:16
Now Abraham is to be interpreted God the Father, and Isaac is to be interpreted as a symbol of Christ the Son. And when ...
16ow Abraham is to be interpreted God the Father, and Isaac is to be interpreted as a symbol of Christ the Son. And when He came down from heaven for the salvation of Adam and his sons, the Godhead which had come down from heaven was not slain, but His body which He had put on for our sakes, that earthly body which He had put on from Mary, was slain.
Mary in Kebra Nagast 98
The Kebra Nagast 98:4
And Moses said unto them, " Look ye now. This is the rod which the Lord your God hath chosen, fear ye Him and worship Hi...
4nd Moses said unto them, " Look ye now. This is the rod which the Lord your God hath chosen, fear ye Him and worship Him "; and all the people bowed down before God. Now this rod is Mary. And the rod which without water burst into bloom indicateth Mary, from whom was born, without the seed of man, the Word of God.
Mary in Kebra Nagast 103
The Kebra Nagast 103:1
Now, the Tabernacle symbolizeth the horns of the altar, where the holy priests offer up sacrifice, whereon they place th...
1ow, the Tabernacle symbolizeth the horns of the altar, where the holy priests offer up sacrifice, whereon they place the tarapizd, (i.e. table), the similitude of the grave wherein He (i.e. Christ) was buried in Golgotha. And what is on the table, that is, the offering, is a symbol of the firstling, that is to say, the Body of Emmanuel, [or] " 'Akratos," the " pure," the " unmixed," which our Saviour took from Mary, of the which He said unto His holy Apostles, " Eat ye My Body; whosoever eateth not of My Body hath no portion with Me, and no everlasting life.
Mary in Kebra Nagast 104
The Kebra Nagast 104:7
And he said, " Thus it is right that we should pray in Zion, the Tabernacle of the Law of God; she was at the first and ...
7nd he said, " Thus it is right that we should pray in Zion, the Tabernacle of the Law of God; she was at the first and is even now. The similitude thereof and the fruit thereof are the Mother of the Redeemer, Mary; it is right that we should worship her, for in her name is blessed the Tabernacle of the Law of God.
Mary in Kebra Nagast 112
The Kebra Nagast 112:3
And in like manner our Lord Christ came down from heaven, the Word of Godhead by Itself; and the staff of Jacob wherewit...
3nd in like manner our Lord Christ came down from heaven, the Word of Godhead by Itself; and the staff of Jacob wherewith he pastured his sheep is our Lady Mary our salvation. And moreover, the staff signifieth the wood of the Cross whereby, being crucified upon it, He redeemed His flock and took possession of us from among the Jews, and the heathen, and the Gentiles.
Mary in Kebra Nagast 114
The Kebra Nagast 114:3
And the Jews shall see what He wrote for them with His hand — the Words of His Commandment, and the manna wherewith He f...
3nd the Jews shall see what He wrote for them with His hand — the Words of His Commandment, and the manna wherewith He fed them without toil [on their part], and the measure thereof, the Gomor, and the spiritual Zion, which came down for their salvation, and the rod of Aaron, which blossomed after the manner of Mary.
Mary in Ascension of Isaiah 11
The Ascension of Isaiah 11:2
And I indeed saw a woman of the family of David the prophet, named Mary, a Virgin, and she was espoused to a man named J...
2nd I indeed saw a woman of the family of David the prophet, named Mary, a Virgin, and she was espoused to a man named Joseph, a carpenter, and he also was of the seed and family of the righteous David of Bethlehem Judah.
Did You Know?
The book names Mary's parents as Yonakhir and Dina, also called Hanna, the daughter of Pakodh.
Mary was born sixty years after her father took her mother to wife, according to the table of generations.
Joseph was the son of Mary's uncle, and she was given to him so that he might take care of her.
The author writes out Mary's ancestry to show she belonged to the house of David and of Abraham.
After the ascension Simon Peter baptized Mary in the Upper Chamber, and John received her into his house.