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| The Presentation of the Virgin Mary by Titian (1534-38, Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice |
Demetrius, Archbishop of Antioch, said on the birthday of our Lord on the 29th day of the month Khoiakh :—
When Mary was three years old Anna took her to the Temple. "At the moment when her mother Anna set her upon her feet, inside the door of the Temple, before the priests, she walked by herself into the Temple, and went on until she arrived in the place behind the veil of the altar, whereon were offered up the sacrifices of the Lord. And when she had gone in she did not turn back to come out again, neither did one thought of her parents rise up in her heart, nor any thought of any earthly thing. . . . And when she had grown, and was eight or ten years old, she became a type to the priests, and they were afraid to meet her, for her whole body was pure, and her heart was firm in the Lord. She was pure in her body and in her soul, she never put her face outside the door of the Temple, she never looked at a strange man, and she never moved herself to gaze upon the face of a young man. And she lived in chastity, and in the service of God, and in the ordered service of the Temple. Her apparel was dainty Her tunic came down over her seal, and her headcloth came down over her eyes. She wore a girdle round her tunic, and her tunic was never soiled or torn. She never put eye-paint on her eyes, and she did not lay crocus-flower unguent on her cheeks. She did not put slippers on her feet as ornaments, and she wore neither armlets nor bracelets, nortrinkets nor jewellery on her arms and hands. She never craved for much food, neither did she ever walk about in the market-place of her city. She never lusted for the works of this world. She never stripped herself naked, and she never washed in the [public] bath, and she never examined with careful attention the members of her body."
After Joseph had taken her to his house " she went into her own room and took up her abode therein, and she never came down the stairs except on the day when she departed to Torine, [The village near Jerusalem where Mary's cousin Elisabeth lived.] and also on the day wherein Joseph took her to Bethlehem to register his own name, and the names of herself and her Child. . . . And she sat in his house, and she worked at weaving purple into the veil of the Temple, according to the rule concerning virgins. She never saw any man whatsoever, but the angels came and ministered unto her, and they passed the whole day standing before her in the form of young doves, and they gave her courage, and they comforted her. And she sat in Joseph's house for three years, and his sons ministered unto her."
Another description of Mary's life before the Annunciation is given us by Cyril of Alexandria, who says to the women in his congregation, " Come, O all ye women who desire virginity, emulate the example of Mary, the mother of thy Lord. Consider ye her coarse and meagre food and her sleeping on the ground. She craved for none of the things of this world. The mention of her was always in the mouths of the priests. She never washed herself in a [public] bath. She never adorned herself with face-paint, and eye-paint, and powder. She never decked herself out in brightly coloured raiment, as do all women who love fine clothes. She never tasted wine. She used to sit always with her face turned towards the east, for she was always awaiting the Creator of the world. She never met and talked to any one, except her father, and her mother, and her brethren."
For the Discourse of Demetrius of Antioch on the Virgin Mary following the Annunciation of Gabriel we have a very interesting group of Salutations to Mary which summarizes in a remarkable way the views that both Egyptians and Ethiopians held concerning the mother of Jesus. The manuscript in which they are found (Oriental No. 7027) was written in the 721st year of the Era of the Martyrs (a.d. 1005), and the scribe was Victor, the son of Mercurius, a deacon of the Church of St. Mercurius at Esna, or Asna (Latopolis). Of the archetype we know nothing, but we may assume that it was old and authoritative. These Aves, or "Hail Marys," are so important that I transcribe them in full. [See Budge, Miscellaneous Coptic Texts, p. 662 ff.]
Hail, Mary, thou woman whose fruit shall give salvation to the world and to all mankind !
Hail, thou who hast found favour ! The Lord is with thee.
Hail, Mary, thou spotless Dove ! in whom there is no blemish, to whom is sent the choice, sweet odour by me, Gabriel.
Hail, thou who hast found favour ! The Lord is with thee.
Hail, Mary, who shalt clothe the whole world in the apparel of salvation !
Hail, thou who hast found favour ! The Lord is with thee.
Hail, Mary, through whom salvation shall come to the whole world, because of thy walking in it !
Hail, thou who hast found favour ! The Lord is with thee.
Hail, Mary, thou who art the choicest thing in heaven and upon the earth !
Hail, thou who hast found favour ! The Lord is with thee.
Hail, Mary, thou Tower, wherein is the King's treasure!
Hail, thou who hast found favour ! The Lord is with thee.
Hail, Mary, who hast given us an entrance into heaven !
Hail, thou who hast found favour ! The Lord is with thee.
Hail, Mary, who hast opened to us the door of Paradise, which was closed through the transgression of Adam and Eve !
Hail, thou who hast found favour ! The Lord is with thee.
Hail [Mary], thou second Ark which hath saved the world from the destruction of impiety!
Hail, thou who hast found favour ! The Lord is with thee.
Hail [Mary], thou beautiful Lamb, who hast provided us with the pure wool and the apparel of incorruption !
Hail, thou who hast found favour ! The Lord is with thee.
Hail [Mary], thou Pot of gold, wherein was the manna !
Hail, thou who hast found favour ! The Lord is with thee.
Hail [Mary], who didst remove the enmity which existed between God and us!
Hail, thou who hast found favour ! The Lord is with thee.
Hail [Mary], Sweet Perfume that mounted up before God Almighty until He became reconciled to His creation which He created !
Hail, thou who hast found favour ! The Lord is with thee.
Hail [Mary], Tent of the Godhead, wherein the Only-begotten of the Father hath reposed !
Hail, thou who hast found favour ! The Lord is with thee.
Hail [Mary], thou Ark, covered all over with gold, wherein God the Father sojourned in the Form of His Holy Word !
[Hail, thou who hast found favour ! The Lord is with thee.]
Hail [Mary], thou Bread that hath come from heaven to satisfy hungry souls and to fill them with good things!
Hail, thou who hast found favour ! The Lord is with thee.
Hail [Mary], thou who dost deliver every one from the storm of the Devil, and dost bring them into the haven of salvation!
Hail, thou who hast found favour ! The Lord is with thee.
Hail [Mary], Bride unpolluted and unblemished, who hast prepared for us the path of salvation !
Hail, thou who hast found favour ! The Lord is with thee.
Hail, Mary, through and by whom all the women of the world have acquired freedom of speech with her Lord!
Hail, thou who hast found favour ! The Lord is with thee.
Hail, Mary, thou holy Table, whereon the Sacrifice that reasoneth is slain !
Hail, thou who hast found favour ! The Lord is with thee.
Hail, Mary, the light of whose Son hath filled the whole world !
Hail, thou who hast found favour ! The Lord is with thee.
Hail, Mary, whose holy birth-pangs were awaited by heaven and by earth !
Hail, thou who hast found favour ! The Lord is with thee.
Hail, Mary, thou good Root who hast made to blossom for us the fruit of righteousness !
Hail, thou who hast found favour ! The Lord is with thee.
Hail, Mary, who hast made to sprout the blessed seed of the fruit of righteousness of the Tree of Life !
Hail, thou who hast found favour ! The Lord is with thee.
Hail, Mary, thou Golden Candlestick !
Hail, thou who hast found favour ! The Lord is with thee.
Hail, Mary, thou new Cistern wherein is the salt which will sweeten that which is bitter !
Hail, thou who hast found favour ! The Lord is with thee.
Concerning Mary as the loving mother of Jesus Cyril of Alexandria writes as follows :—
" O my beloved, ye God-fearing people, open ye the ears of your hearts, and hearken unto [the story of] the honour of the Mother of God, the Queen of all women, the true Bride, whom the Son of God held in high esteem. He came and dwelt in her womb for nine months, and she brought Him forth for our sakes in Bethlehem. She wrapped Him in strips of ragged stuff, she laid Him in a cattle manger, and the beasts looked upon Him and recognized Him and protected Him. Thou didst stretch out thy right arm, thou didst take Him and make Him to lie on thy left arm. Thou didst bend thy neck, and let thy hair fall down over Him. Thou didst kiss His mouth as the Father kissed His mouth in heaven, and thou didst seat Him upon thy knees. He lifted up His eyes to thy face. He stretched forth His hand. He took thy breast, and He drew into His mouth the milk which was sweeter than manna. The savour of thy sacrifice was sweeter to Him than the savour of the sacrifice of Noah. He drank from thy immaculate breasts. He called thee ' My Mother.'
" Come ye and behold God calling Mary ' My Mother ' and kissing her mouth. And as she kissed His mouth she called Him always' My Lord, and my Son.'
She worshipped Him ; for when she used to give Him her breast she bowed down her head towards Him, whilst He stood like a tower ; and then she worshipped Him, saying, ' My Lord, and my Son.' And after these things she used to take hold of His hand, and lead Him along the roads, saying, ' My sweet Son, walk a little way,' in the same manner as all other babes are taught to walk. And He, Jesus, the Very God, followed after her without trouble. He clung to her with His little fingers. He stopped from time to time, and He hung on to the skirts of Mary His mother—He upon Whom all creation hangeth ! He used to look up into her face —He upon Whom the whole universe hangeth and by Whom it is sustained—and she would snatch Him to her body, and lift Him up in her arms, and carry Him along. Come, O all ye women, and look upon Mary, and behold God, Who clave her side, lifting up His face and kissing her! Walk on, walk on, O daughter of Sion, I mean thee, Mary. Behold, the King, the Christ, [resteth] on thee, for the King, the Christ, is with thee, He is sitting in thy arms ! The Father hath made Himself a fellow-worker with thee, the Son hath made Himself thy kinsman, and the Holy Spirit is inseparable from thee. The angels are subject unto thee, for He loveth thee, and hath sojourned with thee because of thy purity. For thou alone among all women hast found favour with God, for the Lord is with thee. Lift up thine hands on high and receive from God the Father the Image of His Son and carry it on thy head." [Budge, Miscellaneous Coptic Texts, p. 717 f.]
From - Legends of the Virgin Mary
