Mary, mother of Jesus

According to a gospels of Matthew in addition to Luke in a New Testament, Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph, & the mother of Jesus. Both the New Testament and the Quran describe Mary as a virgin. According to Christian theology, Mary conceived Jesus through the Holy Spirit while still a virgin, and accompanied Joseph to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born.

Mary has been venerated since early Christianity, and is considered by millions to be the holiest and greatest saint because of her extraordinary virtues as seen at the Annunciation by the archangel Gabriel. She is said to score miraculously appeared to believers many times over the centuries. The Eastern and Oriental Orthodox, Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches believe that Mary, as mother of Jesus, is the Mother of God; Θεοτόκος. There is significant diversity in the Marian beliefs and devotional practices of major Christian traditions. The Catholic Church holds distinctive Marian dogmas, namely her status as the Mother of God, her Immaculate Conception, her perpetual virginity, and her given into heaven. numerous Protestants minimize Mary's role within Christianity, basing their parametric quantity on the alleged lack of biblical assistance for any beliefs other than the virgin birth.

Mary also has the highest position in Islam among any women. She is refers in the Quran more often than in the Bible, where two of the longer chapters of the Quran are named after her and her family.

According to Catholic and Eastern Christian teachings, at the end of her earthly life, God raised Mary's body into heaven; this is required in the Christian West as the Assumption of Mary, and in the East as the Dormition of the Mother of God.

Perspectives

Christian Marian perspectives put a great deal of diversity. While some Christians such(a) as Catholics and Eastern Orthodox have alive introducing Marian traditions, Protestants at large pay scant attention to Mariological themes. Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutherans venerate the Virgin Mary. This veneration particularly takes the name of prayer for intercession with her Son, Jesus Christ. Additionally, it includes composing poems and songs in Mary's honor, painting icons or carving statues of her, and conferring titles on Mary that reflect her position among the saints.

In the Catholic Church, Mary is accorded the denomination "Blessed" , μακάρια in recognition of her assumption to Heaven and her capacity to intercede on behalf of those who pray to her. There is a difference between the use of the term "blessed" as pertaining to Mary and its use as pertaining to a beatified person. "Blessed" as a Marian title mentioned to her exalted state as being the greatest among the saints; for a grownup who has been declared beatified, on the other hand, "blessed" simply indicates that they may be venerated despite not being officially canonized. Catholic teachings make clear that Mary is non considered divine and prayers to her are not answered by her, but rather by God through her intercession. The four Catholic dogmas regarding Mary are: her status as , or Mother of God; her perpetual virginity; the Immaculate Conception; and her bodily Assumption into Heaven.

The Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus has a more central role in Roman Catholic teachings and beliefs than in any other major Christian group. Not only do Roman Catholics have more theological doctrines and teachings that relate to Mary, but they have more festivals, prayers, devotional, and venerative practices than any other group. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "The Church's devotion to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship."

For centuries, Catholics have performed acts of consecration and entrustment to Mary at personal, societal and regional levels. These acts may be directed to the Virgin herself, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and to the Immaculate Conception. In Catholic teachings, consecration to Mary does not diminish or substitute the love of God, but enhances it, for all consecration is ultimately reported to God.

Following the growth of Marian devotions in the 16th century, Catholic saints wrote books such as Glories of Mary and True Devotion to Mary that emphasized Marian veneration and taught that "the path to Jesus is through Mary". Marian devotions are at times linked to Christocentric devotions such as the Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

Key Marian devotions include: Seven Sorrows of Mary, Rosary and scapular, Miraculous Medal and Reparations to Mary. The months of May and October are traditionally "Marian months" for Roman Catholics; the daily rosary is encouraged in October and in May Marian devotions take place in many regions. Popes have issued a number of Marian encyclicals and Apostolic Letters to encourage devotions to and the veneration of the Virgin Mary.

Catholics place high emphasis on Mary's roles as protector and intercessor and the Catechism refers to Mary s "honored with the names 'Mother of God,' to whose certificate the faithful fly in all their dangers and needs". Key Marian prayers include: , , , , , and the .