Today, September 21, Orthodox Christians celebrate the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.translated

The Great Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated by Orthodox believers on September 21.

Image: azbyka.ru

Information about the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and her parents is known from the apocryphal Protoevangelium of James II.

In it, it is told that a pious couple from Jerusalem, Joachim and Anna, were childless for a long time due to which they suffered greatly. One day, when they separately prayed for a child, both had visions of an angel announcing that the Lord heard their prayers and that their offspring would be spoken of throughout the world.

After this good news, Anna conceived. The couple vowed to dedicate their daughter to God and, as was customary at the time, sent her to the Jerusalem Temple to serve and be educated until adulthood. Nine months later, Anna gave birth to a daughter whom they named Mary.

The name "Mary" in translation from Hebrew means "mistress," "hope." Later, Mary would become the Mistress and Hope of all who believe in the Savior, as it was she who became the Mother of Lord Jesus Christ.

According to her father, Mary came from the tribe of Judah, from the lineage of King David, and according to her mother, from the priestly line of Aaron. Thus, the Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled,…