Mary’s Birth and Presentation in the Temple
Basic Info
The Protoevangelium of James or Infancy Gospel of James (mid 2nd century) purports to tell the story of Mary’s life. It tells that her parents, Joachim and Anne (Anna), were childless but fasted, prayed, and made sacrifice asking the Lord for a child. Angels appeared to Anne to tell her that she would conceive. At Mary’s 1st birthday, Joachim held a great feast and promised the chief priests that he would dedicate Mary to the Temple when the time came. The priests accepted. When Mary was 3 years old, Anne and Joachim brought her to the Temple, where she was approved by the Lord and in response danced and didn’t return home with her parents. She was known as a Virgin of the Lord. Mary’s story parallels that of Samuel at the beginning of the Book of Samuel in the Bible. His parents are barren. They pray, conceive, and give the child to the Temple at the age of 3.
When Mary was 12, she could no longer live at the Temple, as her menstrual flow would defile it. The priests determined that she should marry, and they called all of the area widowers to the Temple and trusted that the Lord would tell them which man was the right one. A dove miraculously flew out of Joseph’s rod and settled on his head. This was their sign that Joseph was to be Mary’s husband.
The story goes on to tell of the Annunciation, the Visitation, and the Nativity, but some details of the Nativity are different than those in the Bible. The version here tends to focus on Mary’s virginity and offer proof that she was a virgin.
Whether or not the stories are true, the Infancy Gospel of James became quite popular, and the stories of Mary’s miraculous birth and her presentation in the Temple became part of Christian tradition. The art tradition often includes this in cycles of the life of Mary, but it became a regular theme in its own right in the 1300s.
What to Look For
- Mary walking up the steps of the Temple (age, attention, etc.)
- Anne (Anna) and Joachim at the foot of the stairs (anxious, pleased to give Mary to God, etc.)
- Priests at the top of the stairs to receive Mary
Questions to Focus a General Interpretation
Does the artwork seem to emphasize Anne and Joachim’s joy at offering Mary to God, Mary being miraculously born and accepted by God, Mary’s holiness, or some combination of these?
Questions to Guide a Personal Interpretation
One idea behind this story is that the best thing one can do with that which one produces is to offer it to God. Does the artwork offer you a way to see your child or your work as a gift to God?
Questions to Suggest a Historical Interpretation
What was the child mortality rate in the time and place in which the artwork was created? Might this have factored into whether there was a popular devotion to the idea of giving one’s child to God?
