The Feast of the Annunciation is celebrated on March 25, just
nine months before the Nativity of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. On this day we commemorate the visitation of
the Angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary, in which he tells her that she will
become the Theotokos, or the birthgiver of God.
The Gospel accounts of
Luke 1:26-35, and Mark 1:18-21, tell of this mysterious and
awesome event. Another much lesser known version of the Annunciation is from
the Protoevangelium of James, one of the many ancient writings not included in
the New Testament. It is a beautiful
story, well worth reading for those who reverence the Mother of God. The earliest known manuscript of
the text, a papyrus dating to the third or early 4th century, was found in
1958; it is kept in the Bodmer Library, Geneva.
Probably written in approximately AD 145, the narrative is purported to
have been written by James, the “brother of Our Lord”, probably a son of
Joseph’s by a prior marriage. It tells
the story of the old and childless couple, Joachim and Anna, and their shame at
her barrenness and their failing to have an heir to carry on the family name. They are each visited by an angel and when, in
their fervent desire, the child Mary is finally born to them, they vow to
dedicate her to the Temple, in the service of God.
“And the child grew strong day by
day; and when she was six months old, her mother set her on the ground to try
whether she could stand, and she walked seven steps and came into her bosom;
and she snatched her up, saying: As the Lord my God liveth, thou shalt not walk
on this earth until I bring thee into the temple of the Lord”.
“And the child was three years old, and
Joachim said: Invite the daughters of the Hebrews that are undefiled, and let
them take each a lamp, and let them stand with the lamps burning, that the
child may not turn back, and her heart be captivated from the temple of the
Lord."
"And they did so until they
went up into the temple of the Lord. And the priest received her, and kissed
her, and blessed her, saying: The Lord has magnified thy name in all
generations. In thee, on the last of the days, the Lord will manifest His redemption
to the sons of Israel. And he set her down upon the third step of the altar,
and the Lord God sent grace upon her; and she danced with her feet, and all the
house of Israel loved her.”
As Mary grew to young womanhood, it was no
longer suitable for her to live with the priests during her periods of uncleanness,
and she was espoused to the much older Joseph, an honorable man who had grown
sons. As was common in those times, she
went to Joseph’s house to live under his protection, but such a union would not
have been consummated for somel years.
“And
Joseph said to Mary: Behold, I have received thee from the temple of the Lord;
and now I leave thee in my house, and go away to build my buildings, and I
shall come to thee. The Lord will protect thee.”
“And
there was a council of the priests, saying: Let us make a veil for the temple
of the Lord. And the priest said: Call to me the undefiled virgins of the
family of David. And the officers went away, and sought, and found seven
virgins. And the priest remembered the child Mary, that she was of the family
of David, and undefiled before God. And the officers went away and brought her.
And they brought them into the temple of the Lord. And the priest said: Choose
for me by lot who shall spin the gold, and the white, and the fine linen, and
the silk, and the blue, and the scarlet, and the true purple. And the true
purple and the scarlet fell to the lot of Mary, and she took them, and went
away to her house.”
It is
at this point that Luke’s gospel tells the story of the Archangel Gabriel’s
visit to Mary, announcing to her that
she will give birth to the Messiah.
In this icon of the Annunciation as in the icon of the
Baptism of Christ, the presence of the Holy Spirit appears in the form of a descending
dove. The Archangel Gabriel approaches
Mary as if he has just “touched down”, with wings still spread, and his legs
wide as he strides toward her. His hand is raised in a gesture of speech. His
staff of command shows that he is a messenger with authority from God. Mary is seated on what is almost a throne,
which tells us of her importance in this event, and indeed in the history of
salvation. Caught by surprise, she
raises her hand with initial reserve, yarn still in it. A roof-like structure indicates a dwelling,
which might refer to Mary herself as the "dwelling place" of the Most
High, a symbol of the Church itself. There is a curtain, the sign of revelation:
the mystery of Christ is first revealed to Mary.
The Annunciation is also described in the Qur'an, in Sura 3 (Al-i-Imran - The Family of Imran)
verses 45-51 (archaic translation):45Behold!
the angels said: "O Mary! God giveth thee glad tidings of a Word from him:
his name will be Christ Jesus, the son of Mary, held in honour in this world
and the Hereafter and of (the company of) those nearest to God.
***
"Today is the crown of our salvation and the
manifestation of the mystery that is from all eternity. The Son of God becomes the Son of a Virgin
and Gabriel announces the good tidings
of grace. Therefore let us also join him and cry aloud to the Birth-giver of God,
Rejoice you who are full of grace, the Lord is with you."
Tropar of the Feast
