De nativitate beatae Mariae virginis
The Genealogy of the Virgin
The chapter traces the royal and priestly lineage of Mary, explaining the complex traditions regarding her ancestors and her kinship with Elizabeth.
The birth of the glorious Virgin Mary came from the tribe of Judah and the royal line of David. Matthew and Luke, however, describe the genealogy not of Mary but of Joseph, who was entirely unrelated to the conception of Christ; this is because the custom of Scripture, it is said, was to trace the generations through men, not women. Yet it is certainly true that the blessed Virgin descended from the line of David; this is clear from the fact that, as Scripture often testifies, Christ traced his origin from the seed of David. Since Christ was born of the Virgin alone, it is obvious that the Virgin herself was born of David, specifically through the line of Nathan. Among others, David had two sons, Nathan and Solomon. From the line of Nathan, son of David, as John of Damascus testifies, Levi fathered Melchi and... Panthar fathered Barpanthar, Barpanthar fathered Joachim, and Joachim fathered the Virgin Mary. From the line of Solomon, Nathan had a wife by whom he fathered Jacob. After Nathan died, Melchi—from the tribe of Nathan and a son of Levi and brother of Panthar—married Nathan’s widow, the mother of Jacob, and fathered Heli by her. Thus, Jacob and Heli became uterine brothers: Jacob from the tribe of Solomon, and Heli from the tribe of Nathan. Heli, from the tribe of Nathan, died without children, and his brother Jacob, who was from the tribe of Solomon, took his wife, raised up offspring for his brother, and fathered Joseph. Joseph, therefore, is by nature the son of Jacob from the line of Solomon, but by law the son of Heli, who was from Nathan; for the son who was born was by nature the son of the one who fathered him, but by law the son of the deceased. This comes from Damascene. As ecclesiastical history records and Bede confirms in his chronicle, when all the genealogies of the Hebrews and foreigners were held in the temple's secret archives, Herod ordered them all burned. He thought he could appear noble if, with the evidence gone, his own lineage were believed to be from Israel. There were, however, some known as 'of the Lord'—named for their closeness to Christ—who were also Nazarenes. They taught the order of Christ's genealogy as best they could, partly from what they had learned from their ancestors and partly from books they kept at home. Joachim took a wife named Anna, who had a sister named Hismeria. Hismeria gave birth to Elizabeth and Eliud, and Elizabeth gave birth to John the Baptist. From Eliud was born Eminen, and from Eminen was born Saint Servatius, whose body is in the town of Maastricht on the Meuse, in the diocese of Liège. Anna is said to have had three husbands: Joachim, Cleophas, and Salome. From her first husband, Joachim, she bore one daughter, Mary, the mother of the Lord, whom she gave in marriage to Joseph, and who gave birth to Christ the Lord. After Joachim died, she married Cleophas, the brother of Joseph, and bore from him another daughter, whom she also named Mary, and later gave her in marriage to Alpheus. This Mary bore four sons by her husband Alpheus: James the Less, Joseph the Just (also known as Barsabas), Simon, and Jude. After her second husband died, Anna took a third, Salome, by whom she bore another daughter, whom she again named Mary and gave in marriage to Zebedee. This Mary bore two sons by her husband Zebedee: James the Greater and John the Evangelist; and verses exist regarding this: It's commonly said that Anna conceived three Marys, who were fathered by Joachim, Cleophas, and Salome. Joseph, Alpheus, and Zebedaeus took these women as their wives. The first bore Christ, the second bore James the Less, and she bore Joseph the Just with Simon and Jude; the third bore James the Greater and John the Divine. Yet it seems strange how the blessed Mary could be a relative of Elizabeth, as was said above. It's well known that Elizabeth was the wife of Zechariah, who was from the tribe of Levi. According to the law, everyone was required to take a wife from their own tribe and family, and Luke testifies that she was one of the daughters of Aaron. Anna, however, was according to Jerome from Bethlehem, which was of the tribe of Judah. But it should be known that both Aaron himself and Jehoiada the high priest took wives from the tribe of Judah, which proves that the priestly and royal tribes were always joined to one another by kinship. It could be, as Bede says, that such a union occurred in more recent times by giving women in marriage from one tribe to another, so that it might be clearly established that the blessed Mary, who descended from the royal tribe, had a kinship of blood with the priestly tribe. And so, the blessed Mary was from both tribes. For the Lord willed that these tribes be privileged on account of the mystery. They were mingled with one another because from them the Lord was to be born, who would truly offer Himself as priest and king for us, and who would rule His faithful as they struggle in the malice of this life and crown them after victory. This is also hinted at by the name Christ, which means the Anointed, because in the Old Law only priests, kings, and prophets were anointed. Hence, we are called Christians from Christ, and we are called a chosen race and a royal priesthood. But the statement that women were to be joined to men of their own tribe was established so that the distribution of inheritances would not be confused. Since the tribe of Levi did not have an inheritance among the others, women of that tribe could marry whomever they wished.
The Birth and Dedication of Mary
Joachim and Anna, long childless, receive a divine promise of a daughter who is later presented to the temple and betrothed to Joseph.
In his prologue, Saint Jerome writes that as a young man he read the history of the Virgin’s birth in a small book; long after, remembering what he had read, he transcribed it when he was first asked to do so. Joachim was from Galilee and the city of Nazareth. He took holy Anna from Bethlehem as his wife. Both were righteous and lived blamelessly according to all the Lord’s commandments. They divided their wealth into three parts: one part they spent on the temple and its servants, another they gave to pilgrims and the poor, and the third they kept for themselves and their household needs. After twenty years of marriage without children, they vowed to the Lord that if He granted them a child, they would dedicate her to His service. Because of this, since they went up to Jerusalem every year for the three principal feasts, Joachim went up to Jerusalem on the feast of the Dedication with his kinsmen, and approaching the altar with the others, he wished to offer his sacrifice. When the priest saw him, he turned him away with great indignation and rebuked him for daring to approach God’s altar. He insisted that it wasn't fitting for someone under the curse of the law to offer a sacrifice to the Lord of the law, nor for the unfruitful to stand among the fruitful, or for one who had not increased the people of God to stand there. Joachim, feeling deeply humiliated, didn't want to return home out of shame, fearing the disgrace he would face from his kinsmen who had heard what happened. He withdrew to his shepherds, and after he had been there for some time, an angel appeared to him alone in a great light. Seeing Joachim troubled by the vision, the angel told him not to be afraid, saying, 'I am the angel of the Lord, sent to tell you that your prayers have been heard and your alms have ascended in the sight of the Lord; for I have seen your shame and heard the reproach of barrenness wrongly cast upon you.' God is the avenger of sin, not of nature; and that is why, when He closes someone’s womb, He does it so that He may open it again more miraculously, and so that it may be known that what is born is not of lust, but is a divine gift. Didn't Sarah, the first mother of your people, bear the shame of infertility until her ninetieth year, only to give birth to Isaac, to whom the blessing of all nations was promised? And wasn't Rachel also infertile for a long time, yet she gave birth to Joseph, who eventually ruled over all of Egypt? Who was stronger than Samson, or holier than Samuel? Yet both of them had mothers who were infertile. Therefore, trust both reason and these examples: long-delayed conceptions and births following infertility are usually more miraculous. Accordingly, your wife Anna will bear you a daughter, and you shall name her Mary. As you have vowed, she will be consecrated to the Lord from infancy. Filled with the Holy Spirit even from her mother’s womb, she won't live out among the common people, but will always dwell in the temple of the Lord, so that no one may suspect anything wrong about her. And just as she will be born of a barren mother, so too will the Son of the Most High be miraculously generated from her; His name will be Jesus, and through Him there will be salvation for all nations. Here is a sign for you: when you reach the Golden Gate in Jerusalem, you'll meet your wife, Anna, who is currently worried about your delay, but she'll rejoice when she sees you. After saying this, the angel left him. Anna, however, was weeping bitterly and didn't know where her husband had gone, when the same angel appeared to her and revealed the same things he had announced to her husband, adding that as a sign she should go to the Golden Gate in Jerusalem and meet her husband there as he returned. So, following the angel's instruction, they both met each other there. Rejoicing in their meeting and secure in the promise of their child, they worshipped the Lord and returned home, joyfully awaiting the divine promise. Anna then conceived and gave birth to a daughter, and she named her Mary. Once the three-year period of weaning was over, they brought the virgin to the temple of the Lord with offerings. There were fifteen steps leading up to the temple, corresponding to the fifteen Gradual Psalms; since the temple was built on a mountain, the altar of burnt offering, which was outside, could only be reached by these steps. The virgin climbed all of these steps without anyone's help, as if she were already fully grown. Having completed the offering, they left their daughter in the temple with the other virgins and returned home; the virgin, however, grew daily in all holiness, and was visited every day by angels and enjoyed divine visions daily. Jerome says in a letter to Chromatius and Heliodorus that the blessed Virgin had set this rule for herself: from morning until the third hour she would persist in prayer, from the third until the ninth she would occupy herself with weaving, and from the ninth she would not leave her prayers until an angel appeared to give her food. In the fourteenth year of her life, the high priest publicly announced that the virgins who were being instructed in the temple and had reached the proper age should return home to be lawfully joined to husbands. When the others obeyed this command, the blessed Virgin Mary alone replied that she could not do this, both because her parents had dedicated her to the service of the Lord and because she herself had vowed her virginity to the Lord. The high priest was anxious, for he felt he should neither break a vow against the Scripture that says, 'Make vows and keep them,' nor dare to introduce a custom unfamiliar to the people. As the Jewish festival approached, the elders were called together, and they were all of one mind: that in a matter so doubtful, they should seek the counsel of the Lord. While they continued in prayer, the high priest went to seek counsel. When he had approached the Lord, a voice suddenly rang out from the place of prayer for all to hear, saying that every man of the house of David who was eligible for marriage but not yet wed should bring a staff to the altar; and that the man whose staff blossomed, and upon whose tip the Holy Spirit rested in the form of a dove—as prophesied by Isaiah—would be the one to whom the virgin should be betrothed. Among the others was Joseph of the house of David. Since it seemed inappropriate to him that a man of such advanced age should take such a young virgin as his wife, he alone held back his staff when the others brought theirs. When nothing appeared that was in harmony with the divine voice, the high priest thought he must consult the Lord again, who replied that the only man who had not brought his staff was the one to whom the virgin should be betrothed. Joseph was thus revealed, and when he brought his staff, it immediately blossomed and a dove from heaven descended and rested upon its tip; it was then clearly evident to all that the virgin was to be betrothed to him.
The Feast and Liturgical Significance
The Church establishes the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin and its octave, reflecting on the spiritual significance of the three great nativities.
Once the Virgin was betrothed, Joseph returned to his own city of Bethlehem to prepare his home and provide what was necessary for the wedding; the Virgin Mary, however, returned to her parents' house in Nazareth with the seven virgins, her contemporaries and foster-sisters, whom she had received from the priest for the sake of the miracle's manifestation. In those days, the angel Gabriel appeared to her while she was praying and announced that the Son of God would be born of her, though the day of the Virgin's birth remained hidden from the faithful for some time. It happened, as John Beleth reports, that a certain holy man, devoted to constant contemplation, would hear the most joyful company of angels celebrating every year on the sixth of September while he was at prayer. When he most devoutly asked to have it revealed to him why he heard this only on that day of the year and no other, he received a divine answer: that the glorious Virgin Mary was born into the world on that day, and that this was being manifested to the children of the holy Church so that they might be united in this celebration of the heavenly court. When he had made this known to the Supreme Pontiff and others, and they had discovered the truth through prayers, fasts, scriptures, and the testimonies of the ancients, they universally decreed that this day should be celebrated in honor of the Virgin's birth. The octave of the Blessed Virgin's birth was not celebrated previously, but Pope Innocent IV— a Genoese by birth, established its celebration. The reason for this was as follows. When Pope Gregory IX died, all the Roman cardinals were enclosed in a conclave so that the Church could be provided for more quickly. But after they were unable to reach an agreement for many days and suffered many hardships from the Romans, they made a vow to the Queen of Heaven: if they reached an agreement through her merits and were able to leave freely, they would decree that the long-neglected octave of her birth be celebrated. And so they agreed upon Lord Celestine, and having been liberated by Lord Innocent, they fulfilled their vow. Celestine lived only a short time, so it couldn't be fulfilled through him. Note that the Church celebrates three nativities: the nativity of Christ, of holy Mary, and of John the Baptist. These three signify three spiritual nativities: with John, we are reborn in water; with Mary, in repentance; and with Christ, in glory. Since, therefore, it's necessary for repentance to precede the nativity of baptism in adults, and likewise for glory, those two rightly have vigils. But since repentance itself is a kind of vigil, it wasn't necessary for it to have a separate one. However, all of them have octaves, because they all yearn toward the octave of the Resurrection.
Miracles of the Blessed Virgin
A collection of devotional stories illustrates the powerful intercession, mercy, and protection the Virgin Mary grants to those who serve her faithfully.
A certain knight, very brave and deeply devoted to the Blessed Mary, was on his way to a tournament when he came upon a monastery built in her honor and went inside to hear Mass. But as one Mass followed another, and he was unwilling to miss any out of honor for the Virgin, he finally left the monastery and hurried toward the tournament. Then, unexpectedly, those returning from it met him and reported that he had fought most valiantly. When everyone present confirmed this, and all shouted that he had fought with great prowess, and even some who claimed to have been captured by him came to offer themselves to him, the discerning man realized that the gracious Queen had honored him in her own gracious way. He revealed what had happened, returned to the monastery, and from then on served only the Son of the Virgin. A certain bishop, who held the Blessed Mary in the highest reverence and devotion, was going to a church of the Blessed Mary in the middle of the night out of devotion, when suddenly the Virgin of virgins, accompanied by a whole choir of virgins, met the man as he was coming; she received him with the greatest honor and began to lead him to the church toward which he was heading, while two girls from the choir went ahead, singing and saying: “Let us sing to the Lord, companions, let us sing in his honor; may the sweet love of Christ ring out from a devout mouth.” The entire rest of the choir of virgins sang these verses in response, and the two aforementioned singers followed in order with the two verses that come next: The proud one falls first from the great light to the depths; just so, when a person swells with pride, they fall first to the depths. And in this way, they led the man of God in such a procession all the way to the church, with two always beginning the verses and the others responding. A woman, left without the comfort of her husband, had an only son whom she loved very tenderly. One day, however, her son was captured by enemies, thrown into prison, and put in chains. Hearing this, she wept inconsolably and begged the Blessed Virgin, to whom she was very devoted, with urgent prayers for her son’s release. Finally, seeing that she was getting nowhere, she went alone into the church where a statue of the Blessed Mary was carved, stood before it, and spoke to it, saying: "Blessed Virgin, I have often asked you for my son’s release, yet you have not helped this miserable mother; I beg for your protection for my son, and I still feel no result." Therefore, just as my son has been taken from me, so I will take your son from you and put him in prison as a hostage for my own son. Saying this, she stepped closer, took the statue of the child that the Virgin was holding in her lap, and went home. She wrapped the statue in a very clean cloth, locked it away in a chest with a key, and guarded it carefully, rejoicing that she had a good hostage for her son and keeping it under close watch. And behold, the following night the Blessed Virgin appeared to the young man, opened the door of the prison, ordered him to leave, and said: "Tell your mother, my son, to return my son, since I have returned hers to her." He left, came to his mother, and told her how the Blessed Virgin had set him free. Overjoyed, she took the statue of the child and went to the church to return it to the Blessed Mary, saying, 'I thank you, Lady, because you have returned my only son to me, and now I return your son to you, for I acknowledge that I have received my own back.'1 There was a thief who often committed robberies, but he held the blessed Mary in great devotion and greeted her quite frequently. On one occasion, however, he was caught stealing grain and sentenced to be hanged. When he was being hanged, the blessed Virgin was immediately present to him and, as it seemed to him, supported him with her own hands for three days, so that he felt no injury. Those who had hanged him happened to pass by and found him alive with a cheerful face; thinking he hadn't been properly secured by the noose, they tried to kill him with a sword, but the blessed Mary placed her hand against the blade, and they couldn't harm him. After hearing from him that the blessed Mary was helping him in this way, they were amazed, took him down, and for the love of the Virgin, let him go free. He left, entered a monastery, and remained in the service of the Mother of God for the rest of his life. There was a cleric who loved the Blessed Mary deeply and faithfully recited her Hours; when his parents died and left him their inheritance, as they had no other heir, he received it. His friends then pressured him to take a wife and manage his inheritance. One day, however, while he was on his way to celebrate his wedding, he found a church along the road. Remembering his devotion to the Blessed Mary, he went inside and began to recite her Hours, and suddenly the Blessed Mary appeared to him and said, with a certain severity: 'O foolish and unfaithful man, why do you abandon me, your friend and bride, and prefer another woman to me?' Stung by this, he returned to his companions and, hiding his true intentions, went through with the wedding. But in the middle of the night, he left everything behind, fled his home, entered a monastery, and served the Blessed Mary with devotion. A parish priest, a man of honest life, knew no Mass except the Mass of the Blessed Mary, which he celebrated diligently in her honor. He was therefore accused before the bishop and quickly summoned by him. When he told the bishop that he knew no other Mass, the bishop harshly rebuked him as if he were a deceiver, suspended him from his office, and forbade him to dare to celebrate that Mass ever again. The following night, the Blessed Mary appeared to the bishop, rebuked him severely, and asked why he had treated her chaplain so badly, adding that he would die within thirty days. Terrified, the bishop summoned the priest and, asking for forgiveness, commanded him to celebrate no Mass other than the one he knew, the Mass of the Blessed Mary. There was a certain cleric who was vain and lived a loose life, yet he loved the Mother of God deeply and would sing her holy Hours with devotion and eagerness. One night, he saw in a vision that he was standing before the judgment seat of God, and he heard the Lord say to those standing around, "You yourselves decide what judgment is deserved by this man who is looking at you; I have put up with him for so long, and yet I have found no sign of amendment in him." Then the Lord, with everyone agreeing, passed a sentence of condemnation upon him. But then the blessed Virgin arose and said to her Son, "For this man, my dear Son, I ask for your mercy, that you might lighten the sentence of condemnation upon him; let him live, then, for the sake of my favor, even though he is condemned to death for his own merits." The Lord replied to her, "Because of your petitions, I grant him this, if at least now I see him change his ways." And the Virgin, turning to the man, said, "Go, and sin no more, lest something worse happen to you." He was, therefore, stirred to change his life and sought out the religious life, where he finished his days in good works. As Fulbert, the Bishop of Chartres, relates, there was a man in Sicily in the year 537 named Theophilus who served as the vicedominus for a bishop. He managed the church's affairs so prudently that when the bishop died, everyone acclaimed him as worthy of the episcopacy. But he was content with his position as vicedominus and preferred that someone else be ordained bishop. Eventually, however, after he was removed from his office against his will by the same bishop, he fell into such impatience that he sought the counsel of a certain Jewish sorcerer to recover his lost dignity. He summoned the devil, and the devil appeared at once. At the devil's command, Theophilus renounced Christ and his Mother, abjured the Christian faith, and wrote a contract of this renunciation and denial in his own blood; he sealed the document with his ring, handed it to the devil, and bound himself to his service. The next day, through the devil's influence, Theophilus was restored to the bishop's favor and reinstated in his former office. A couple had an only daughter and gave her in marriage to a young man, but because they loved their daughter so much, they had their son-in-law live with them in their home. The girl’s mother, however, was so devoted to the young man out of love for her daughter that the girl’s love for her husband was no greater than her mother-in-law’s love for him. Meanwhile, malicious people began to gossip that she wasn't doing this for her daughter’s sake, but to force herself on him in her daughter’s place. When such a falsehood had shaken the woman’s mind, fearing that she would become the talk of the town, she spoke to two peasants and promised each of them twenty shillings if they would secretly strangle her son-in-law. So, one day, she locked them in the cellar, advised her husband to go somewhere on business, and sent her daughter away elsewhere; then, at his mistress’s command, the young man entered the cellar to fetch some wine and was immediately strangled by the thieves. The mother-in-law quickly carried him into her daughter’s bed and covered him with blankets as if he were sleeping. When the husband and daughter returned and were seated at the table, the mother ordered the daughter to wake her husband and call him to dinner; when she found him dead and reported this in a panic, the whole household turned to lamentation, and the murderous woman, pretending to grieve, wailed along with the others, until finally, she groaned deeply over the crime she had committed and confessed everything in order to a priest. After some time, a dispute broke out between the woman and the priest, and the priest accused her of murdering her son-in-law. When this reached the ears of the young man's parents, he was brought before the judge and sentenced to be burned by fire. Realizing his end was near, he turned to the Blessed Virgin, entered her church, and prostrated himself in prayer, weeping. After a short time, he was forced to come out, and everyone watched as he stood in the middle of the great fire, unharmed and untouched. But the boy's parents, thinking the fire was too small, ran to gather brushwood and threw it into the flames. When they saw he still wasn't harmed in any way, they began to attack him with spears and lances. The judge who was present was struck with amazement and stopped them from attacking him. Upon examining him carefully, he found no sign of fire on him, except for the wounds from the spears. When his parents took him home and tried to treat him with warm compresses and baths, God—not wanting him to be further tarnished by human suspicion—called him from this life three days later, while he was still persevering in the praise of the Virgin.
Read the original Latin
Nativitas gloriosae virginis Mariae ex tribu Juda et regia stirpe David duxit originem. Matthaeus autem et Lucas non generationem Mariae, sed Joseph describunt, qui tamen a conceptione Christi penitus alienus fuit, quia consuetudo scripturae dicitur fuisse, ut non mulierum, sed virorum generationis series texeretur. Verissime tamen- virgo beata ex progenie David descendit; quod praecipue patet ex hoc, quoniam, ut saepe scriptura testatur, Christus de semine David duxit originem, Cum igitur Christus de sola virgine natus sit, manifestum est, et ipsam virginem ex David natam esse et hoc ex catena Nathan. David enim inter caeteros habuit duos filios Nathan et Salomonem, Ex catena igitur Nathan filii David, ut testatur Johannes Damascenus, Levi genuit Melchi et :!) Panthar, Panthar genuit Barpanthar et Barpanthar genuit Joachim, Joachim virginem Mariam. Ex catena autem Salomonis Nathan habuit uxorem, ex qua genuit Jacob, defuncto autem Nathan Melchi ex tribu Nathan, qui filius quidem Levi, frater autem Pantharis, nupsit uxori Nathan, matri autem Jacob, et genuit ex ea Heli. Facti autem sunt fratres uterini Jacob et Heli, Jacob quidem: ex tribu Salomonis, Heli ex tribu Nathan. Defunctus est autem Heli ex tribu Nathan sine liberis et accepit - Jacob frater ejus, qui est ex tribu Salomonis, uxorem ejus et suscitavit semen fratris sui et genuit Joseph, Joseph igitur natura est filius Jacob ex descensione Salomonis, secundum legem autem Heli, qui ex Nathan, Nam filius, qui nascebatur, secundum naturam quidem erat generantis, secundum autem legem defuncti.
Haec Damascenus. Sicut autem in ectlesiastica hystoria dicitur et Beda in sua chronica testatur, cum omnes generationes Hebraeorum et alienigenarum inarchivis templi secretioribus servarentur, Herodes omnes jussit incendi, existimans se nobilem posse videri, si deficientibus probamentis progenies sua ad Israel pertinere crederetur. Fuerunt tamen quidam dicti dominici, sic dicti ob propinquitatem Christi, qui etiam Nazaraei fuerunt, qui ordinem generationis Christi partim, ut a proavis didicerant, partim, ut a quibusdam libris habuerunt, quos domi habebant, quantum poterant, perdocebant. Joachim autem accepit uxorem nomine Annam, quae habuit sororem nomine Hismeriam, Haec autem Hismeria genuit Elizabeth et Eliud, Elizabeth Johannem baptistam. De Eliud natus estEminen, de Eminen natus est sanctus Servatius, cujus corpus est in oppido Trajecti super Mosam in episcopatu Leodiensi. Anna autem tres viros habuisse dicitur, scilicet Joachim, Cleopham et Salome. De primo autem viro, scilicet Joachim, unam filiam, scilicet Mariam, matrem domini genuit, quam Joseph nuptui dedit, quae Christum dominum genuit et peperit. Mortuo Joachim accepit Cleopham, fratrem Joseph, et genuit ex eo aliam filiam, quam similiter Mariam vocavit, et Alpheo postmodum in conjugem sociavit.
Haec autem Maria ex Alpheo viro suo quatuor filios genuit, scilicet Jacobum minorem, Joseph justum, qui et Barsabas, Simonem et Judam, Mortuo secundo viro Annae tertium accepit, scilicet Salome, ex quo aliam filiam genuit, quam rursus Mariam vocavit et Zebedaeo in conjugem tradidit, Haec autem Maria ex Zebedaeo viro suo duos filios genuit, scilicet Jacobum majorem et Johannem evangelistam, Unde et de hoc exstant versus:
Anna solet dici tres concepisse Marias, Quas genuere viri Joachim, Cleophas Salomeque.
Has duxere viri Joseph, Alpheus, Zebedaeus.
Prima parit Christum, Jacobum secunda minorem, Et Joseph justum peperit cam Symone Judam, Tertia majorem Jacobum volucremque Johannem, Sed mirum videtur, quomodo beata Maria potuit esse cognata Elizabeth , ut superius dictum est. Constat enim Elizabeth nxorem fnisse Zachariae, qui erat de tribu Levi, et secundum legem quilibet de sua tribu et familia ducere debebat uxorem, et ipsam de filiabus Aaron Lucas fuisse testatur. Anna autem fuit secundum Hieronymnm de Bethlehem, quae erat de tribu Juda, sed sciendum, quod et ipse Aaron et Jojada summus sacerdos ambo de tribu Jada duxerunt uxores, unde tribus sacerdotalis et regalis cognatione semper ad invicem probantur fuisse conjunétae, Potuit antem, ut dicit Beda, hujusmodi conjunctio recentiori tempore fieri datis nuptui feminis de tribu in tribum, ut manifesto beatam Mariam, quae de tribu regia descendit, cum tribu sacerdotali cognalionem generis habuissé constaret. Et ita beata Maria de utraque tribu erat. Voluit enim dominus, ut hae tribus privilegiatae propter misterium. ad invicem miscerentur, quia de iis dominus nasciturus erat, qui vere rex et sacerdos pro nobis se ipsum offerret ct fideles suos in malitia hujus vitae pugnantes regeret et post victoriam coronaret. Quod etiam ex nomine Christi, id est inuncti, innuitur, quia soli sacerdotes et reges et prophetae in lege veteri inungebantur, unde et nos a Christo christiani dicimur et genus electum etregale sacerdotium appellamur. Sed et quod dicebatur, quod mulieres tamen suae tribus hominibus jungerentur, dietum fuisse constat, ne distributio sortium confunderetur, Quia vero levitica tribus sortem inter caeteros non habebat, mulieres de illa tribu nubere poterant, cui volebant.
Hystoriam autem nativitatis virginis beatus Hieronymus, ut in prologo refert, adolescentulus in quodam libello legit, sed post multum temporis , ut se ibidem legisse recoluit, primo rogatus transscripsit. Joachim namque ex Galilaea et civitate Nazareth. sanctam Annam ex Bethlehem duxit nxorem, ambo antem justi erant et ambo sine reprehensione in omnibus mandatis domini incedebant omnemque suam substantiam trifarie dividebant, unam partem templo et templi servitoribus impendebant, aliam peregrinis et pauperibus erogahant, tertiam sibi et familiae suae usibus reservabant. Et ita per annos XX prolem ex conjugio non habentes voverunt domino, quod, si iis sobolem concederet, eam servitio domini manciparent. Cujus rel gratia cum singulis annis in tribus festis praecipuis Jerusalem frequentarent, in festo cncaeniorum Joachim cum contribulibus suis Hiernsalem adscendit, et cum caeteris ad altare accedens oblationem suam offerre voluit. Quem videns sacerdos eum indignatione nimia repulit, et cur ad altare Dei accedere praesumeret, increpavit asserens non esse conveniens, maledicto legis obnoxium oblationem domino legis offerre, nec inter foecundos infoecundum, et qui populum Dei non auxit, adstare. Joachim igitur sic confusum se videns prae pudore domum redire noluit, ne similiter a contribulibus suis, qui hoc audierant, tantum opprobrium sustineret. Secedens igitur ad pastores snos, cum ibi aliquamdiu fuisset, quadam die ei soli angelus cum magna claritate apparuit et de ejus visione turbatum, ne timeret, admonuit, dicens: ego sum angelus domini missus ad te, ut annuntiem tibi preces tuas exauditas esse et elemosinas tuas in conspectu domini adscendisse; vidi enim pudorem tuum et audivi sterilitatis opprobrium non recte tibi objectum.
Peccati quippe, non naturae ultor est Deus et ideo, cum alicujus uterum claudit, ad hoc facit, ut mirabilius denuo aperiat, et non libidinis esse, quod nascitur, sed divini fore muneris cognoscatur. Prima gentis vestrae mater Sara nonne usque ad nonagesimum annum sterilitatis opprobrium pertulit et tamen Ysaac, cui repromissa erat omnium gentium benedictio, generavit? Rachel etiam nonne diu sterilis fait et tamen Josephum genuit, qui totins Aegypti dominium habuit? Quis fortior Samsone vel sanctior Samuele? Et tamen hi ambo matres steriles habuere. Rationi igitur et exemplis crede, dilatos diu conceptus et steriles partus mirabiliores esse solere. Proinde Anna uxor tua pariet tibi filium et vocabis nomen ejus Mariam. Haec, nut vovistis, erit ab infantia domino consecrata et adhuc ex utero matris suae spiritu sancto plena, nec forinsecus inter populares, sed in templo domini semper morabitur, ne quid sinistrum de ea aliquis suspicetur.
Et sicut ipsa ex sterili matre nascetur, ita et mirabiliter ex ea altissimi filius generabitur, cujus nomen erit Jesus, et per eum omnibus gentibus erit salus. Et tibi hoc signum: cum perveneris Hierosolimis ad auream portam, Annam uxorem tnam obviam habebis, quae de tua tardatione modo sollicita tnnc in conspectu tuo gaudebit, His dictis angelus ab eo recessit, Anna autem, cum amare fleret et, quonam vir suus ivisset, ignoraret, idem angelus eidem apparuit et sibi eadem, quae viro annuntiaverat, patefecit addens, ut pro signo Hierusalem ad auream portam pergeret et ibidem viro suo redeunti obviaret. Igitur juxta angeli praeceptum ambo sibi invicem obviantes. de- mutua visione laetati et de prole promissa securi adorato domino dommm redierunt divinum promissum hilariter exspectantes. Anna igitur concepit et filiam peperit et nomen ejus Mariam vocavit. Completo igitar per trienniumablactationis tempore ad templum domini virginem um oblationibus adduxerunt. Erant autem circa templum juxta XV graduum psalmos XV adscensionis gradus, nam quia templum in monte erat constitutum, altare holocausti, quod forinsecus erat, adiri nisi per gradus non poterat. In horum itaque novissimo virgo constitnta cunctos sine alicujus adjutorio ita conscendit, ac si jam aetatis perfectae esset.
Perfecta igitur oblatione filiam cum aliis virginibus in lemplo dimittentes ad propria redierunt, virgo autem quotidie in omni sanctitate proficiens et ab angelis quotidie visitabatur et vlsione divina quotidie fruebatur. Ait Hieronymus in quadam epistola ad Chromatium et Heliodorum, quod beata virgo hanc regulam sibi statuerat, ut a mane usque ad tertiam orationibus insisteret, a tertia usque ad nonam textrino operi vacaret, a nona ab orationibus non recedebat, quousque angelus apparens sibi escam daret, Quarto autem decimo aetatis suae anno pontifex publice denuntiavit, ut virgines, quae in templo instruebantur et aetatis tempus implessent, domum reverterentur, ut viris legitime jungerentur. Cujus mandato cum caeterae parnissent, sola beata Maria virgo hoe se facere non posse respondit, tum quia parentes sui eam domini servitio mancipassent, tum quia virginitatem suam domino ipsa vovisset. Tunc anxiatus est pontifex eo, quod neque contra scripturam , quae dicit: vovete et reddite, votum infringendum putaret nec morem genti insuetum introducere auderet. Ad imminentem festivitatem Judaeorum senioribus convocatis omnium haec una fuit sententia, ut in re tam dubia consilium domini quaereretur. Cum autem orationi insisterent et pontifex "ad consulendum . dominum accessisset, mox de loco oratorii cunctis audientibus vox insonuit dicens, ut, quieunque de domo David nuptiis habiles non conjugati essent, singuli virgas singulas ad altare deferrent et cujuscunque virgula germinasset et in cacumine ejus secundum Ysaiae vaticinium spiritus sanctus in columbae specie consedisset, ipse procul dubio esset, eui virgo desponsari deberet. Erat inter caeteros Joseph de domo David, cui cum incongruum videretur, si vir tam provectae aetatis tam teneram virginem duceret in uxorem, caeteris virgas suas afferentibus solus ipse virgam suam subtraxit, Unde cum nil divinae voci consonum appareret, pontifex iterato dominum consulendum putavit, qui respondit, quod solus ille virgam suam non attulit, cui virgo desponsari deberet, Proditus itaque Joseph cum virgam suam attulisset, et ipsa illico florem geminasset et in ejus cacumine columba de coelo adveniens consedisset, liquido omnibus patuit, ipsi virginem desponsatam fore.
Desponsata igitur virgine Joseph ipse quidem in suam civitatem Bethlehem recedit domum snam dispositurus et nuptiis necessaria provisurus, virgo autem Maria cum VII virginibus coaevis et collactaneis suis, quas ob ostensionem miraculi a sacerdote acceperat, ad domum parentum in Nazareth reversa est, in diebus autem illis angelus Gabriel ei oranti apparuit et de ea nasciturum Dei filium nuntiavit Dies autem nativitatis virginis aliquanto tempore fideles latait. Contigit igitur, sicut refert Johannes Beleth, quod quidam vir sanctus sedulae contemplationi insistens, singulis annis VI Idus Septembres in oratione positus jocundissimam angelorum societatem sollemnizantem audiret, cumque devotissime sibi revelari peteret, cur quolibet anno illo tantum die et non alio hoc audiret, divinum recepit responsum, quod virgo gloriosa Maria tali die fuerit mundo nata, et ideo hoc manifestaret filiis sanctae ecclesiae, ut concordes fierent in hac celebritate coelesti curiae, Cum autem hoc summo pontifici et aliis intimasset et illi orationibus et jejuniis, scripturis et antiquitatum testimoniis veritatem comperissent, hunc diem in honore nativitatis virginis celebrandum universaliter statuerunt. Octava autem nativitatis beatae Mariaeolim non celebrabatur, sed dominus Innocentius IV. natione Januensis ipsam instituit celebrandam. Cujus haec causa fuit. Gregorio enim nono per mortem sublato de medio Romani omnes cardinales in quodam conclavi incluserunt, ut citius ecclesiae provideretur. Sed cum per plures dies concordare non potuissent et ipsi a Romanis multas molestias sustinerent, voverunt reginae coeli, quod, si ejus meritis concordarent et liberi abire possent, octavas suae nativitatis diu neglectas de caetero statuerent celebrandas. Sicque in dominum Coelestinum convenerunt et liberati per dominum Innocentium votum adimpleverunt.
Coelestinus enim modico tempore supervixit et ideo per eum impleri non potuit. Et nota, quod tres nativitates ecclesia sollemnizat, scilicet nativitatem Christi, sanctae Mariae et Johannis baptistae, quae tres designant tres spirituales nativitates: cum Johanne namque In aqua, cum Maria in poenitentia, cum Christo renascimur in gloria, Cum igitur nativitatem baptismi in adultis oporteat praecedere contritionem et gloriae similiter, ideo illae duae merito vigilias habent, sed cum poenitentia tota sit pro vigilia, non oportuit, ut vigiliam haberet. Octavas vero omnes habent, quia omnes ad octavam resurrectionis anhelant,
Miles quidam valde strenuus et beataé Mariae valde devotus ad torneamentum vadens quoddam primo monasterium ad honorem beatae Mariae constructum in itinere repertum missam auditurus intravit. Cum autem missa missae succederet et ille ob honorem virginis nullam praetermittere vellet, tandem monasterium exiens ad locum MEME concitus properabat, Et ecce redeuntes eidem occurrerunt et ipsum slrenuissime militasse referunt, Quod dum omnes, qui aderant, assererent et universi eum strenuissime imilitasse acclamarent, necnon et quidam, qui se ab eo captos dicebant, se eidem offerrent, perpendens vir discretus urbanam reginam urbano modo se honorasse, quid acciderit, manifestavit et ad monasterium rediens filio virginis de caetero militavit,
Episcopus quidam, qui beatam Mariam in summa reverentia et devotione habebat, quandam ecclesiam beatae Mariae in nocte media ex devotione adibat et ecce virgo virginum comitata universo virginum choro venienti viro occurrit et cum summo honore susceptum ad ecclesiam, ad quam tendebat, ducere coepit praecinentibus duabus de choro puellis atque dicentibus :
Cantemus domino, sociae, cantemus honorem, Dulcis amor Christi resonet ore pio. Quos versus totus alius chorus virginum resumendo percantat praedictaeque binae cantatrices binos, qui sequuntur, in ordine versus subsequutae sunt:
Primus ad ima ruit magna de luce superbus, Sic homo cum tumuit, primus ad ima ruit, Sicque virum Dei cum tali processione usque ad ecclesiam perduxerunt duabus semper incipientibus et caeteris respondentibus.
Quaedam mulier solatio viri sui destituta unicum filium habebat, quem tenerrime diligebat. Quadam autem vice filius ejus ab inimicis capitur et in custodia carceratur et vincenlatur. Quod illa audiens inconsolabiliter flebat et beatam virginem, cui mnltum devota erat, pro liberatione filii importunis precibus exorabat. Tandem videns, quod sic nihil proficeret, ecclesiam, in qua erat sculpta imago beatae Mariae, sola intravit et coram imagine stans ipsam sic alloquitur dicens: virgo beata, pro liberatione filii mei te saepe rogavi et adhuc nequaquam matri miserae subvenisti, patrocinium tuum pro filio meo imploro et nullum adhuc sentio fructum. Igitur, sicut filius meus mihi ablatus est, sic et ego filium tuum tibi auferam et obsidem pro filio meo in custodiam ponam. Et haec dicens propius accessit et imaginem pueri, quam virgo in gremio bajulabat, auferens domum abiit accipiensque imaginem pueri ipsam in linteo mundissimo involvit et in archa recondens ipsam cum clave diligentius obfirmavit, bonum obsidem pro filio suo habere gaudens et ipsum diligenter custodiens. Et ecce sequenti nocte beata virgo juveni apparuit et Januam carceris aperiens, inde ut exeat, praecepit eique 'dixit: matri tuae, fili, dices, ut meum reddat filium, ex quo reddidi sibi suum. Qui exiens ad matrem venit et, qualiter beata virgo eum liberaverit, enarravit.
llla autem plurimum exsultans iwaginem pueri accepit et ad ecclesiam vadens beatae Mariae reddidit filium dicens: gratias vobis, domina, refero, quia mihi meum unicum fllium reddidistis, et nunc vobis filium vestrum reddo, quia meum me recepisse profiteor.
Erat quidam fur, qui saepe latrocinia exercebat, sed beatam Mariam plurimum in devotione habebat et eam crebrius salutabat. Quadam igitur vice far quaedam rapiens capitur et suspendio adjudicatur. Cum antem suspenderetur, continuo beata virgo ei affuit et suspensum tribus diebus, ut-sibi videbatur, suis manibus sustentavit ita, quod nullam laesionem persensit. Illi vero, qui eum suspenderunt, casu inde transeuntes eum viventem et vultu hilari repererunt et arbitrantes, quod non bene fuisset laqueo adstrictus, gladio ipsum jugulare volebant, sed beata Maria ferientium gladio manum opponebat et illi sibi nil nocere poterant. Cognoscentes ergo referente illo, quod beata Maria sic eum juvabat, mirantes eum deposuerunt et amore virginis abire liberum dimiserunt. Qui abiens monasterium intravit et, quoad vixit, in servitio Dei genitricis permansit.
Fuit quidam clericus, qui beatam Mariam valde diligens horas ejus sedulo decantabat, Cum autem parentes ejus morerentur, alium non habentes heredem eidem hereditatem dimiserunt. Compulsus est igitur ab amicis, ut uxorem acciperet et hereditatem propriam gubernaret. Quadam autem die, cum ad celebrandas nuptias tenderet, in itinere quandam ecclesiam reperit, et recordatus servitii beatae Mariae in ipsam ingrediens horas ejus dicere coepit, et ecce beata Maria eidem apparuit et quasi severius ei dixit: o stulte et infidelis, cur me amicam et sponsam tuam relinquis et mihi feminam aliam anteponis ? Ad hoc ille compunctus ad socios rediit et totum dissimulans celebratis nuptiis media nocte omnibus relictis de domo aufugit et monasterium intrans beatae Mariae devote servivit,
Sacerdos cujusdam parochiae et honestae vitae nullam missam nisi missam beatae Mariae sciebat, quam in ejus honorem sedule decantabat. Apud episcopum igitur accusatur et ab eo citius accersitur. Cum vero coram episcopo se aliam missam nescire diceret, episcopus ipsum quasi seductorem dure redarguit et ab officio-eam suspendens, ne de caetero eam missam cantare auderet, interdixit. Sequenti nocte beata Maria episcopo apparens eum plurimum increpavit et, cur suum sic male tractasset cancellarium, requisivit addiditque, quod die XXX. moreretur, nisi ille ad consuetum officium restitueretur, Tremefactus episcopus presbiterum accersivit et veniam postulans, ut nullam missam praeter illam, quam sciebat, de beata Maria celebrare debeat, imperavit.
Quidam clericus vanus et lubricus erat, sed tamen Dei genilricem plurimum diligebat et ejus horas sanctas devote et alacriter decantabat. Quadam igitur nocte in visione vidit se ante tribunal Dei adstare et dominum circumstantibus dicere: de illo, qui vos adspicit, quo judicio dignus sit, vos ipsi decernatis, quem tamdiu et toleravi et nullum adhuc in eo emendationis signum inveni, Tunc dominus omnibus approbantibus super eum damnationis tulit sententiam, et ecce virgo beata surrexit et filio dixit: pro isto, pie fili, clementiam tuam rogo, ut super eum damnationis sententiam mitiges; vivat ergo hic ob gratiam mei, qui ob propria merita addicitur morti. Cui dominus: tuis enim petitionibus eum tribuo, si vel saltem nunc ejus correctionem inspexero, Et conversa virgo ad hominem dixit: vade et amplins noli peccare, ne deterius tibi contingat. llle igitur excitatus vitam mutavit et religionem petiit et ibi in bonis operibus vitam finivit.
ApudSiciliam anno domini DXXXVII fuit quidam vir nomine Theophilus cujusdam episcopi vicedominus, ut ait Fulbertus Carnotensis episcopus, qui tam prudenter sub episcopo res ecclesiasticas dispensabat, quod mortuo episcopo eum dignum episcopatu omnis populus acclamabat. At ille vicedominalu contentus alium in episcopum maluit ordinari. 'fandem ab ipso officio invite ab ipso episcopo depositus in tantam impatientiam est delapsus, ut ad suam recuperan dam dignitatem cujusdam Judaei malefici consilium expeteret. Ille igitur dyabolum advocavit et advocatus concitus venit. Thcophilus igitur jussu daemonis Christum et matrem ejus abnegavit, christianae professioni abrenuntiavit et ipsius abrenuntiationis et abnegationis chirographum suo sanguine proprio scripsit et scriptum annulo sigillavit et sigillatum daemoni tradidit et sic ejus servitio se addixit, In crastinum igitur procuratione daemonis Theophilus in gratiam episcopi recipitur et in sui diguitatem officii restituitur. Tandem ad se reversus de eo, quod fecerat, valde ingemuit et ad virginem gloriosam, ut sibi in adjutorium fieret, tota mentis devotione confugit, Quadam igitur vice beata Maria in visione illi apparens de impietate ipsum redarguit et dyabolo abrenuntiare praecepit ac Christum Dei filium et omne christianitatis propositum confiteri fecit et sic ipsum in sui et filii gratiam recuperavit et ad indicium indultae veniae iterum sibi apparens chirographum, quod dyabolo dederat, sibi reddidit et super pectus posuit, ut jam non se dyaboli servum timeret, sed per virginem se liberum factum gauderet. Quo Theophilus recepto vehementer exsultans coram episcopo omnique populo, quod sibi acciderat, retulit et cunctis admirantibus et virginem gloriosam laudantibus ipse post triduum in pace quievit.
Quidam vir et uxor sua filiam unicam habentes eam cuidam juveni nuptui tradiderunt, ob amorem autem filiae generum secum in domo tenebant. Mater autem puellae juvenem amore filiae suae tam diligenter colebat, ut non major esset amor puellae ad pnerum, quam socrus ad generum. Inter haec malitiosi dicere coeperunt, quod hoc non filiae causa faceret, sed ut eidem pro filia sese ingereret. Cum igitur mulieris animum tanta falsitas concussisset, timens ne in vulgi fabulam verteretur, duos rusticos alloquitur, et si occulte generum strangulare velint, cuilibet: XX solidos pollicetur. Quadam ergo die eos in cellario recludens maritum suum ex industria aliquo ire consuluit et filiam alio transmisit, Tunc adolescens jussu dominae suae cellarium, ut vinum afferret, ingreditur et mox a latronibus strangulatur. Mox socrus ipsum in lectum filiae detulit et quasi dormientem vestibus circumtexit. Redeuntibus ergo marito et filia et ad mensam positis jubet mater filiae, ut maritum debeat excitare et ad mensam vocare, Qnae cum defunctum reperisset et haee concita nuntiasset, tota familia in lamentum vertitur et illa mulier homicida quasi dolens cum caeteris lamentatur, Tandem mulier de perpetrato scelere valde ingemuit et sacerdoti omnia per ordinem confessa fuit. Post aliquod tempus inter mulierem et sacerdotem litigium oritur et a sacerdote sibi generi homicidium irrogatur.
Quod cum ad parentumjuvenis notitiam devenisset, adducitur ad judicem et ab eo ignibus concremanda admnatur. Finem ergo sunm imminere considerans ad beatam virglnem se convertit et ejus intrans ecclesiam in oratione cum lacrymis se prostravit. Post modicum exire compellitur et in magnum projectam ignem omnes ibidem stare illaesam et incolumem contuentur. At parentes pueri ignem parvum esse putantes ad sarmenta concurrunt et in ignem projiciunt, videntes autem, quod nec sic in aliquo laederetur, lanceis et hastis eam impugnare coeperunt. Tune judex, qui aderat, vehementer obstupuit et eos ab ipsius impugnatione compescuit, eam autem diligenter considerans nullum in ea signum incendii praeter sola vulnera lancearum invenit. Cum autem parentes ejus domum eam reduxissent et eam fomentis et balneis recrearent, nolens eam Deus ulterius humana suspicione foedari, post triduum in laude virginis perseverantem ex hac vita avocavit.
Notes
- 1 ↩The source text contains a typo 'iwaginem' which has been corrected to 'imaginem' (statue/image) for translation.
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