The Nativity of our Most Holy Lady the Theotokos
On September 8 is celebrated the nativity of the Theotokos, the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus Christ. The celebration of the Mother of our Lord was officially established in the late 7th century by Pope Sergius I and was integrated into the Western Church calendar. Until the 11th century, it had prevailed throughout the Christian world, while it has a special place in the Orthodox Christian faith. People who bear the names Maria, Marios, Despina, Panagiotis, Panagiota, Tsambikos and Tsambika choose to celebrate on this day, while throughout Greece there are several temples dedicated to the birth of the Theotokos.
According to the apocryphal first Gospel of James, of the 2nd century A.D., the Virgin Mary was born in Jerusalem of barren and aged parents Hannah (Anna in Greek) and her husband Joachim after their prayers to have a child (childlessness was considered a disgrace to the Hebrew society of that time). The birth of Mary by a divine intervention brought peace to the hearts of her parents who raised her up to three years old and then gave her care and custody to the church.
The Virgin Mary is mentioned in the New Testament for the first time with the reference to the Annunciation of the Theotokos, that is the appearance of Archangel Gabriel before Maria and the announcement of the happy news that she was the chosen to bear and bring to life the Son of God.
Our church celebrates the Virgin Mary in many different dates, all celebrations for our Most Holy Lady the Theotokos, including the celebration of the nativity of the Virgin Mary on September 8, the Annunciation on March 25, the Presentation of the Virgin Mary on November 21 and of course the Assumption of the Virgin Mary on August 15.
According to the apocryphal first Gospel of James, of the 2nd century A.D., the Virgin Mary was born in Jerusalem of barren and aged parents Hannah (Anna in Greek) and her husband Joachim after their prayers to have a child (childlessness was considered a disgrace to the Hebrew society of that time). The birth of Mary by a divine intervention brought peace to the hearts of her parents who raised her up to three years old and then gave her care and custody to the church.
The Virgin Mary is mentioned in the New Testament for the first time with the reference to the Annunciation of the Theotokos, that is the appearance of Archangel Gabriel before Maria and the announcement of the happy news that she was the chosen to bear and bring to life the Son of God.
Our church celebrates the Virgin Mary in many different dates, all celebrations for our Most Holy Lady the Theotokos, including the celebration of the nativity of the Virgin Mary on September 8, the Annunciation on March 25, the Presentation of the Virgin Mary on November 21 and of course the Assumption of the Virgin Mary on August 15.
-
Posted in
Theological Issues
