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Mary, mother of Jesus
1st century BC – 1st century AD· Person· People
Mostly agreed by scholarsMost historians agree; some details uncertain.
The young Jewish woman of Nazareth who, the Gospels say, conceived Jesus as a virgin; the most honored woman in Christianity.
See it on the Bible & Christianity map →What it is
Luke 1 tells how the angel Gabriel announced she would bear a son; she answered, 'Let it be to me according to your word', and sang the Magnificat. She appears at the wedding at Cana (John 2), at the cross (John 19) and with the apostles before Pentecost (Acts 1:14). Catholics and Orthodox honor her as 'Mother of God' (Council of Ephesus, 431) and ever-virgin. Catholics add the Immaculate Conception (1854) and the Assumption (1950); most Protestants reject praying to her.
Why it matters
She is central to Christian devotion, from the Hail Mary to pilgrimage sites, and how churches regard her is one of the clearest Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant differences.
Life, legacy and sources
Known only from the New Testament and later tradition; Paul says only that Jesus was 'born of a woman' (Galatians 4:4). The 2nd-century Protoevangelium of James names her parents Joachim and Anne.
Questions and debates
Were Jesus' 'brothers' (Mark 6:3) Mary's later children (most Protestants), Joseph's sons from an earlier marriage (Orthodox), or cousins (Catholic tradition)? It remains debated.
Connections (2)
▸Mary, mother of Jesus is, with Joseph, at the center of Birth of Jesus in Bethlehem (Christmas)Faith & scripture
The connection
Luke tells the birth story largely through Mary: Gabriel's announcement (1:26–38), her visit to Elizabeth, the journey to Bethlehem and the birth in a manger, ending 'Mary treasured all these things' (2:19). Matthew tells it through Joseph's dreams. Both say she conceived as a virgin by the Holy Spirit.
When and where
Nazareth and Bethlehem, c. 6–4 BC (Luke 1–2; Matthew 1–2).
How do we know?
A matter of faith. The virgin birth appears in Matthew and Luke but not in Mark, John or Paul's letters.
Questions and debates
Whether Luke drew on Mary's own memories, as tradition suggests, is unknown. Catholic and Orthodox belief that she remained a virgin afterward is rejected by most Protestants.
▸Mary, mother of Jesus was reaffirmed as 'God-bearer' by Council of Chalcedon: Christ fully God and fully humanHistorical record
The connection
The Council of Ephesus (431) called Mary 'Theotokos', God-bearer, against Nestorius, who preferred 'Christ-bearer'. The point was about Jesus: if he is one person who is truly God, his mother bore God. Chalcedon repeated the title in its definition, saying Christ was 'born of the Virgin Mary, the God-bearer, as regards his humanity'.
When and where
Ephesus (western Turkey), 431, led by Cyril of Alexandria; restated at Chalcedon, October 451.
Historical evidence
The Chalcedonian Definition, preserved in the council's surviving minutes, uses the word 'Theotokos'.
Questions and debates
Many Protestants accept the title in principle but rarely use it. The Assyrian Church of the East historically rejected it; a 1994 declaration with Rome found common ground.