The New Student's Reference Work/Mary the Virgin

Mary the Virgin, the mother of Jesus, is held in high honor by all Christians.  Of her life but little is known.  It is implied in Matthew that she was of the same family as her husband and a descendant of David.  She is mentioned but a few times in the New Testament, and almost always with reference to her relations to Christ.  The last notice of her is of her “persevering in prayer” with the disciples and the holy women at Jerusalem after Christ’s ascension.  A letter speaks of her as having lived with John at Ephesus, where she died and was buried.  Another letter asserts that she died and was buried at the foot of the Mount of Olives.  The story is also told of the apostles coming to her tomb on the third day after her burial, and finding the tomb empty but breathing out an “exceeding sweet fragrance.”  In art she is usually indicated by the term The Madonna; in ecclesiastical phrase as Mary the Virgin.  The date of her death is commonly fixed at 48 or 63 A. D.