(2) 'From whom seven demons had gone forth.' In Jewish parlance, immorality was a form of
i
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MARY, THE VIRGIN
demonic possession,* and, just as the grace of the Holy Spirit is called ' sevenfold,' t so sevenfold possession might signify complete abandonment to the dominion of unclean passion. Cf. Mt 12*^ = Lk IP**. It is possible that Mary had been a harlot, that Jesus had rescued her from her life of shame, and that she followed Him out of gratitude. She was one of the devoted women who stood by the cross (Jn 19^5, Mt 27^6 = Mk 15«), watched His burial (Mt 27«^ = Mk 15^^), and came on the Resur- rection morning to the sepulchre (Jn 20^ = Mt 28' = Mk 16' = Lk 24"'). Finding it empty, she waited beside it weeping, and was rewarded ■\\itli the first vision of the risen Lord (Jn 20''"'**, cf. Mt
3. Mary of Bethany. — She is first introduced by
St. Luke (lU'^**"^-'), who tells how Jesus, probably on His way to the Feast of Tabernacles (Jn 7^- '") in the third year of His ministry, reached 'a certain village,' and was hospitably received by ' a certain woman by name Martha,' who iiad a sister called Mary. The Feast of Tabernacles was a season of feasting and friendship. ' They ate the fat and drank the sweet, and sent portions unto them for whom nothing was prepared, and made great mirth' (Ex 23'«, Lv 233=*-«, Nu 29i--3s, Neh 89-'«). Martha, a good housewife, was busy making ready the festal cheer ; but Mary, oblivious of all save the Lord's presence, seated herself, in the posture of a disciple (cf. Ac 22^), at His feet and listened to His discourse. Martha, ' distracted about much service,' interposed : ' Lord, dost thou not care that my sister left me alone to serve ? Tell her then to lend me a helping hand.' 'Martha, Martha,' He answered, gently protesting against the sumjjtuousness of His iiostess's preparations, ' thou art anxious and troubled about many things, but a few are all we need ; or rather,' He added, 'only one thing; J for it is tlie good "portion" that Mary chose, one which shall not be taken away from her.' At that season, when they were all feasting and sending ' portions,' Mary was thinking not of the meat that perisheth, "but of that which endureth unto eternal life.
St. Luke does not name the village where Martha and Mary dwelt. St. John tells us that it was Bethany, and that they had a brother named Lazarus (Jn ll'-'«). Some months later, when Jesus was at the other Bethany beyond Jordan, Mhither He had retired from Jerusalem to escape the fury of the rulers (Jn 10^"' ; cf. P** RV), Lazarus fell sick, and his sisters sent Jesus word. For two days after He heard the news He remained %\']iere He was, and only when Lazarus died did He set out. His approach was reported to Martha, ap- parently the elder sister and mistress of the house ; and she went to meet Him and sorrowfully up- braided Him : ' Lord, hadst thou been here, my brother had not died.' Assured of His sympathy and help, she returned home and, finding her sister among the mourners, whispered to her that the Teacher had come. Mary arose, and, hurrying to Him, fell at His feet, crying in the very words whicli Martha had used, the words which had been on their lips all those sorrowful days : ' Lord, hadst thou been here, my brother had not died.' Cf. art. Martha.
Mary appears a third time six days before the Passover, wlien Jesus was entertained in the house of Simon tlie Leper at Bethany, and slie came in during the feast and anointed His feet (Jn 12i-ii ; cf. Mt 26«-'^ = Mk 143"). seg ANOINTING, L 2.
* Lightfoot on Lk 82. Cf. Jer. Vit. Bil. Erem. : a virqo Dei at Alajumas possessed by amoris dmrnon. t Cf. Od. Cluii. Hymn, de S. Mai: Magdal. : ' Qui septem purgat vitia Per septiformeni gratiam.'
Liter ATi'RB.— Lightfoot, Hor. Heb. ii. pp. 23, 388, 652 ; Heng- ster.b. on Jn lli-^b ; Andrews, Life of our Lord, pp. 281-286 ; artt. ' Mary ' in Hastings' DB and in Enei/c. Bibl.
David Smith.
MARY, THE VIRGIN.— Historical data for the life of the mother of our Lord are astonishingly meagre. Legendary matter there is in abundance, with regard to her life both before the Annuncia- tion and after the Ascension, but this art. will not touch on this except incidentally.
1. The Virgin Mary was born, we may suppose, at Nazareth. Tradition names Jerusalem (Cuinet, Si/rie, Libnn, ct Palestine, p. 523), but this is quite untrustworthy. Her parents, according to a not improbable tradition. Mere Joachim and Anna (Protev. Jacob.). Tiiere is no reason to doubt that the Virgin, as well as Joseph, belonged to the tribe of Judah and to the family of David (Lk P-- ^", Ro 1^. 2 Ti 2**, He 7"), although it is almost certain, on the other hand, that both Mt. and Lk. give, not her genealogy, but Joseph's.
The statement of the Test. XII. Pair. (Simeon vii.), wliich makes Mary a woman of the tribe of Levi, is clearly an erroneous inference from the relationship between her and Ehsabeth (cf. Plunimer on Lk 127. :i«). Syr »"> reads, Lk 25, ' because thej- were both of the house of David.'