The Virgin Mary

Mary first appears in the Gospels at the Annunciation, when the angel Gabriel announces to her that she will conceive a son to be named Jesus (Luke 1:26–38). The account emphasizes her virginal conception of Jesus — a central claim of Matthew 1:18–25 and Luke 1:26–38. Matthew traces Jesus's genealogy through Joseph, yet insists that Joseph was not Jesus's biological father (Matthew 1:18: 'the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way: After his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit'). Luke presents Jesus as the Son of the Most High, born of Mary alone, with Joseph as his earthly guardian.

Mary is present throughout the Gospel narratives of Jesus's ministry and passion. She learns of her son's identity at the Presentation in the Temple, where Simeon foretells that 'a sword will pierce your own soul too' (Luke 2:34–35). She appears at Cana, where Jesus performs his first sign at her request (John 2:1–11). She stands at the foot of the Cross with John, the beloved disciple (John 19:25–27), to whom Jesus says, 'Woman, here is your son,' and to John, 'Here is your mother.' In the Acts of the Apostles, Mary is present in the upper room at Pentecost (Acts 1:14), united with the apostles in prayer as the Church awaits the Holy Spirit.

The canonical Gospels fall silent after Pentecost regarding Mary's life. John 19:27 indicates she lived in the care of the beloved disciple. The question of when and how she died is not addressed in Scripture; tradition provides answers, though these rest on sources later than the canonical period.

Traditionally, Christian faith has held that Mary remained a virgin perpetually — not only before the birth of Jesus but after it. This tradition, affirmed by the early Church Fathers including Jerome and Augustine, rests on the theological conviction that the womb that bore the Word of God remained consecrated. Matthew 13:55–56 names Jesus's 'brothers and sisters,' which some traditions interpreted as children of Joseph from a previous marriage (Jerome's position) or as cousins (the Eastern tradition). The Protoevangelium of James (2nd century) presents a more elaborate account of Mary's birth to elderly parents Joachim and Anne, her upbringing in the Temple, and her espousal to Joseph as a widower.

The assumption or dormition of Mary — her translation to heaven at the end of her earthly life — became a central focus of medieval and Eastern Orthodox piety. The Feast of the Dormition (August 15 in the East) celebrates her 'falling asleep' and bodily assumption into glory. The Roman Catholic Church defined the Assumption as a dogma binding on the faithful in 1950 (Munificentissimus Deus), but the Council of Trent (1545–1563) left the question undetermined as a matter of conciliar definition. Anglican theology and the 39 Articles are silent on the Assumption; it is held as pious tradition in many Anglican provinces but not as required doctrine.

The Theotokos ('God-bearer' or 'Mother of God'), proclaimed at the Council of Ephesus in 431, is the only Marian title that carries conciliar weight in Anglican tradition. The Council affirmed that the divine and human natures of Christ are united in one person, and that Mary is therefore properly called Theotokos — a title that protects Christological orthodoxy by affirming that it was God the Son, not merely a human being, who was born of Mary.

Medieval and early modern Catholic piety developed elaborate Marian devotion, including the recitation of the Ave Maria and the Rosary, private revelation of apparitions (Lourdes, Fatima, and others), and Marian intercession. These practices, while reflecting genuine love for Mary, have no basis in Scripture and are not part of the Anglican inheritance. The 39 Articles (Article 22) explicitly reject the invocation of saints and the honoring of images as contrary to Scripture. At the same time, the Articles do not forbid honor to Mary as the mother of Jesus, only the adoration due to God alone.