She gave birth to Jesus?? Does anyone know? only I am reading this book by James Patterson, and it refers to her as having got pregnant at 14?? Not sure if this is fiction or based on fact, but if it is fact makes you think doesn't it?????
Mary.. How old was she when..
by Tez 6 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse
-
-
mrsjones5
Question:
How old was Mary when she gave birth to Jesus?
This question cannot be answered from the scriptures. However, we can turn to Jewish history and come up with an approximate age range.
The marriage customs for ancient Jews was different than the customs handed down in recent years. There were several stages that a bride and groom went through before the actual marriage took place, and this varied a bit from region to region.
Contract : A contract for marriage between two people could be drawn up when they were as young as three years old. This was, in actuality, a contract between the parents of the chosen couple. Naturally, when this was done the children were too young to have any input to the agreement.
Betrothal (Engagement): Betrothal, in the Jewish nation, was as binding as marriage vows. In fact, if the engagement was to be broken it required the couple go through the same procedure as dissolving a marriage...namely, a divorce. This is why, when Joseph found out his fiancé was pregnant, he contemplated divorce. "Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away (divorce) secretly" (Read Matthew 1:19).
According to Jewish tradition, and a number of historical resources, the age of betrothal was when the boy and girl reached the "age of accountability." This was thirteen for the boy and twelve for the girl. (NOTE: During the later years of the first century it seems that most Rabbis were recommending eighteen as the perfect age for marriage)
If this betrothal was the result of a contract that had been made years before between the couple's parents, the boy or girl could refuse to be engaged to the other person. Once they consented; however, it was as binding as the marriage contract.
Once the betrothal ceremony was complete, the boy would return to his parent's home, and the girl would remain with her family. Once the young man had completed the bridal chamber he would return and take his fiancé to the newly constructed chamber. The bride did not know just how long this process would take, but she must always be "ready" to depart with short notice. The process could take a few months or up to a year or more.
Wedding:
Once the preparations were ready for the bride, the groom and his companions would travel to the girl's home. As they went along the way, other guests would join pilgrimage. For some insight on this custom read Matthew 25:1-13. As he approached her home, there would be a shout "The bridegroom comes!" and the girl would come out to her chosen mate.
Once the bride was claimed, the group would then travel to the boy's home, where the marriage ceremony would take place. The ceremony, itself, varied some from region to region.
The most common procedure was for the groom to immediately take his bride into the prepared chamber. One of his companions would stand "guard" outside the door and, when the marriage had been consummated by sex, the groom would relay the information to his friend, and he would pass it on to the wedding guests. The couple would then join the party, as man and wife, and celebrate the union with a feast lasting from several days to several weeks (depending on the financial well-being of the groom's family). The Jewish "ceremony" that dominates a marriage today, came about on a gradual basis over a period of time.
So.....to answer the question regarding Mary's age when she gave birth to Jesus. She was probably between the ages of twelve and eighteen. Since this was at the very start of the first century, I personally believe she was at the younger end of that scale, rather than at the older end of it. However (since the Bible remains silent on the subject) someone else's opinion is as good as mine.
She and Joseph remained engaged until after the birth of the child. What the living arrangements were of the two we do not know. Since both were godly people and we know they did not have sexual relations until after Jesus was born (Matthew 1:25), we can assume they did not share the bridal chamber.
Most scholars agree that Joseph was, probably, several years older than Mary. After the incident when Jesus was lost in Jerusalem, at the age of twelve, we read no more in the scriptures about Joseph. Since his influence in the lives of Jesus and Mary is so well documented at the beginning of the Lord's birth, we could logically conclude he must have died before Jesus began his ministry. In addition, Jesus gave the apostle John the responsibility of taking care of Mary after he was crucified (John 19:26).
Whatever the age, the birth of our Lord was the only miracle of its kind ever recorded. A young virgin was chosen to be the vessel to bring the Messiah into the world. I think, sometimes, we don't give enough credit to this woman. While we are certainly not to worship or revere Mary as deity, we should honor her memory and what she endured to be the "handmaiden (literally 'female slave') of God." Mary, herself said, "For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed." (Luke 1:48)
©2002 - Jeanetta Watkins
http://www.handsofdorcas.com/Questions/thru%202004/mary's_age.htm
-
cruzanheart
Interesting article -- thanks! My daughter is going to be 12 next month and I can't even begin to imagine her being a married woman. Actually, if an archangel appeared to her and said she was going to bear a child, she'd probably laugh in its face, raise one eybrow, and make a VERY rude remark.
Which is why I'll never be the Grandmother to God.
Nina
-
rebel8
The JWs in my cong. had the same views about children getting married. It is so gross.
-
BluesBrother
I had heard similar reasoning to that contained in the article .
I beleive that it must be viewed in the context of different customs applying to different times. It does appear wrong to us and would not be accepted in our society. But many people , a good deal later in time than the first century have practised what we would call child marriage , and thought nothing of it
-
Tez
Thanks MrsJ for that information. Its given me an idea for another topic!! Really appreciate your reply.
-
mrsjones5
You're welcome.