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The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (as it is known in the West), or The Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple (its name in the East), is a liturgical feast celebrated on November 21〔Some but not all Eastern Rite churches reckon by the Julian calendar, in which this date falls 13 days later on December 4 of the Gregorian calendar.〕 by the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. The feast is associated with an event recounted not in the New Testament, but in the apocryphal Infancy Narrative of James. According to that text, Mary's parents, Joachim and Anne, who had been childless, received a heavenly message that they would have a child. In thanksgiving for the gift of their daughter, they brought her, when still a child, to the Temple in Jerusalem to consecrate her to God. Later versions of the story (such as the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew and the Gospel of the Nativity of Mary) tell us that Mary was taken to the Temple at around the age of three in fulfillment of a vow. Tradition held that she was to remain there to be educated in preparation for her role as Mother of God. In Eastern Orthodox tradition, this is one of the days when women named Mary (''Μαρία'' in Greek) and Despoina (Δέσποινα in Greek) celebrate their Name Day. ==Story== The account of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Temple is principally based on the Protoevangelium of James, which has been dated by historians prior to the year 200 AD. The story relates that in thanksgiving for the birth of their daughter, Mary, Joachim and Anne decide to consecrate her to God, and bring her, at the age of three years, to the temple in Jerusalem. Mary’s presentation in the temple draws parallels to that of the prophet Samuel, whose mother Hannah, like Anne was also thought to be barren, and who offered her child as a gift to God at Shiloh.〔(Peters, Sr. Danielle. "The Holy Land: In the Footsteps of Mary of Nazareth", Marian Library, University of Dayton )〕 Mary remained in the Temple until her twelfth year,〔 at which point she was assigned to Joseph as guardian. According to Coptic tradition, her father Joachim died when Mary was six years old and her mother when Mary was eight.〔 While the story is a legend with no foundation in history, the point is to show that even in her childhood Mary was completely dedicated to God. It is from this account that arose the feast of Mary's Presentation.〔(Mauriello, Matthew R., "November 21: Presentation of Mary", ''Fairfield County Catholic'', 1996 )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Presentation of Mary」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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