Introduction to the temple of the Most Holy Theotokos (Greek _______ ___ __________ ________ __ __ ___, lat. Praesentatio S. Mariae in templo, church-glory. Saint Anna, fulfilling her vow to consecrate her child to God, at the age of three brought her daughter Mary to the Jerusalem temple, where she was introduced by the high priest (according to legend, Zechariah) into the Holy of Holies. The Virgin Mary lived at the temple until she was 12 years old – until her betrothal to the righteous Joseph the Betrothed. The event is not mentioned in the canonical Gospels and is known from later apocrypha.

In the Orthodox Church it belongs to the number of Twelve Feasts, in the Catholic Church it has the rank of „memory" (memoria).

Orthodox churches using the Julian calendar, including the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (within Ukraine), Old Believers and some others celebrate the Introduction on November 21 (December 4). The Catholic Church and Orthodox Churches using the New Julian calendar celebrate November 21 in a new style; to the Coptic Church – November 29, New Style.

Description of the event

The events that served as the basis for the holiday are reported by the Apocrypha: the Greek „Proto-Gospel of Jacob" (second half of the 2nd century) and the Latin „Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew" (end of the 6th-9th centuries). These sources differ in detail.

There is also a later story about the Introduction, very briefly retelling the Proto-Gospel of James, in the Minology of Basil II (end of the 10th century) and in the Synaxar of the Church of Constantinople (10th century). Since the 9th century, a number of works by Christian authors have appeared that tell about this event. These are the works of George of Nicomedia, Theophylact of Bulgaria, the work of an unknown author (in different manuscripts signed by different names: Andrew of Crete, George of Nicomedia, Euthymius the Patriarch of Ternovsky), an essay signed by the name of Herman Archbishop of Constantinople, an essay signed by the name of Tarasius Archbishop of Constantinople, an essay signed by the name of Tarasius Archbishop of Constantinople the author, placed in the Great Sinaxar. By the middle of the 16th century, the listed works were not only translated into Slavic, but also collected in one book. They were placed by Metropolitan Macarius in the Great Menaion. In addition, Gregory Palamas wrote two omilies on the Introduction, but these works were translated into Russian at a later time.

According to these sources, when, before the conception of the Mother of God to her mother, an angel appeared to Saint Anna with the news of her impending birth of a child, she made a vow: "If I give birth to a male or female child, I will give him as a gift to my Lord, and it will serve Him all own life".

Introduction to the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos (icon, XVI century)

When the Blessed Virgin was three years old, the parents decided to fulfill their promise:

And now the Child was three years old, and Joachim said: Call the immaculate daughters of the Jews, and let them take the lamps and stand with the lit [светильниками]so that the Child does not turn back and that She loves in her heart the temple of the Lord.

In the Temple, Mary was met by the high priest (according to legend, this was Zechariah, the future father of John the Baptist) with many priests. The parents put Mary on the first step of the staircase that led to the entrance to the Temple. According to the „Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew":

… When She was placed in front of the temple of the Lord, She ran up fifteen steps, not turning back and not calling her parents, as children usually do. And all were filled with wonder at the sight of this, and the priests of the temple were amazed.

Then, according to legend, the high priest, by inspiration from above, brought the Virgin Mary into the Holy of Holies, where of all people only once a year the high priest entered with a cleansing sacrificial blood. All those present in the temple were amazed at the extraordinary event.

According to the Proto-Gospel of Jacob, Mary was in the Temple until she was 12 years old (according to the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew – up to 14 years old), when, at the direction of the angel, the priest Zechariah arranged a review of the suitors, at which the widower Joseph was chosen as Mary’s husband by the miraculously blossoming staff.

In the church tradition, information has been preserved that during the stay of the Mother of God in the Jerusalem temple, she was brought up in the company of pious virgins, diligently read the Holy Scriptures, did handicrafts, constantly prayed and grew in love for God.

At the end of the 17th century, Demetrius of Rostov compiled an essay „The Legend of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary", describing this event and placed it in the Lives of the Saints. According to this work, Mary lived in a certain room of a building attached to the wall of the temple, together with the virgins; older girls taught Mary needlework, and with them she studied the Holy Scriptures; Mary’s life was strictly according to the schedule: from early morning until 9 am Mary prayed in the Holy of Holies; from 9 am to 3 pm she practiced handicrafts or reading books; from 15 o’clock she again began her prayer, and did not stop it until an angel appeared to her, from whose hands she usually took food. Demetrius also cites the story of Gregory of Nicomedia about the visit of Mary in the Temple by an angel: "She was in communion with the Angels. Zachariah learned this too; for when, according to the priestly custom, he was in the altar, he saw that someone of an extraordinary appearance was talking with the Virgin and was serving Her food. It was the Angel who appeared; and Zechariah was surprised, thinking in himself: what is this new and extraordinary phenomenon? "

Jerome of Stridonsky, referring to the visit of Mary by an angel, however, points out: „If anyone asked me how the Most Holy Virgin spent the time of her youth, I would answer him: this is known to God Himself and the Archangel Gabriel, Her persistent guardian."

Theological interpretation

The most complete theological interpretation of the introduction of the Virgin into the Temple is given by Gregory Palamas in his Word "On the Introduction to the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos„. In it, the saint tells the history of the holiday, gives his opinion on the reasons for God’s choice of Mary as the mother of Jesus Christ, and in the conclusion explains the reason for her introduction into the Holy of Holies of the Jerusalem Temple:

… why the Chosen One from the beginning of the century among the elect turned out to be the Holy of Holies. Having her body purer than the spirits cleansed by virtue themselves, so that it could accept the very Hypostatic Word of the Primordial Father, the Ever-Virgin Mary, as the Treasure of God, has now been placed in the Holy of Holies in her possession, so that in due time, as it was, she will serve to enrich and to premium decoration…

Establishing a celebration

The introduction into the temple is the latest twelveth feast day. Some researchers suggest its appearance with the construction by Justinian of the new Church of the Theotokos in Jerusalem in 543. But this version is only a hypothesis that does not have any documentary evidence.

The first documentary evidence of the appearance of the Feast of the Introduction is some months of the VIII century, in which it is designated. There are also two homilies for this holiday, attributed to Patriarch Herman.

Orthodox Church

The holiday is indicated in some months of the 8th century, but a brief description of it testifies to the lack of special solemnity of its celebration. The first homilies dedicated to this holiday were attributed to the Patriarch of Constantinople Herman (+ 733), later homilies were written by Patriarch Tarasius (+ 806).

The holiday became widespread only from the 9th century, the stichera on the lithium of which were written by George of Nicomedia, two canons of the holiday also appear: George of Nicomedia and Basil Pagariot, Archbishop of Caesarea. However, until the XIV century, it was not part of the twelve. This is evidenced by the instructions of Theodore Prodromus (XII century) and Nicephorus Callistus (XIV century). At the same time, according to the Studio and Jerusalem Typicons of the XI-XIV centuries, the introduction of the Mother of God into the Temple was celebrated almost as solemnly as other twelve feasts. But still, even in the Typicons of the 17th century, a number of features of the Introduction service show that the status of this holiday is somewhat inferior to the status of other twelve holidays.

Christian churches consecrated in honor of this holiday are called Vvedensky churches. In particular, there is a Vvedenskoye cemetery in Moscow.

Catholic Church

Introduction to the Temple (fresco by Giotto, Scrovegni Chapel)

In the West, the holiday has been known since the 9th century in Sicily, where many Orthodox Greeks lived. In the 11th century, the Normans who conquered the island brought this holiday to England. The Feast of the Introduction became widespread in Europe only in the second half of the XIV century. In 1340, in response to the appeal of Philippe de Mezieres, Chancellor of the King of Jerusalem, to introduce this holiday in the Catholic Church, following the example of the Greeks, Pope Gregory XI authorized the service of the Introduction only as a votive one.

In France, the holiday became widespread in the 15th century thanks to King Charles V, who in the 14th century ordered the service of the Introduction to be performed in his court chapel in Paris. Sixtus IV (pontiff in 1471-1484) included the Feast of the Entry into the Roman Breviary, Pius V (pontiff in 1566-1572) removed it from the calendar. For the second time, Pope Sixtus V included the feast of the Entry into the general calendar of the Roman Catholic Church on September 1, 1585.

Iconography

The center of the composition of the introduction of the Virgin into the temple is the figure of Mary, who is depicted much smaller than other figures, but at the same time she is dressed in a maforium, which is the traditional dress of married women. Next to Mary are her parents, who brought her to the temple. Behind them can be depicted a procession of virgins who accompanied Mary on the road from Nazareth to Jerusalem. In the temple, symbolically depicted as a ciborium, the Virgin Mary is met by the priest Zacharias. Three-year-old Mary usually behaves like a small, reasonable woman – she confidently overcomes 15 large steps of the staircase, without turning back and causing the admiring amazement of the high priest, who joyfully opens his arms to her. There are 15 steps – like the psalms, which are called ascending, they were recited by pilgrims going up to the temple.

Also sometimes a staircase is depicted, along which three-year-old Mary enters the Holy of Holies. Additionally, there may be an image of Mary fed by an angel in the temple. On the icons, this composition is depicted with a separate stamp.

In Herminius Dionysius Fournoagraphiot, the following instructions are given for writing icons dedicated to this holiday:

In the depths of the temple, in the doorway with three steps, the prophet Zechariah stands in priestly clothing, stretching out her hands to the Holy Mary, who, being three years old, ascends the steps, stretching out one handle to Zechariah, and holding a candle in the other. Behind Her, Joachim and Anna look at each other and point to Her, and beside them are girls with candles. In one upper room of the temple, under a splendid canopy, the Most Holy One sits and receives bread from the Archangel Gabriel, who, giving Her this food, blesses Her.