The history of the feast of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary

Born in the East, the feast of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary carries different meanings in the West, having varied connotations on each continent.

The feast in the East

The feast of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary has its origins in Jewish culture in Jerusalem. The first known document refers to the dedication of a church built by Justinian (,”height”:2} –>–) on November ,”height”:2} –>st, , near the temple where Mary is said to have attended services. According to some historical data, she lived in the temple for some time between her consecration and her betrothal to Joseph.

After the dedication of Nea, the feast seemed to have retained for a while a local and limited character, running the risk of being forgotten due to the temple’s destruction.

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In the early centuries AD, there are some homilies about Mary’s presentation, but they refer more to her birth than to the feast itself. The current feast office, recited as definitive in the th century, was sanctioned thanks to the efforts of George of Nicomedia and another attributed to Kyr Basil, probably from the th century.

The feast in the West

During the papacy of Sergius I (–), the feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary had not been introduced in Rome, and its acceptance was delayed in the West. Meanwhile, in the th century, the celebration took place in Eastern monasteries located in Italy. However, it was not until that the feast began to be celebrated in the Roman Curia at Avignon. The apostle who contributed to the beginning of this celebration was Philip of Mézières; Gregory XI permitted the celebration of the feast with a mass and office. Sixtus IV, in ,”height”:2} –>, extended the feast to the entire Catholic Church, introducing a special office in the Breviary. Pius V, in , with the decree *Quod a nobis*, suspended it. Sixtus V, in , with the bull *Intemeratae*, reinstated the feast on the calendar, prescribing that it be celebrated with the office of the Nativity and only a slight change in title.After the liturgical reform of Vatican II, the feast was reduced to a simple memorial, referring the office to the Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Paul VI refers to the feast in *Marialis cultus* but only when speaking of the Western Church.The canonical Gospels remain silent about Mary’s life prior to the annunciation. Silence is broken by the apocryphal Gospels, especially the Protoevangelium of James, which recounts in a unique way the events of Mary’s conception, birth, her dedication in the temple to fulfill a vow made by her parents, her betrothal to Joseph, the annunciation, Christmas, and the arrival of the Magi.The presentation of the Virgin Mary is narrated in the Protoevangelium (:,”height”:2} –>-:) as follows:> When she was three years old, Joachim said, “Call the daughters of Israel who are without blemish; each of them shall take a lamp, and the lamps must remain lit so that the girl does not turn back or her heart be drawn to anything outside the Lord’s temple.” And they did as he commanded. They ascended to the Lord’s temple. The priest received her and blessed her after kissing her, saying, “The Lord has glorified your name in all generations. In you, in the last days, the Lord will show the redemption he has prepared for the children of Israel.” He had Mary sit on the third step of the altar, and the Lord filled her with his grace, and she danced. All the house of Israel rejoiced in her. Her parents descended, filled with wonder, praising God the Almighty because the girl had not turned back. Mary remained in the Lord’s temple, nourished as a dove, receiving food from one of the angels.The gracious event has always been honored in the East, as we can see from the scale of the celebration on November ,”height”:2} –>st. The West spoke up later, with many hesitations. These hesitations grew even more after the denials of Protestantism. The first to question the event were the centurions. Among Catholics, this denial occurred through Dominican Jacinto Serry (–), in a book he published. Cardinal Lambertini, later Benedict XIV, affirmed that Mary was presented at the temple so she could be well-educated. Regarding the historical value of the event, scholars G. Roschini and L. Peretto state that the custom was practiced by Jews, aiming to bring their sons and daughters to the temple to dedicate them to God’s service. They also claim that this tradition is a fulfillment of a mother’s vow, as a promise or an act of offering to God, justifying the celebration on November ,”height”:2} –>st. However, they consider that Mary’s stay in the temple, part of an institution similar to a college of virgins dedicated to serving God and priests, might be legendary, because if the fact were truly concrete, it would have been described by Flavius Josephus when discussing the sacred temple.On the theological-spiritual importance of the feast, we will treat in the next chapter!