Mary_(mother_of_Jesus)

qas: question: Who were Mary's parents?
answers: text: Saint Joachim and Saint Anne

question: How old was Mary when she was consecrated as a virgin?
answers: text: three years old

question: Who was Mary betrothed to?
answers: text: Joseph

question: When she was betrothed to Joseph, approximately how old was Mary?
answers: text: 12–14 years old

question: Where was Mary consecrated as a virgin?
answers: text: the Temple in Jerusalem

question: How old was Anne when she gave birth to Mary?

question: How old was Hannah when Samuel took her to the Tabernacle?

question: Who was Hannah betrothed to?

question: Where did Saint Joachim and Saint Anne become betrothed?

question: Where was Saint Anne consecrated as a virgin?
context: According to the apocryphal Gospel of James, Mary was the daughter of Saint Joachim and Saint Anne. Before Mary's conception, Anne had been barren and was far advanced in years. Mary was given to service as a consecrated virgin in the Temple in Jerusalem when she was three years old, much like Hannah took Samuel to the Tabernacle as recorded in the Old Testament. Some apocryphal accounts state that at the time of her betrothal to Joseph, Mary was 12–14 years old, and he was thirty years old, but such accounts are unreliable.

qas: question: Which angel appeared to Mary?
answers: text: Gabriel

question: What happened to Mary's body at death?
answers: text: assumed directly into Heaven

question: What did Gabriel announce to Mary at the Annunciation?
answers: text: her divine selection to be the mother of Jesus

question: How was Mary related to Jesus?
answers: text: mother of Jesus

question: Which goespel begins its story of Mary with the Annunciation?
answers: text: Gospel of Luke

question: Where did Mary meet Gabriel?

question: Where did Gabriel first meet Jesus?

question: Who else was present at the Crucifixion of Jesus?

question: What state was the tomb in when the angel Gabriel found it?
context: The Gospel of Luke begins its account of Mary's life with the Annunciation, when the angel Gabriel appeared to her and announced her divine selection to be the mother of Jesus. According to gospel accounts, Mary was present at the Crucifixion of Jesus and is depicted as a member of the early Christian community in Jerusalem. According to Apocryphal writings, at some time soon after her death, her incorrupt body was assumed directly into Heaven, to be reunited with her soul, and the apostles thereupon found the tomb empty; this is known in Christian teaching as the Assumption.

qas: question: When was the Assumption dogmatically define by the Catholic Church?
answers: text: 1950

question: In which papal document was the dogma of the Assumption defined?
answers: text: Munificentissimus Deus

question: Which pope authored Munifentissimus Deus?
answers: text: Pope Pius XII

question: Other than the Roman Catholic Church, which church holds the doctrine of the Assumption to be true?
answers: text: Eastern Orthodox Church

question: What is another name for the Assumption of Mary?
answers: text: Dormition

question: What year did Pope Pius XII join The Roman Catholic Church?

question: In what year did Mary die?

question: Which Eastern Church did Pope Pius XII visit in 1950?

question: Who authored the Dormition?
context: The doctrines of the Assumption or Dormition of Mary relate to her death and bodily assumption to Heaven. The Roman Catholic Church has dogmaically defined the doctrine of the Assumption, which was done in 1950 by Pope Pius XII in Munificentissimus Deus. Whether the Virgin Mary died or not is not defined dogmatically, however, although a reference to the death of Mary are made in Munificentissimus Deus. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is believed, and celebrated with her Dormition, where they believe she died.

qas: question: How long in total was the "blood of her purifying" for Mary?
answers: text: 40 days

question: Where did Mary bring a burnt offering and sin offering?
answers: text: the Temple in Jerusalem

question: Who was presented at the Temple in Jerusalem?
answers: text: Jesus

question: Who prophesized in Luke 2:25-38?
answers: text: Simeon and the prophetess Anna in

question: To which Galilean city did Joseph and Mary take Jesus?
answers: text: Nazareth

question: How many days did Mary bring her burnt offering and sin offering to the Temple in Jerusalem?

question: Where did Simeon and the prophetess Anna travel to?

question: Where is the location of the temple where Mary heard Simeon prophecy?

question: Where is the location of the temple where Joseph continued in the "blood of her purifying"?

question: To which Galilean city did Joseph and Mary take Simeon?
context: After Mary continued in the "blood of her purifying" another 33 days for a total of 40 days, she brought her burnt offering and sin offering to the Temple in Jerusalem,[Luke 2:22] so the priest could make atonement for her sins, being cleansed from her blood.[Leviticus 12:1-8] They also presented Jesus –  "As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord" (Luke 2:23other verses). After the prophecies of Simeon and the prophetess Anna in Luke 2:25-38 concluded, Joseph and Mary took Jesus and "returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth".[Luke 2:39]

qas: question: What was Zechariah's occupation?
answers: text: priest

question: Which tribe did Elizabeth belong to?
answers: text: Levi

question: Who was Aaron's wife?
answers: text: Elisheba

question: Which tribe did Elisheba belong to?
answers: text: Judah

question: Who was the third son of David and Bathsheba?
answers: text: Nathan

question: What tribe did Luke belong to?

question: Who was Mary's sister?

question: What priestly division did Luke belong to?

question: Who was Zechariah's sister in law?

question: What tribe did Matthew belong to?
context: According to the writer of Luke, Mary was a relative of Elizabeth, wife of the priest Zechariah of the priestly division of Abijah, who was herself part of the lineage of Aaron and so of the tribe of Levi.[Luke 1:5;1:36] Some of those who consider that the relationship with Elizabeth was on the maternal side, consider that Mary, like Joseph, to whom she was betrothed, was of the House of David and so of the Tribe of Judah, and that the genealogy of Jesus presented in Luke 3 from Nathan, third son of David and Bathsheba, is in fact the genealogy of Mary,[need quotation to verify] while the genealogy from Solomon given in Matthew 1 is that of Joseph. (Aaron's wife Elisheba was of the tribe of Judah, so all their descendants are from both Levi and Judah.)[Num.1:7 & Ex.6:23]

qas: question: Name the two women present with Mary at the Crucifixion of Jesus?
answers: text: Mary of Clopas and Mary Magdalene

question: In art, what is the name for the motif of Mary cradling the body of Jesus?
answers: text: pietà

question: In Matthew, who else besides Mary of Clopas and Mary Magdalene are with Mary at the Crucifixion?
answers: text: Salome

question: What does pieta mean?
answers: text: pity

question: What is a representation of Mary at the Crucifixion called?
answers: text: a Stabat Mater

question: What is the name for the motif of Jesus cradling the body of Mary?

question: Who is "the disciple whom Jesus loved"?

question: What is a representation of Jesus at the Crucifixion called?

question: Who was the sister of Mary of Clopas?
context: Mary is also depicted as being present among the women at the crucifixion during the crucifixion standing near "the disciple whom Jesus loved" along with Mary of Clopas and Mary Magdalene,[Jn 19:25-26] to which list Matthew 27:56 adds "the mother of the sons of Zebedee", presumably the Salome mentioned in Mark 15:40. This representation is called a Stabat Mater. While not recorded in the Gospel accounts, Mary cradling the dead body of her son is a common motif in art, called a "pietà" or "pity".

qas: question: Which Egyptian goddess do some scholars ascribe similarities to?
answers: text: Isis

question: What type of goddess is Isis?
answers: text: Egyptian

question: What kind of relationship do some scholars believe exists between Isis and Mary?
answers: text: iconographic

question: What is the name of the goddess that the Virgin Mary met in Egypt?

question: Who is considered to be a sister of the Egyptian goddess Isis?

question: What is the relationship between Jesus and the Egyptian goddess Isis?

question: What is the name of the cult that some scholars subscribe to?
context: The adoption of the mother of Jesus as a virtual goddess may represent a reintroduction of aspects of the worship of Isis. "When looking at images of the Egyptian goddess Isis and those of the Virgin Mary, one may initially observe iconographic similarities. These parallels have led many scholars to suggest that there is a distinct iconographic relationship between Isis and Mary. In fact, some scholars have gone even further, and have suggested, on the basis of this relationship, a direct link between the cult of Mary and that of Isis." 

qas: question: In which country is Ephesus?
answers: text: Turkey

question: Whose visions led to the identification of the House of the Virgin Mary?
answers: text: Anne Catherine Emmerich

question: Which disciple is known as "the Disciple whom Jesus loved?"
answers: text: John the Evangelist

question: With whom is it believed that Mary lived with in Ephesus?
answers: text: John

question: In which century was the House of the Virgin Mary found?
answers: text: 19th

question: Where did Anne Catherine Emmerich live?

question: Where did Irenaeus and Eusebius of Caesarea live?

question: In what century did Anne Catherine Emmerich meet Irenaeus?

question: In what century did Mary live in Ephesus with John?

question: What Evangelist did Anne Catherine Emmerich meet in Turkey?
context: In the 19th century, a house near Ephesus in Turkey was found, based on the visions of Anne Catherine Emmerich, an Augustinian nun in Germany. It has since been visited as the House of the Virgin Mary by Roman Catholic pilgrims who consider it the place where Mary lived until her assumption. The Gospel of John states that Mary went to live with the Disciple whom Jesus loved,[Jn 19:27] identified as John the Evangelist.[citation needed] Irenaeus and Eusebius of Caesarea wrote in their histories that John later went to Ephesus, which may provide the basis for the early belief that Mary also lived in Ephesus with John.

qas: question: In which year was the Second Council of Nicea?
answers: text: 787

question: In which year did the Synod of Constantinople confirm the veneration of images of Mary?
answers: text: 842

question: Which icon is most venerated in the Orthodox Church?
answers: text: icon of the Virgin Theotokos

question: What is the name given to artistic depictions of Mary?
answers: text: Marian art

question: In the Orthodox church, what types of icons are allowed to be venerated and prayed before?
answers: text: flat, two-dimensional icons

question: Which believers pray to and venerate three-dimensional statues?

question: In what year was the first image of the Madonna and Child found?

question: In what year was the first image of the Virgin Theotokos with Christ found?

question: What is the name given to the artistic depictions of Jesus as an adult?

question: In what year was the Orthodox Church founded?
context: Devotions to artistic depictions of Mary vary among Christian traditions. There is a long tradition of Roman Catholic Marian art and no image permeates Catholic art as does the image of Madonna and Child. The icon of the Virgin Theotokos with Christ is without doubt the most venerated icon in the Orthodox Church. Both Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christians venerate images and icons of Mary, given that the Second Council of Nicaea in 787 permitted their veneration with the understanding that those who venerate the image are venerating the reality of the person it represents, and the 842 Synod of Constantinople confirming the same. According to Orthodox piety and traditional practice, however, believers ought to pray before and venerate only flat, two-dimensional icons, and not three-dimensional statues.

qas: question: Where is the site of the first Church dedicated to Mary?
answers: text: Ephesus

question: Which goddess was worshipped in Ephesus before Mary?
answers: text: Artemis

question: Who was the author of the book, "Survivals of Roman Religion?"
answers: text: William E. Phipps

question: Which Queen furthered the cult of Mary in the 6th Century?
answers: text: Queen Theodora

question: Where was Mary rumored to have died?
answers: text: Ephesus

question: Where was the place of Artemis' death?

question: In what century did Queen Theodora meet Gordon Laing?

question: Who read the book, "Survivals of Roman Religion"?

question: What Queen regarded The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World?

question: Where is the birthplace of Artemis?
context: Ephesus is a cultic centre of Mary, the site of the first Church dedicated to her and the rumoured place of her death. Ephesus was previously a centre for worship of Artemis a virgin goddess. The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus being regarded as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World The cult of Mary was furthered by Queen Theodora in the 6th Century. According to William E. Phipps, in the book Survivals of Roman Religion "Gordon Laing argues convincingly that the worship of Artemis as both virgin and mother at the grand Ephesian temple contributed to the veneration of Mary."

qas: question: Jesus was known as the "King of Kings" because of his lieage from who?
answers: text: King David

question: Which name is given to Mary because of her role as a protector of captives?
answers: text: Our Lady of Ransom

question: Who was the mother of Jesus?
answers: text: Mary

question: Which New Testament book provides a basis for the term Queen when referring to Mary?
answers: text: Luke

question: What did David call Jesus when he met him?

question: What did David call Mary when he met her?

question: When Mary protected the captives of King David, what was she called?

question: When Mary assisted Kind David in finding his way to Jesus, what was the name given to her?

question: When Mary provided special counsel for Jesus, what name was she given?
context: Some titles have a Biblical basis, for instance the title Queen Mother has been given to Mary since she was the mother of Jesus, who was sometimes referred to as the "King of Kings" due to his lineage of King David. The biblical basis for the term Queen can be seen in the Gospel of Luke 1:32 and the Book of Isaiah 9:6, and Queen Mother from 1 Kings 2:19-20 and Jeremiah 13:18-19. Other titles have arisen from reported miracles, special appeals or occasions for calling on Mary, e.g., Our Lady of Good Counsel, Our Lady of Navigators or Our Lady of Ransom who protects captives.

qas: question: Who wrote polemics regarding Roman Catholic beliefs about Mary?
answers: text: Martin Luther

question: In which year was the Immaculate Conception dogmatized?
answers: text: 1854

question: Which pope was responsible for the dogmatization of the Immaculate Conception?
answers: text: Pope Pius IX

question: What does Theotokos mean?
answers: text: Mother of God

question: Where did Martin Luther preach a sermon on Marian devotion a month before his death?
answers: text: Wittenberg

question: For how many years were the Roman Catholic opponents adhering to the Marian decrees?

question: What year did Martin Luther preach at Wittenberg?

question: In what year did Martin Luther stop celebrating Marian feasts?

question: With whom did Martin Luther argue about the veneration of Mary?

question: Who criticized Luther for revering Mary and for blurring the line?
context: Despite Martin Luther's harsh polemics against his Roman Catholic opponents over issues concerning Mary and the saints, theologians appear to agree that Luther adhered to the Marian decrees of the ecumenical councils and dogmas of the church. He held fast to the belief that Mary was a perpetual virgin and the Theotokos or Mother of God. Special attention is given to the assertion that Luther, some three-hundred years before the dogmatization of the Immaculate Conception by Pope Pius IX in 1854, was a firm adherent of that view. Others maintain that Luther in later years changed his position on the Immaculate Conception, which, at that time was undefined in the Church, maintaining however the sinlessness of Mary throughout her life. For Luther, early in his life, the Assumption of Mary was an understood fact, although he later stated that the Bible did not say anything about it and stopped celebrating its feast. Important to him was the belief that Mary and the saints do live on after death. "Throughout his career as a priest-professor-reformer, Luther preached, taught, and argued about the veneration of Mary with a verbosity that ranged from childlike piety to sophisticated polemics. His views are intimately linked to his Christocentric theology and its consequences for liturgy and piety." Luther, while revering Mary, came to criticize the "Papists" for blurring the line, between high admiration of the grace of God wherever it is seen in a human being, and religious service given to another creature. He considered the Roman Catholic practice of celebrating saints' days and making intercessory requests addressed especially to Mary and other departed saints to be idolatry. His final thoughts on Marian devotion and veneration are preserved in a sermon preached at Wittenberg only a month before his death:

qas: question: On what date does the Catholic Church celebrate the Feast of the Assumption?
answers: text: August 15

question: What do Eastern Catholics call the Feast of the Assumption?
answers: text: Dormition of the Theotokos

question: On what date of the Julian calendar do Eastern Catholics celebrate the Domition of the Theotokos?
answers: text: August 28

question: How many Great Feasts does the Eastern Orthodox Church celebrate?
answers: text: 12

question: Do Protestants celebrate Marian feasts or not?
answers: text: do not

question: What is the name of the first Feast attended by Mary?

question: When did Mary attend the Feast of Assumption?

question: When did Mary attend the Dormition of the Theotokos?

question: When Mary finished attending all of the Feasts, what were the Feasts referred to as?

question: Who did Mary not get to go to Feast with?
context: Differences in feasts may also originate from doctrinal issues—the Feast of the Assumption is such an example. Given that there is no agreement among all Christians on the circumstances of the death, Dormition or Assumption of Mary, the feast of assumption is celebrated among some denominations and not others.  While the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of the Assumption on August 15, some Eastern Catholics celebrate it as Dormition of the Theotokos, and may do so on August 28, if they follow the Julian calendar. The Eastern Orthodox also celebrate it as the Dormition of the Theotokos, one of their 12 Great Feasts. Protestants do not celebrate this, or any other Marian feasts.

qas: question: Which color is traditionally used to portray Mary in paintings?
answers: text: blue

question: What rock was used as the source of blue pigment in paints in Medieval and Renaissance Europe?
answers: text: lapis lazuli

question: From which country was lapis lazuli imported?
answers: text: Afghanistan

question: Lapis lazuli was thought to be more valuable than which precious metal?
answers: text: gold

question: Which ancient empire is thought to have started the tradition of portraying Mary in paintings using the color blue?
answers: text: Byzantine Empire

question: What color does Mary like to paint with?

question: What year did Mary visit the Byzantine Empire?

question: What is the name of Mary's favorite stone?

question: What country were the travelers from that brought Mary the lapis lazuli?

question: What did Mary use to trade for the lapis lazuli?
context: In paintings, Mary is traditionally portrayed in blue. This tradition can trace its origin to the Byzantine Empire, from c.500 AD, where blue was "the colour of an empress". A more practical explanation for the use of this colour is that in Medieval and Renaissance Europe, the blue pigment was derived from the rock lapis lazuli, a stone imported from Afghanistan of greater value than gold. Beyond a painter's retainer, patrons were expected to purchase any gold or lapis lazuli to be used in the painting. Hence, it was an expression of devotion and glorification to swathe the Virgin in gowns of blue.

qas: question: According to Nontrinitarian belief, what is Mary's relationship to Jesus?
answers: text: biological mother

question: Which Nontrinitarian theologian says that God cannot approach eveil spirits to redeem them?
answers: text: Emanuel Swedenborg

question: Unittarians, Christadelphians and Jehovah's Witnesses are examples of what kind of church?
answers: text: Nontrinitarians

question: "Mother of God" is an example of what kind of title?
answers: text: Marian

question: Why type of churches did Emanuel Swedenborg visit?

question: Who did Mary recognize herself as?

question: Which Nontrinitarian churches once acknowledged Mary as "Mother of God"?

question: Whom did Mary give access to the evil heredity of the human race?
context: Nontrinitarians, such as Unitarians, Christadelphians and Jehovah's Witnesses also acknowledge Mary as the biological mother of Jesus Christ, but do not recognise Marian titles such as "Mother of God" as these groups generally reject Christ's divinity. Since Nontrinitarian churches are typically also mortalist, the issue of praying to Mary, whom they would consider "asleep", awaiting resurrection, does not arise. Emanuel Swedenborg says God as he is in himself could not directly approach evil spirits to redeem those spirits without destroying them (Exodus 33:20, John 1:18), so God impregnated Mary, who gave Jesus Christ access to the evil heredity of the human race, which he could approach, redeem and save.

qas: question: By what name is Mary referred to in the Qur'an?
answers: text: Maryam

question: Which Sura in the Qur'an describes the visitation of an angel upon Zakariya?
answers: text: 19

question: In how many places does the Qur'an give detailed accounts of Mary?
answers: text: two

question: Which Gospel provides an identical account of the Virgin Birth as Sura 19 in the Qur'an? 
answers: text: Luke

question: Who was visited by an angel in Sura 19 of the Qur'an?
answers: text: Zakariya

question: Who wrote the detailed narrative accounts of Maryam?

question: Who wrote the account given in Sura 19?

question: How many accounts in the are written in the Qur'an about Mary? 

question: Who told Jesus that Mary would be the mother of Jesus?

question: How many Gospel narratives are about Mary?
context: The Qur'an relates detailed narrative accounts of Maryam (Mary) in two places, Qur'an 3:35–47 and 19:16–34. These state beliefs in both the Immaculate Conception of Mary and the Virgin birth of Jesus. The account given in Sura 19 is nearly identical with that in the Gospel according to Luke, and both of these (Luke, Sura 19) begin with an account of the visitation of an angel upon Zakariya (Zecharias) and Good News of the birth of Yahya (John), followed by the account of the annunciation. It mentions how Mary was informed by an angel that she would become the mother of Jesus through the actions of God alone.

qas: question: What term is used to describe the belief that Mary remained a virgin for her entire life?
answers: text: Ever-Virgin

question: Which Latin father described the belief that Jesus' siblings were his cousins?
answers: text: Jerome

question: Which churches teach that Jesus' brothers and sister were step-siblings from a previous marriage of Joseph the Betrothed?
answers: text: Orthodox Churches

question: What document teaches that Jesus' brothers and sisters were older children of Joseph from a previous marriage?
answers: text: Protoevangelium of James

question: Which doctrine describes the belief that Mary remained a virgin, even though she gave birth to Jesus?
answers: text: The Perpetual Virginity of Mary

question: What is the name of the Latin father who is considered Jesus' cousin? 

question: What doctrine asserts Mary's real and perpetual virginity before the act of giving birth to Jesus?

question: What is the term used for Mary before giving birth to Jesus?

question: Who wrote the Protoevangelium of James?
context: The Perpetual Virginity of Mary asserts Mary's real and perpetual virginity even in the act of giving birth to the Son of God made Man. The term Ever-Virgin (Greek ἀειπάρθενος) is applied in this case, stating that Mary remained a virgin for the remainder of her life, making Jesus her biological and only son, whose conception and birth are held to be miraculous. While the Orthodox Churches hold the position articulated in the Protoevangelium of James that Jesus' brothers and sisters are older children of Joseph the Betrothed, step-siblings from an earlier marriage that left him widowed, Roman Catholic teaching follows the Latin father Jerome in considering them Jesus' cousins.

qas: question: In Orthodox tradition, what comes next in precdence after The Theotokos in the order of the saints?
answers: text: Angels

question: What are hymns to the Theotokos called in Orthodox tradition?
answers: text: The Theotokia

question: In the liturgical sequences of the Eastern Church, who is placed next in prominence after Christ?
answers: text: the Theotokos

question: What is Mary proclaimed to be in the Orthodox tradition?
answers: text: "Lady of the Angels"

question: What do the Orthodox believe Mary remained to be before and after she gave birth to Christ?
answers: text: a virgin

question: Who did Mary proclaim that she was?

question: What church did Mary give The Theotokia to?

question: Who does the Virgin Mary say that she takes precedence over?

question: What services did Mary perform in the Eastern Church?
context: Orthodox Christianity includes a large number of traditions regarding the Ever Virgin Mary, the Theotokos. The Orthodox believe that she was and remained a virgin before and after Christ's birth. The Theotokia (i.e., hymns to the Theotokos) are an essential part of the Divine Services in the Eastern Church and their positioning within the liturgical sequence effectively places the Theotokos in the most prominent place after Christ. Within the Orthodox tradition, the order of the saints begins with: The Theotokos, Angels, Prophets, Apostles, Fathers, Martyrs, etc. giving the Virgin Mary precedence over the angels. She is also proclaimed as the "Lady of the Angels".

qas: question: What is the mother church of the Angican Communion?
answers: text: the Church of England

question: Which church in the United States is associated with the Angican Communion?
answers: text: the Episcopal Church

question: What practice differentiates the Angican Communon from Protestant churches at large?
answers: text: veneration of Mary

question: What branch of Christianity does the Angican Communion fall under?
answers: text: Protestant

question: Who founded the universal authority within the mother church (the Church of England)?

question: Which church in the United States did Mary give universal authority to?

question: How many churches formed the Marian doctrines?

question: Which church is both "catholic" and "Reformed", but also Protestant?
context: The multiple churches that form the Anglican Communion and the Continuing Anglican movement have different views on Marian doctrines and venerative practices given that there is no single church with universal authority within the Communion and that the mother church (the Church of England) understands itself to be both "catholic" and "Reformed". Thus unlike the Protestant churches at large, the Anglican Communion (which includes the Episcopal Church in the United States) includes segments which still retain some veneration of Mary.

qas: question: For what practice did the first Protestants criticize the Roman Catholics?
answers: text: venerating Mary

question: In which century did the Council of Trent occur?
answers: text: 16th

question: Which Protestant churches still honor Mary?
answers: text: Anglicans and Lutherans

question: During which historical era did Protestant interest in Mary almost disappear?
answers: text: Age of the Enlightenment

question: Marian veneration became associated with which Christians after the Council of Trent?
answers: text: Catholics

question: In what century did Martin Luther honor Mary as the Mother of God?

question: In which century was the Council of Trent ended?

question: Which Protestant churches began honoring Mary before the 16th century?

question: During what Age did Calvin and Huldrych Zwingli form the Council of Trent?
context: Although Calvin and Huldrych Zwingli honored Mary as the Mother of God in the 16th century, they did so less than Martin Luther. Thus the idea of respect and high honor for Mary was not rejected by the first Protestants; but, they came to criticize the Roman Catholics for venerating Mary. Following the Council of Trent in the 16th century, as Marian veneration became associated with Catholics, Protestant interest in Mary decreased. During the Age of the Enlightenment any residual interest in Mary within Protestant churches almost disappeared, although Anglicans and Lutherans continued to honor her.

qas: question: Which doctrine about Mary do Methodists reject?
answers: text: the Immaculate Conception

question: Who was the founder of the Methodist movement?
answers: text: John Wesley

question: What are the sources of beliefs about Mary held by Methodists?
answers: text: Scripture and the ecumenical Creeds

question: The Methodist movement began in which church?
answers: text: the Church of England

question: Which Marian doctrine did John Wesley uphold in founding Methodism?
answers: text: the perpetual virginity of Mary

question: What group founded the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception?

question: What country was the church in that John Wesley departed from?

question: Who wrote the the doctrine of the Assumption of Mary?

question: The Methodist movement ended in which church?
context:  In Methodism, Mary is honored as the Mother of God. Methodists do not have any additional teachings on the Virgin Mary except from what is mentioned in Scripture and the ecumenical Creeds. As such, Methodists believe that Mary was conceived in her womb through the Holy Ghost and accept the doctrine of the Virgin Birth, although they, along with Orthodox Christians and other Protestant Christians, reject the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception. John Wesley, the principal founder of the Methodist movement within the Church of England, believed that Mary "continued a pure and unspotted virgin", thus upholding the doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary. Contemporary Methodism does hold that Mary was a virgin before, during, and immediately after the birth of Christ. In addition, some Methodists also hold the doctrine of the Assumption of Mary as a pious opinion.

qas: question: To whom was Mary dedicated while still in the womb?
answers: text: Allah

question: Which prophet cared for Mary?
answers: text: Zakariya

question: What is understood to be the Holy of Holies in Islam?
answers: text: Al-Mihrab

question: Where did Mary reside in her chilhood?
answers: text: the Temple

question: What did God provide for Mary?
answers: text: heavenly "provisions"

question: Who did Mary reside in the Temple with?

question:  Who gave Mary unique access to Al-Mihrab?

question: Who provided Zakariya with heavenly "provisions"?

question: Who dedicated Mary to Allah while she still in her mother's womb?

question: Where did Mary's mother reside?
context: She is the only woman directly named in the Qur'an; declared (uniquely along with Jesus) to be a Sign of God to humanity; as one who "guarded her chastity"; an obedient one; chosen of her mother and dedicated to Allah whilst still in the womb; uniquely (amongst women) Accepted into service by God; cared for by (one of the prophets as per Islam) Zakariya (Zacharias); that in her childhood she resided in the Temple and uniquely had access to Al-Mihrab (understood to be the Holy of Holies), and was provided with heavenly "provisions" by God.

qas: question: Who suggested that Jesus was the son of a Roman soldier?
answers: text: Celsus

question: What was the name of the Roman soldier said by Celsus to be the father of Jesus?
answers: text: Panthera

question: Origen was a Church Father in which Egyptian city?
answers: text: Alexandria

question: In which century did Celsus suggest that Jesus' father was a Roman soldier?
answers: text: 2nd

question: For what purpose did detractors use the idea of Mary's virginity and the virgin conception of Jesus?
answers: text: to challenge the divinity of Jesus

question: Who suggested that Panthera was the illegitimate son Jesus?

question: What century did Panthera become a Roman Soldier?

question: In what Egyptian city did Origen visit his Church Father?

question: In what Egyptian city did Jesus find the Roman soldier?

question: Who was Celsus an illegitimate son of?
context: From the early stages of Christianity, belief in the virginity of Mary and the virgin conception of Jesus, as stated in the gospels, holy and supernatural, was used by detractors, both political and religious, as a topic for discussions, debates and writings, specifically aimed to challenge the divinity of Jesus and thus Christians and Christianity alike. In the 2nd century, as part of the earliest anti-Christian polemics, Celsus suggested that Jesus was the illegitimate son of a Roman soldier named Panthera. The views of Celsus drew responses from Origen, the Church Father in Alexandria, Egypt, who considered it a fabricated story. How far Celsus sourced his view from Jewish sources remains a subject of discussion.

qas: question: What is the literal meaning of Theotokos?
answers: text: Giver of birth to God

question: Which branch of Christianity gives a diminished role to Mary?
answers: text: Protestants

question: What is Mary called in Islam?
answers: text: Maryam

question: What is the basis for Mary's diminished role in Protestantism?
answers: text: brevity of biblical references

question: Which two Protestant churches, along with the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches, believe that Mary is the Mother of God?
answers: text: Anglican, and Lutheran

question: Which other religion gives sainthood to Mary?

question: Which church first considered Mary a saint?

question: What other religious text do Protestants read?

question: What other belief do believers of Islam believe?
context: Mary had been venerated since Early Christianity, and is considered by millions to be the most meritorious saint of the religion. The Eastern and Oriental Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran Churches believe that Mary, as Mother of Jesus, is the Mother of God and the Theotokos, literally "Giver of birth to God". There is significant diversity in the Marian beliefs and devotional practices of major Christian traditions. The Roman Catholic Church holds distinctive Marian dogmas; namely her status as the mother of God; her Immaculate Conception; her perpetual virginity; and her Assumption into heaven. Many Protestants minimize Mary's role within Christianity, based on the argued brevity of biblical references. Mary (Maryam) also has a revered position in Islam, where a whole chapter of the Qur'an is devoted to her, also describing the birth of Jesus.

qas: question: What is the first stage of Jewish marriage?
answers: text: betrothal

question: Which angel announced to Mary that she was to be the mother of the Messiah?
answers: text: Gabriel

question: What did Joseph plan to do when told of Mary's coneption in a dream?
answers: text: divorce her

question: Where did Mary live when she was visited by the angel Gabriel?
answers: text: in Nazareth in Galilee

question: In his dream, who told Joseph about Mary's conception?
answers: text: an angel of the Lord

question: What is the last stage of Jewish marriage?

question: What angel did Joseph meet before he had the dream?

question: Where was Joseph born?

question: Where did Joseph live when he was visited by the angel Gabriel?

question: Where was Joseph conceived?
context: Mary resided in "her own house"[Lk.1:56] in Nazareth in Galilee, possibly with her parents, and during her betrothal — the first stage of a Jewish marriage — the angel Gabriel announced to her that she was to be the mother of the promised Messiah by conceiving him through the Holy Spirit, and she responded, "I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done unto me according to your word." After a number of months, when Joseph was told of her conception in a dream by "an angel of the Lord", he planned to divorce her; but the angel told him to not hesitate to take her as his wife, which Joseph did, thereby formally completing the wedding rites.[Mt 1:18-25]

qas: question: Which Gospel says that Mary fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah?
answers: text: Matthew

question: Until which century was the Virgin birth of Jesus held almost universally among Christians?
answers: text: 19th

question: What Hebrew word is used to describe Mary in Isaiah 7:14?
answers: text: alma

question: Which verse in Luke states that Mary had "no relations with man" before Jesus' birth?
answers: text: 1:34

question: Along with the Nicene Creed, which other Christian creed asserts the Virgin birth of Jesus?
answers: text: the Apostles' Creed

question: What century was the Apostles' Creed written in?

question: When Isaiah spoke to Mary he called her by what Hebrew word?

question: In what century did Mary fulfill the prophecy?

question: Which creed was written by Isaiah?
context: The Virgin birth of Jesus was an almost universally held belief among Christians from the 2nd until the 19th century. It is included in the two most widely used Christian creeds, which state that Jesus "was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary" (the Nicene Creed in what is now its familiar form) and the Apostles' Creed. The Gospel of Matthew describes Mary as a virgin who fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14, mistranslating the Hebrew word alma ("young woman") in Isaiah 7:14 as "virgin", though.[citation needed] The authors of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke consider Jesus' conception not the result of intercourse and assert that Mary had "no relations with man" before Jesus' birth.[Mt 1:18] [Mt 1:25] [Lk 1:34] This alludes to the belief that Mary conceived Jesus through the action of God the Holy Spirit, and not through intercourse with Joseph or anyone else.

qas: question: What title is given to Mary in the Catholic Church?
answers: text: Blessed

question: What is the Latin word from which Mary's title of Blessed is derived?
answers: text: beatus

question: How many Catholic dogmas are there regarding Mary?
answers: text: four

question: Along with Mother of God, Immaculate Conception and Assumption of Mary, what is the other Catholic dogma related to Mary?
answers: text: Perpetual virginity of Mary

question: What title did Mary give to the Catholic Church?

question: Since Mary states that she is not divine, what teachings carry on her statements?

question: Where does Mary send prayers to?

question: How many Latin dogmas are there regarding Mary?

question: What state was Mary in before giving birth to Jesus?
context: 
In the Catholic Church, Mary is accorded the title "Blessed", (from Latin beatus, blessed, via Greek μακάριος, makarios and Latin facere, make) in recognition of her assumption to Heaven and her capacity to intercede on behalf of those who pray to her. Catholic teachings make clear that Mary is not considered divine and prayers to her are not answered by her, they are answered by God. The four Catholic dogmas regarding Mary are: Mother of God, Perpetual virginity of Mary, Immaculate Conception (of Mary) and Assumption of Mary.

qas: question: What are Akathists?
answers: text: standing hymns

question: How many of the Orthodox Great Feasts dedicated to Mary?
answers: text: Five

question: What is name of the Orthodox hymn devoted to Mary?
answers: text: the Akathist Hymn

question: Which event on the Orthodox calendar is related to Mary and icon veneration?
answers: text: Sunday of Orthodoxy

question: Who wrote the Akathist Hymn?

question: How many of the of the twelve Great Feasts in Orthodoxy did Mary attend?

question: On what day does the Mother of God allow icon veneration?

question: How many Orthodox feasts are connected with the miraculous icons of the Theotokos?

question: What does Mary also call Akathists?
context: The views of the Church Fathers still play an important role in the shaping of Orthodox Marian perspective. However, the Orthodox views on Mary are mostly doxological, rather than academic: they are expressed in hymns, praise, liturgical poetry and the veneration of icons. One of the most loved Orthodox Akathists (i.e. standing hymns) is devoted to Mary and it is often simply called the Akathist Hymn. Five of the twelve Great Feasts in Orthodoxy are dedicated to Mary. The Sunday of Orthodoxy directly links the Virgin Mary's identity as Mother of God with icon veneration. A number of Orthodox feasts are connected with the miraculous icons of the Theotokos.

qas: question: What is the name given to the Annunciation in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer?
answers: text: Annunciation of our Lady

question: On what date do most Anglicans celebrate the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin?
answers: text: 31 May

question: What is another name for the feast of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple in the Anglican Communion?
answers: text: the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary

question: On what date is the Presentation of Christ in the Temple celebrated by Anglicans?
answers: text: February 2

question: On what day was the Annunciation tradtionally celebrated in England until the 18th century?
answers: text: New Year's Day

question: When did Mary attain the special position within God's purpose of salvation as "God-bearer"?

question: When was Jesus born of the Virgin Mary?

question: On what day is the Presentation of Christ in the Temple?

question: What year was the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary?

question: Who brought Book of Common Prayer to England?
context: Mary's special position within God's purpose of salvation as "God-bearer" (Theotokos) is recognised in a number of ways by some Anglican Christians. All the member churches of the Anglican Communion affirm in the historic creeds that Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, and celebrates the feast days of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple. This feast is called in older prayer books the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary on February 2. The Annunciation of our Lord to the Blessed Virgin on March 25 was from before the time of Bede until the 18th century New Year's Day in England. The Annunciation is called the "Annunciation of our Lady" in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. Anglicans also celebrate in the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin on 31 May, though in some provinces the traditional date of July 2 is kept. The feast of the St. Mary the Virgin is observed on the traditional day of the Assumption, August 15. The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin is kept on September 8.

qas: question: Which theologian described Mariology as "the heresy of the Catholic Church?"
answers: text: Karl Barth

question: Protestants hold that Mary had what relationship to Jesus?
answers: text: mother

question: Protestants reject what practices in relation to the Saints?
answers: text: veneration and invocation

question: Protestants describe Mary as devoted to whom?
answers: text: God

question: How many pieces of Marian music did theologian Karl Barth write?

question: How many of the Saints reject the Protestants?

question: Mary stated that she was the mother of Jesus, but also referred to herself as?

question: What feasts did Karl Barth attend?

question: Who took the very first Marian Pilgrimage?
context: Protestants in general reject the veneration and invocation of the Saints.:1174 Protestants typically hold that Mary was the mother of Jesus, but was an ordinary woman devoted to God. Therefore, there is virtually no Marian veneration, Marian feasts, Marian pilgrimages, Marian art, Marian music or Marian spirituality in today's Protestant communities. Within these views, Roman Catholic beliefs and practices are at times rejected, e.g., theologian Karl Barth wrote that "the heresy of the Catholic Church is its Mariology".

qas: question: Who do Christians believe is prophesized in Isaiah 7:14?
answers: text: Virgin Mary

question: What is the meaning of the Greek word "heos?"
answers: text: until

question: Which verse in Matthew is believed to refer to Isaiah's prohecy of the Virgin Mary?
answers: text: 1:23

question: Which Gospel writer provided a version of the virgin birth that was different than Matthew's?
answers: text: Luke

question: What is the English tranlation of the Greek word "parthenos?"
answers: text: virgin

question: Who knew Mary before she brought forth her first born son?

question: Where did Philip first meet Joseph?

question: Where did Matthew and Luke gather with the disbelieving Jews?

question: What Biblical scholar currently believes that Mary was a perpetual virgin?

question: What language does Biblical scholar Bart Ehrmam primarily speak?
context: The statement that Joseph "knew her not till she brought forth her first born son" (Matthew 1:25 DouayRheims) has been debated among scholars, with some saying that she did not remain a virgin and some saying that she was a perpetual virgin. Other scholars contend that the Greek word heos (i.e., until) denotes a state up to a point, but does not mean that the state ended after that point, and that Matthew 1:25 does not confirm or deny the virginity of Mary after the birth of Jesus. According to Biblical scholar Bart Ehrman the Hebrew word almah, meaning young woman of childbearing age, was translated into Greek as parthenos, which only means virgin, in Isaiah 7:14, which is commonly believed by Christians to be the prophecy of the Virgin Mary referred to in Matthew 1:23. While Matthew and Luke give differing versions of the virgin birth, John quotes the uninitiated Philip and the disbelieving Jews gathered at Galilee referring to Joseph as Jesus's father.

qas: question: Who did Jesus say were his "brother, and sister, and mother?"
answers: text: Whoever does the will of God

question: According to Jesus, who is "without honor except in his own town?"
answers: text: A prophet

question: What do some Biblical scholars claim that Jesus' family did with his message during his ministry?
answers: text: rejected

question: Who had a conflict with Jesus and his family?

question: Who did Jesus send a message to while he was standing outside?

question: Who embraced his family according to the New Testament?

question: What was Mary reading when she was standing outside?
context: The hagiography of Mary and the Holy Family can be contrasted with other material in the Gospels. These references include an incident which can be interpreted as Jesus rejecting his family in the New Testament: "And his mother and his brothers arrived, and standing outside, they sent in a message asking for him ... And looking at those who sat in a circle around him, Jesus said, 'These are my mother and my brothers. Whoever does the will of God is my brother, and sister, and mother'."[3:31-35] Other verses suggest a conflict between Jesus and his family, including an attempt to have Jesus restrained because "he is out of his mind", and the famous quote: "A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home." A leading Biblical scholar commented: "there are clear signs not only that Jesus's family rejected his message during his public ministry but that he in turn spurned them publicly".

qas: question: What is the term used for veneration of Mary in Roman Catholic theology?
answers: text: hyperdulia

question: In what year was the hierarchy of latria, hyperdulia and dulia established?
answers: text: 787

question: Who is venerated in the Roman Catholic practice of dulia?
answers: text: other saints and angels

question: Which theologian wrote that Mary is considered to be "superior to all created beings," but is not to be the object of worhip?
answers: text: Sergei Bulgakov

question: What is the Roman Catholic term used to denote the worship of God?
answers: text: latria

question: When did the the Second Council of Nicaea begin?

question: When did the the Second Council of Nicaea end?

question: What is the Ortodox term used to denote the worship of God?

question: What is the Ortodox term reserved for Marian veneration?

question: In what year did Sergei Bulgakov attend the Second Council of Nicaea?
context: Although the Catholics and the Orthodox may honor and venerate Mary, they do not view her as divine, nor do they worship her. Roman Catholics view Mary as subordinate to Christ, but uniquely so, in that she is seen as above all other creatures. Similarly Theologian Sergei Bulgakov wrote that the Orthodox view Mary as "superior to all created beings" and "ceaselessly pray for her intercession". However, she is not considered a "substitute for the One Mediator" who is Christ. "Let Mary be in honor, but let worship be given to the Lord", he wrote. Similarly, Catholics do not worship Mary as a divine being, but rather "hyper-venerate" her. In Roman Catholic theology, the term hyperdulia is reserved for Marian veneration, latria for the worship of God, and dulia for the veneration of other saints and angels. The definition of the three level hierarchy of latria, hyperdulia and dulia goes back to the Second Council of Nicaea in 787.

qas: question: In what year did the Third Ecumenical Council occur in Ephesus?
answers: text: 431

question: Whose teachings were addressed at the Third Ecumenical Council?
answers: text: Nestorius

question: What does the phrase "Mater Dei" mean?
answers: text: Mother of God

question: What are the two Latin equivalents of the Greek term "Theokotos?"
answers: text: "Deipara" and "Dei genetrix"

question: What is the literal translation of Theokotos?
answers: text: Godbearer

question: In what year did Mary attend the Third Ecumenical Council?

question: What is the name of the Council where Mary meet Nestorius?

question: What language was spoken by Nestorius?

question: What language was spoken by the Church Fathers?

question: When did Mary meet the Church Fathers?
context: Mary is referred to by the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Anglican Church, and all Eastern Catholic Churches as Theotokos, a title recognized at the Third Ecumenical Council (held at Ephesus to address the teachings of Nestorius, in 431). Theotokos (and its Latin equivalents, "Deipara" and "Dei genetrix") literally means "Godbearer". The equivalent phrase "Mater Dei" (Mother of God) is more common in Latin and so also in the other languages used in the Western Catholic Church, but this same phrase in Greek (Μήτηρ Θεοῦ), in the abbreviated form of the first and last letter of the two words (ΜΡ ΘΥ), is the indication attached to her image in Byzantine icons. The Council stated that the Church Fathers "did not hesitate to speak of the holy Virgin as the Mother of God".

qas: question: On what date is the feast of the Immaculate Conception in the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church?
answers: text: December 8

question: Which pope proclaimed the Immaculate Conception of Mary?
answers: text: Pope Pius IX

question: In what year did Pope Pius IX make his Ex Cathedra proclamation of the Immaculate Conception of Mary?
answers: text: 1854

question: According to the doctrine of Immaculate Conception, where was Mary when she first become filled with grace?
answers: text: in her mother's womb

question: What is the Greek term that means the same thing as "original sin?"
answers: text: ancestral sin

question: On what day did Mary attend The Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church liturgical feast?

question: When did Pope Pius IX become a Roman Catholic?

question: What language, besides Latin, did Pope Pius IX speak?

question: In what year did Orthodox Christians reject the Ex Cathedra?
context: Roman Catholics believe in the Immaculate Conception of Mary, as proclaimed Ex Cathedra by Pope Pius IX in 1854, namely that she was filled with grace from the very moment of her conception in her mother's womb and preserved from the stain of original sin. The Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church has a liturgical feast by that name, kept on December 8. Orthodox Christians reject the Immaculate Conception dogma principally because their understanding of ancestral sin (the Greek term corresponding to the Latin "original sin") differs from the Augustinian interpretation and that of the Roman Catholic Church.

qas: question: What book is considered to be the source of many Orthodox beliefs regarding Mary?
answers: text: The Protoevangelium of James

question: At what age was Mary consecrated?
answers: text: three

question: Which priest officiated at Mary's consecration?
answers: text: Zachariah

question: While Mary lived in the temple, who was said to have fed her?
answers: text: an angel

question: Who blessed The High Priest Zachariah?

question: On what step of the altar did Mary place herself on?

question: For how many years did Mary feed angels?

question: Who wrote The Protoevangelium of James?

question: How old was Mary when she traveled to Israel?
context: The Protoevangelium of James, an extra-canonical book, has been the source of many Orthodox beliefs on Mary. The account of Mary's life presented includes her consecration as a virgin at the temple at age three. The High Priest Zachariah blessed Mary and informed her that God had magnified her name among many generations. Zachariah placed Mary on the third step of the altar, whereby God gave her grace. While in the temple, Mary was miraculously fed by an angel, until she was twelve years old. At that point an angel told Zachariah to betroth Mary to a widower in Israel, who would be indicated. This story provides the theme of many hymns for the Feast of Presentation of Mary, and icons of the feast depict the story. The Orthodox believe that Mary was instrumental in the growth of Christianity during the life of Jesus, and after his Crucifixion, and Orthodox Theologian Sergei Bulgakov wrote: "The Virgin Mary is the center, invisible, but real, of the Apostolic Church."

qas: question: Which religion believes that God put a veil between Satan and Mary?
answers: text: Islamic

question: According to Shabbir Akhtar, what role does Islam believe Jesus to hold?
answers: text: a Messenger of God

question: Who does the Islamic religion hold to be the One, Unique God?
answers: text: Allah

question: What term is used to refer to Christains by author Shabbir Akhtar?
answers: text: People of the Book

question: Who were the only children that could touch Satan?

question: When did God remove the veil imposed between them (Mary and Jesus) and Satan?

question: Who wrote that Allah is not above having a son?

question: Who wrote the Catholic perspective on Mary's Immaculate Conception?
context: In the Islamic tradition, Mary and Jesus were the only children who could not be touched by Satan at the moment of their birth, for God imposed a veil between them and Satan. According to author Shabbir Akhtar, the Islamic perspective on Mary's Immaculate Conception is compatible with the Catholic doctrine of the same topic. "O People of the Book! Do not go beyond the bounds in your religion, and do not say anything of Allah but the truth. The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was but a Messenger of God, and a Word of His (Power) which He conveyed to Mary, and a spirit from Him. So believe in Allah (as the One, Unique God), and His Messengers (including Jesus, as Messenger); and do not say: (Allah is one of) a trinity. Give up (this assertion) â€" (it is) for your own good (to do so). Allah is but One Allah ; All-Glorified He is in that He is absolutely above having a son. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. And Allah suffices as the One to be relied on, to Whom affairs should be referred." Quran 4/171

qas: question: Where in Jewish literature is the story about Panthera found?
answers: text: the Toledot Yeshu

question: According to the Blackwell Companion to Jesus, for what purpose was the Toledot Yeshu written?
answers: text: warding off conversions to Christianity

question: What is the meaning of the term "parthenos?"
answers: text: virgin

question: During what historical period was the Toledot Yeshu written?
answers: text: medieval

question: What event does Raymond E. Brown believe the Toledot Yeshu describes?
answers: text: the birth of Jesus

question: Who wrote the medieval document the Toledot Yeshu?

question: Who wrote the story of Panthera?

question: What affects how Jesus views his mother?

question: In what century was The Blackwell Companion written?

question: Who wrote The Blackwell Companion?
context: The issue of the parentage of Jesus in the Talmud affects also the view of his mother. However the Talmud does not mention Mary by name and is considerate rather than only polemic. The story about Panthera is also found in the Toledot Yeshu, the literary origins of which can not be traced with any certainty and given that it is unlikely to go before the 4th century, it is far too late to include authentic remembrances of Jesus. The Blackwell Companion to Jesus states that the Toledot Yeshu has no historical facts as such, and was perhaps created as a tool for warding off conversions to Christianity. The name Panthera may be a distortion of the term parthenos (virgin) and Raymond E. Brown considers the story of Panthera a fanciful explanation of the birth of Jesus which includes very little historical evidence. Robert Van Voorst states that given that Toledot Yeshu is a medieval document and due to its lack of a fixed form and orientation towards a popular audience, it is "most unlikely" to have reliable historical information.

qas: question: How old was Mary when she met Joseph?

question: Where did Mary first meet Joseph?

question: How old was Mary when she conceived?

question: Where was Mary born?
context: The gospels of Matthew and Luke in the New Testament describe Mary as a virgin (Greek: παρθένος, parthénos) and Christians believe that she conceived her son while a virgin by the Holy Spirit. This took place when she was already betrothed to Joseph and was awaiting the concluding rite of marriage, the formal home-taking ceremony. She married Joseph and accompanied him to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born. According to ancient Jewish custom, Mary could have been betrothed at about 12, however, there is no direct evidence of Mary's age at betrothal or in pregnancy. The term "betrothal" is an awkward translation of kiddushin; according to the Jewish law those called "betrothed" were actually husband and wife.

qas: question: What language did Mary speak?

question: Where did Mary first meet the angel Gabriel?

question: Where did Elizabeth first meet Zechariah?

question: What language did Elizabeth speak?

question: What did the angel Gabriel tell Elizabeth whom Mary was?
context: Since the angel Gabriel had told Mary (according to Luke 1:36) that Elizabeth—having previously been barren—was then miraculously pregnant, Mary hurried to see Elizabeth, who was living with her husband Zechariah in "Hebron, in the hill country of Judah". Mary arrived at the house and greeted Elizabeth who called Mary "the mother of my Lord", and Mary spoke the words of praise that later became known as the Magnificat from her first word in the Latin version.[Luke 1:46-55] After about three months, Mary returned to her own house.[Lk 1:56-57]

qas: question: Who did Jesus paint icons and carve statues of?

question: Who wrote poems and songs for Mary?

question: Which church first wrote the Mariological themes?

question: Who do the saints compose poems and songs about?
context: Christian Marian perspectives include a great deal of diversity. While some Christians such as Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox have well established Marian traditions, Protestants at large pay scant attention to Mariological themes. Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutherans venerate the Virgin Mary. This veneration especially takes the form of prayer for intercession with her Son, Jesus Christ. Additionally it includes composing poems and songs in Mary's honor, painting icons or carving statues of her, and conferring titles on Mary that reflect her position among the saints.