How old was Mary when Jesus was born?

[Larquetta]

I know this is a “let me Google this for you” kind of question, but I’m confused because I’ve heard anecdotally that Mary was very young (not even a teenager?) at the time of Jesus’ birth. If this is true, why was it okay for Mary to be so young? Modern tweens still seem like children themselves.

 

[Cruciferi]

If this is true, why was it okay for Mary to be so young?

You’re making the age old mistake of judging the past by modern western standards.

During that time period and under Jewish Law it was appropriate. Also, please keep in mind that many people died much younger 2,000 years ago than they do today.

 

[Zaccheus]

Mary was old enough to be already betrothed to Joseph, so she would have been old enough for marriage by Israeli customs of the time. So in her teens.

 

[po18guy]

Old enough to bear a child - although grace would have provided for any age. This is one of those things that we will simply have to die in a state of grace and ask.

 

[thistle]

I know this is a “let me Google this for you” kind of question, but I’m confused because I’ve heard anecdotally that Mary was very young (not even a teenager?) at the time of Jesus’ birth. If this is true, why was it okay for Mary to be so young? Modern tweens still seem like children themselves.

Nobody knows how old she was. All you will get is speculation but remember the culture in those days was different from now.

 

[Irishmom2]

OP, “I’ve heard” kind of things are just that. People say whatever they want, it doesn’t mean any of it is true. We have no way of knowing, but as others have said, it was nothing out of the ordinary for the time, and Mary was of child bearing age.

 

[Wife.of.Gabriel]

In Orthodox Christian Tradition, she became pregnant Before she began menstrating because she lived in the Temple since she was 3 yrs old when she stopped breast feeding. They married her off to Joseph via a ‘drawing of lots’ among the Elders of the Temple because they knew she’d begin her period soon and no one menstrating could live in the Temple and her parents, Anna & Joachim, had long since died. A widowed Elder was chosen for her to marry, as opposed to a young bachelor, to maintain her virginity which she’d consecrated to God years earlier. Joseph’s children were all grown and married, except James who was 12 yrs old when they went to register in Bethlehem & Jesus was born. The ages for Mary’s pregnancy that I’ve heard in Orthodoxy is 12-13. From Catholic circles I usually hear 14-15. Either way, she was definitely a young Mom according to modern standards. I’m interested to read the 4 volume Mystical City of God written by a mystic Saint which may shed more light on the specifics through that private revelation.

 

[Dan_Defender]

I think the Protoevangelium of James says she was 14 or 15 which was not unusual at that time.

 

[Peebo]

There are still many child brides in some cultures today

Child Marriage: What To Know & How You Can Help End It

 

[D.Erasmus.R]

I think Mary was underage when she was pregnant. Girls should never be underaged if they get pregnant, especially since pregnancy is so dangerous for them. Nevertheless, while God would’ve preferred Mary to be older when she got pregnant he permitted, just as he permitted his son to be crucified, for her to be pregnant while underage. This was so that Mary would be in solidarity with those who unjustly suffer the shame, & danger of underage pregnancies including unplanned pregnancies. This is also why she became pregnant before she got married.

 

[D.Erasmus.R]

Lets hope this one day ends.

 

[D.Erasmus.R]

This story sounds awful. It’s always sinful to marry someone off without their full informed free consent, especially if they’re children (when they’re to young to freely consent). Such marriages are always invalid. Impotent men can’t validly marry, though that’s the least of it here.

 

[runningdude]

This is also why she became pregnant before she got married.

Mary was married to Joseph. The marriage was not consumated yet, thus they were referred to as betrothed.

 

[angel12]

someone off without their full informed free consen

And it’s just a story. We don’t know how old Mary was, we don’t know how old Joseph was, and we don’t know how they came to be betrothed.

 

[HeDa]

When Jewish boys turn 13 they are accountable for their actions = being adult. Age 12-13 for girls.

Today in the Western world you are more likely 25 when you can support yourself and raise a family due to the many years of attending school. Those who are 80+ years likely went to school for 5-6 years before they started working as 14-15-year-olds. Few went on to higher education. They might not have been legal adults until 18 or older depending upon laws but they were not seen as children anymore.

 

[Wife.of.Gabriel]

This story sounds awful. It’s always sinful to marry someone off without their full informed free consent, especially if they’re children (when they’re to young to freely consent). Such marriages are always invalid. Impotent men can’t validly marry, though that’s the least of it here.

Just a little confused by your comment. What makes you think she didn’t consent?

 

[Gorgias]

If this is true, why was it okay for Mary to be so young? Modern tweens still seem like children themselves.

Mary wasn’t a “modern tween”.

I think Mary was underage when she was pregnant.

Depends on what you mean by “underage”, right? Are you using modern standards of the ‘age of majority’?

God would’ve preferred Mary to be older when she got pregnant

He would’ve? Gee… how do you know that?!?!

so that Mary would be in solidarity with those who unjustly suffer the shame, & danger of underage pregnancies including unplanned pregnancies.

sigh

This is also why she became pregnant before she got married.

In all charity, you might want to familiarize yourself with the customs of second temple Judaism. “Betrothal” was taken as equivalent to what today we’d call “the married state”, not what we’d call “engagement.”

 

[0Scarlett_nidiyilii]

I think Mary was underage when she was pregnant. Girls should never be underaged if they get pregnant, especially since pregnancy is so dangerous for them. Nevertheless, while God would’ve preferred Mary to be older when she got pregnant he permitted, just as he permitted his son to be crucified, for her to be pregnant while underage. This was so that Mary would be in solidarity with those who unjustly suffer the shame, & danger of underage pregnancies including unplanned pregnancies. This is also why she became pregnant before she got married

Do you have any citations for this?
I’ve seriously never heard anything quite like this.

 

[phil19034]

I know this is a “let me Google this for you” kind of question, but I’m confused because I’ve heard anecdotally that Mary was very young (not even a teenager?) at the time of Jesus’ birth. If this is true, why was it okay for Mary to be so young? Modern tweens still seem like children themselves.

Children used to be given FAR more responsibility at a very young age.

My grandmother (my mom’s mom) grew up in rural Puerto Rico and grew up poor. When she was 5, she used to have to walk a quarter to half mile though a farm field with unrestrained bulls to fetch water from the well. She would always have her younger brother with her to help her and so she would watch him.

By the time she was 9, she was expected to help raise her youngest siblings.

Tweens and teens were never considered children until the 20th century. Once you were biologically old enough to be a parent, you were considered an adult.

In the 1700s, it was very common for nobel 12 year olds (esp in the British Empire) to join the military. It was not uncommon to see a 12 year old Midshipmen on a Naval vessel and to have 14 year old Lieutenants.

My own Italian great grandmother (from my dad’s grandmother) was married at 14 and widowed and remarried by the time she was 18.

BTW - I’m only 41 years old!

Tweens and teens are far less mature today than they were 100+ years ago. Reason, they are not forced to grow up fast like kids once were.

God Bless

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Mary’s age is not known, but it is likely that according to Jewish custom of her time, she was a teenager. Not a tween, but a teenager.

In those days, and for many decades thereafter, women’s main job was to bear children. Women were generally married in their teens, at the point when their bodies had developed enough to carry and bear a child. Men generally sought young virgin brides because those women had the longest time window of childbearing and had obviously not had any sort of relations with any other men. Once married, the women hopefully would bear many children before she herself died, which often happened in her 30s or 40s if not younger.

Also, people matured a lot younger in those days because they had to. Children generally were expected to take on responsibility and start earning money for their family at a younger age; many children were also orphaned or put into some kind of slavery or servitude at a young age. Like I said, people often died by their 30s or 40s so you couldn’t exactly be waiting till you were 25 to start an adult life.

Even in the 1800s and early 1900s, young children had a lot of responsibility by age 11 or 12 and often were married themselves by their mid-teens. Society encouraged them to grow up fast, most of them did not go to college and many didn’t even go to high school, and there were a lot of opportunities open to them, like jobs and marriage, that wouldn’t be open to a 16-year-old today.

Nowadays society encourages young people to stay immature and not take responsibility for themselves, so we end up with 25-year-olds still dependent on their parents.