/biz/ - Business & Finance

>>54363114
when i had the chance to talk about this question with a group of nuns and priests, they had a really interesting answer to it. basically that, like Jesus, Mary had a dual human and divine essence. The orthodox refer to this as "Theotokos" or "Christ-bearer," basically when we call her Mother of God it's not only referring to the fact that she gave birth to Jesus but also served as a vessel for His divine nature as well. (this question actually split Christianity waaaay back in the day and created Nestorian Christianity, which reached all the way from the middle east to China and was big on the Silk Road area, interesting stuff). So Mary, while not divine herself, had special qualities that enabled her to act as a vessel for divinity, and give birth to God's only begotten son.

but the human Mary definitely was freaked out. The Annunciation is one of, if not my favorite scene in the bible after the Beatitudes. This freaky androgynous dude appears in front of her and tells her she has a very special task, and she appears to take it poorly. that would shake anyone up desu
>Be Not Afraid
there's a reason this is what angels say every time they pop up in the bible. when the numinous intrudes on daily life it is jarring.

however, she accepts this task- there is consent involved. this is actually a key precept of the Orthodox feast of the Annunciation, which was just a few days ago
>On the Feast of the Annunciation, we celebrate two things:
>1) The divine initiative of God: He took on flesh from the Theotokos for our salvation.
>2) The Theotokos’ consent: she freely accepted the vocation offered to her.
https://orthodoxpebbles.com/the-theotokos/annunciation/

so I disagree with your statement that Mary was raped. right off the bat, she was freaked out, because who wouldn't be. but the verse ends with her accepting that her life was about to get real weird.
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.”