Page:Beautifulpearlso00oreirich.djvu/181

 from her  third  year  upward,  ft  was  during  the  rule  of  Herod  the Great, an  Idumean,  who  had  married  Mariamne,  a  descendant  of  the Machabean line  of  princes,  and  thereby  conciliated  the  favor  of  some of the  most  influential  among  the  Jews. He restored  the  temple with the  utmost  magnificence,  thus  still  further  winning  popular applause. He also  built  Cesarea  on  the  sea-coast  of  the  Mediterranean, naming  it  after  the  Emperor  Augustus,  together  with  other important cities  here  and  there. But, to  offset  the  service  rendered to the  national  religion  by  the  restoration  and  adornment  of  the temple, he  erected  in  the  cities,  by  him  founded,  magnificent  houses of worship  to  the  gods  of  Rome.

It was  while  this  clever,  but  unscrupulous,  prince was  pushing forward the  costly  works  on  the  temple,  that Mary  was  being  educated within  its  precincts. In what  this  education  consisted we  can  only  conjecture from the  ascertained  Jewish customs  of  that  age,  and from the  fragmentary  passages of  Eastern  fathers. The " Proto-Gospel  of  S.  James," a work  held  in  general  esteem during the  first  centuries  of the  Christian  era,  describes Mary, as seated  before  a  spindle of  wool  dyed  purple. The Jews had  borrowed  and  inherited from  their  neighbors, the Phoenicians,  the  art  of giving  to  the  fabrics  they  wove that exquisite  purple  dye  so much  prized  in  the  ancient world. Besides this,  S.  Epiphanius  says  that  the  Blessed Virgin was  skilled  in  embroidery, and  in  weaving  wool, fine linen,  and  cloth  of  gold. Especially careful  were  the priests, after  the  Captivity, to teach  these  privileged  maidens, and  all  the  youth  of the  upper  classes,  the  knowledge of  the  Hebrew  Scriptures. What the  study  of  these must have  been  to  one  "full of  grace,"  like  the  future Mother of  the  Redeemer,  we need  only  suggest  to  the  intelligent reader.

In these  peaceful  studies and useful  occupations,  varied by the  stirring  scenes  of  the  gorgeous  Jewish  worship,  passed Mary's girlhood. Meanwhile, as  tradition  informs  us,  both  her parents closed  a  holy  life  by  the  death  of  the  saints. Her father died first,  when  his  daughter  was  in  her  thirteenth  year;  and she returned  to  Nazareth  to  the  house  of  her  widowed  mother. When the  latter  was  also  called  to  her  reward,  it  became  the duty of  her  nearest  relatives  to  find  her  a  protector  and  a  husband among her  own  tribesmen,  in  accordance  with  the  prescriptions  of the  Mosaic  Law.

S. Gregory  of  Nyssa,  who  follows  the   best    traditions  of  the East, relates  that  the  noble  maiden  was  unwilling  to  be  bound  by the  ties  of  matrimony,  and  besought  her  kinsfolk  to  allow  her  to  return  to  the  temple  and  continue  there  the  secluded  Virginal  lite which alone  had  a  charm  for  her. To this  they  peremptorily  refused to  consent;  and  the  orphan  had,  perforce,  to  choose  the  man who should  be  her  husband  and  protector — one  who,  in  the  hidden councils of  God,  was  to  be  the  guardian  of  the  Messiah  and  Hi» Mother, their  devoted  companion  and  support — and,  through  ail the Christian  ages,  the  Protector,  under  God,  of  all  those  who  believe in  the  Saviour.

Here come  in  the  beautiful  legends  which  have  inspired  Christian art,  concerning  the  rivalry  among  the  unwedded  kinsmen  of Mary  for  the  honor  of  claiming  her  as  bride. Among the  descendants of  David  assembled  in Nazareth,  or  in  Jerusalem,  at the  town-house  of  Joachim and Ann,  was  Joseph,  who,, impoverished, as  were  most of his  kinsfolk,  supported  himself amid  the  hills  and  obscurity  of  Galilee,  by  following the  trade  of  what  the  Gospels  call  "a  carpenter,"  or what  we  would  more  properly call "a  cabinet-maker." Among the  many  thriving  cities and  industrious  populations of  Galilee,  the  art  of inlaying  was  much  in  demand. He too,  like  Mary,  like  the numerous bodies  of  Essenes, who practiced  a  life  of  self-imposed  abstinence  and  seclusion, aiming  at  a  moral  perfection above  the  reach  of  the multitude — aspired to  the  Virginal life. By what  inspiration, then,  was  he  impelled to be  a  suitor  for  the  hand of his  kinswoman? Or were the names  of  all  the  persons eligible for  that  honor  submitted to  the  Maiden  in  a list,  permitting  her  to  draw by lot  from  among  the  number? Having to  be  so  intimately connected  with  the Saviour in  His  helpless  infancy and  childhood,  Joseph was, of  course,  under  a  special providence;    and     our    own Christian sense  must  divine  and  supply  many  links  in  the  chain  of facts  that  fill  up  his  history.

S. Jerome,  recalling  the  ancient  tradition  preserved  in  the  narrative  of  the  "  Proto-Gospel  of  S.  James,"  tells  us  that  the  suitors, after praying  to  Him  in  whose  hand  are  our  lots,  brought  each  to the  temple  a  rod  of  almond-tree,  and  left  it  over  night  before the altar. On the  morrow,  that  which  bore  the  name  of Joseph  had  blossomed. It was  a  renewal  of  the  miracle  by which  God  in  the  Old  Law  had  confirmed  the  sons  of Aaron    in  the  priestly  office. This is  the  event  referred to as