1. The angel appears to Anna; 2. tells her a daughter shall be born to her, 3. devoted to the service of the Lord in the temple, 5. who, being a virgin and not knowing man, shall bring forth the Lord, 6. and gives her a sign, therefore, 8. Joachim and Anna meet and rejoice, 10. and praise the Lord. 11. Anna conceives, and brings forth a daughter called Mary.
1. Afterwards the angel appeared to Anna his wife saying: Fear not, neither think that which you see is a spirit.
Miraculous appearances are first naturally assumed to be an apparition: "And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear" (Matthew ). Christ had to deal with this supposition when he appeared to the disciples after his resurrection: "But they were terrified and afrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your heart? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. (Luke 24:37-40). See this challenge also in John 20:27 with the doubting Thomas.
2. For I am that angel who has offered up your prayers and alms before God, and am now sent to you that I may inform you that a daughter will be born unto you, who shall be called Mary, and shall be blessed above all women.
Compare the angel's word to Anna that Mary would be blessed above all women ("a daughter will be born unto you, who shall be called Mary, and shall be blessed above all women") with the angel's word to Mary, "Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women" (Luke ). An Eastern Orthodox service called "The Nativity of the Most Holy birth-giver of God" contains the following hymn: "Joachim and Anna wre delivered from the reproach of childlessness, and Adam and Eve from the corruption of death, in thy holy Nativity, O all-pure One. This do thy people celebrate, being redeemed from the guilt of transgressions, when they cry unto thee: The barren giveth birth to the birth-giver of God and the Nourisher of our Life."
3. Immediately upon her birth, she will be full of the grace of the Lord and will continue in her father's house during the three years of her weaning, and afterwards, being devoted to the service of the Lord, will not depart from the temple till she arrives to years of discretion.
Mary's "three years of weaning" may seem excessive to modern women, but it was not uncommon in the ancient world. The practice is still followed in many cultures today and is not unheard of in our own.
4. In a word, she will there serve the Lord night and day in fasting and prayer, and abstain from every unclean thing, and never know any man;
Mary would "never know any man" is an example of the euphemism "know in the Biblical sense," meaning to have sexual relations.
5. But, being an unparalleled instance without any pollution or defilement, and a virgin not knowing any man, will bring forth a son, and a maid shall bring forth the Lord, who both by his grace and name and works, shall be the Savior of the world.
7. When therefore you find these things thus accomplished, believe that all the rest which I have told you shall also undoubtedly be accomplished.
8. According therefore to the command of the angel, both of them left the places where they were, and when they came to the place specified in the angel's prediction, they met each other.
9. Then, rejoicing at each other's vision and being fully satisfied in the promise of a child, they gave due thanks to the Lord, who exalts the humble.
10. And having praised the Lord, they returned home and lived in a cheerful and assured expectation of the promise of God.
11. So Anna conceived and brought forth a daughter, and, according to the angel's command, the parents called her name Mary.
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