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Virgin

Specialty Definition: Virgin

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Specialty Definition: Blessed Virgin Mary

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Blessed Virgin Mary
A traditional Catholic picture displayed sometimes in homes. It is sometimes displayed as part of a set. For accompanying image, see the Sacred Heart.

The Blessed Virgin Mary, sometimes shortened to The Blessed Virgin, is a traditional title specifically used by Roman Catholics, Anglo-Catholics and others to describe Mary, the mother of Jesus. It carries with it a belief not merely in the virginity of Mary, but of her continuing role within the church and in the life of ordinary catholics, for which Roman Catholicism in the Dogmatic Constitution of the Church (21 November 1964) passed during the Second Vatican Council granted her the title Advocate, Auxiliatrix, Adjutrix, and Mediatrix.

The Blessed Virgin Mary in Catholicism

Whereas many branches of christianity see Mary largely as a historical figure, Catholicism focuses on her as a living entity who can intercede with her son, Jesus Christ, on behalf of humanity. Marian devotions play a key part in the ritual and liturgy of Roman Catholicism, through feast days, special prayers and hymns. Her centrality in Catholic theology has been stressed by popes and saints thoughout the centuries. According to St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090 - 1153): "[Mary is called] the gate of heaven, because no one can enter that blessed kingdom without passing through her" while St. Bonaventure (1221 - 1274) wrote: "As the moon, which stands between the sun and the earth, transmits to this latter whatever it receives from the former, so does Mary pour out upon us who are in this world the heavenly graces that she receives from the divine sun of justice."

The Rosary

The most famous Marian prayer is the Rosary, a form of mantra in which an Our Father, ten Hail Marys and a Glory Be to the Father (together forming a 'decade of the Rosary') are repeated five times, to be followed by a prayer called the 'Hail Holy Queen' and the 'Litany'.

Other famous Marian prayers include the 'Magnificat'. Marian hymns include 'O Mary, we Crown Thee With Blossoms Today' and the 'Ave Maria'. The month of May is usually seen within traditional Roman Catholicism as a marian month.

Apparitions

The central role of Mary in the beliefs of Roman Catholicism is reflected in the fact that many Roman Catholic churches contain side altars dedicated to the Virgin Mary (see image below). Roman Catholicism also celebrates the Blessed Virgin Mary through major religious sites where it is claimed apparitions or appearances of the Virgin have occurred, often with claims by witnesses that messages to humanity were delivered. Among the most famous such sites of the alleged apparitions approved by the Roman Catholic Church are

Photograph of alleged Apparition in Zeitun, Egypt
Photograph claiming to show an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Egypt in 1968. It was supposedly witnessed by Christian, Moslems and President Abdul Nasser, as well as captured by newspaper photographers and Egyptian television. Investigations by among others the Coptic Church and the police could find no explanation for the phenomenon. No devise was found within a radius of fifteen miles capable of projecting the image, while the sheer number of photographs from independent sources suggests that no photographic manipulation was involved.

• Fatima in Portugal (1917)
• Guadalupe in Mexico (1531)
• Knock in Ireland (1879)
• La'Vang in Vietnam (1798)
• Lourdes in France (1858)
• Walsingham in England (1061)

Among the most famous unapproved sites of alleged apparitions are

• Garabandal in Spain
• Medjugorje in Bosnia-Herzegovina
• Zeitun in Egypt (1968-71) (in which the Virgin allegedly appeared on the roof of St. Mary's Coptic Church. See picture opposite.)

Papal Marian Apparitions

It has also been claimed that apparitions were experienced by a number of popes, including Pope Leo XIII in 1884, Pope Pius XII at various stages during his papacy, and Pope John Paul II in 1981, while he recovered from an assassination attempt which occurred on the anniversary of the Fatima apparition. John Paul II's particular devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary is indicated in his coat of Arms (see below), which contains a large letter 'M'. He has also visited many of the most famous alleged apparition sites, notably Fatima, Lourdes and Knock.

Third Secret of Fatima

Coat of Arms of Pope John Paul II
John Paul II's Coat of Arms contains the letter 'M' to indicate his devotion to Mary

Witnesses to these 'apparitions' claimed that the Blessed Virgin Mary urged humanity to repent from sinful ways and issued predictions as to events that would happen to humanity if repentance did not happen. The most famous such preduction is known as the Third Secret of Fatima, which the Vatican was accused of suppressing, due to the disturbing nature of its contents, which have been claimed to fortell among others a nuclear war, the deposition of the pope, the assassination of a pope, or the replacement of a pope by an imposter.¹ The Vatican insists that the Third Secret refers to none of the above and released what it claimed was the full version. However it has never denied rumours that Pope John XXIII supplied the details of the Third Secret, which unlike the version published by Pope John Paul II included the description of a nuclear war, to Nikita Khrushchev (First Secretary² of the USSR Communist Party), Harold Macmillan (Prime Minister of the United Kingdom) and John F. Kennedy (President of the United States) to influence them during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

One 'visionary', Sister Lucia, who on May 13, 1917 as a child states that she witnessed the Fatima apparition above a holmoak tree in Cova da Iria near Fatima, Portugal. In 1929 at Ponteverda, she claims to have experienced another 'visit' from the Blessed Virgin Mary, who told her:

Look, my daughter, at my Heart encircled by these thorns with which men pierce it at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, strive to console me, and so I announce: I promise to assist at the hour of death with the grace necessary for salvation all those who, with the intention of making reparation to me, will, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, go to confession, receive Holy Communion, say five dacades of the beads, and keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the rosary.

The Immaculate Conception

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven
Catholic dogma proclaimed under papal infallibility by Pope Pius XII in 1950

In December 1854 Pope Pius IX controversially proclaimed the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception, finally concluding a debate that had existed within Catholic christianity from the earliest times, namely was Mary conceived with sin (a Maculate Conception, ie, did she possess Original Sin which according to the Book of Genesis had been bestowed on humans for disobeying God in the Garden of Eden, and which could only be lifted by Baptism), or conceived without sin (an Immaculate Conception), a special honour given on account of her status as the 'Mother of God'. Theologians, popes and Religious Orders had argued the issue for centuries. Pope Pius IX concluded the debate with his dogmatic decision, stating that "the Blessed Virgin Mary in the first instance of her conception was preserved exempt from all stain of original sin by a singular privilege and grace granted by God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the human race." (Ineffabilis Deus, issued on 8 December 1854). It was subsequently claimed that the Blessed Virgin Mary during her first appearance in Lourdes on 11 February 1858 announced to Bernadette Soubiroux "I am the Immaculate Conception". The term Immaculate Conception is also widely used within Catholicism to refer to the Virgin Mary.

Dogma of the Assumption

In 1950, using Papal Infallibility, in his encyclical Munificentissimus Deus Pope Pius XII proclaimed the Dogma of the Assumption, in which he stated that 'at the end of her earthly course, Mary was assumed into heavenly glory, body and soul'. He stated that "holy writers who ... employed statements and various images and analogies of Sacred Scripture to illustrate and to confirm the doctrine of the Assumption..." He also stated that he was relying both on scripture and on 'apostolic tradition'. As an infallible pronouncement, the Dogma of the Assumption is thus a mandatory belief for Roman Catholics. No pope since has issued an infallible dogma.

Mary as 'co-redeemer'

Side altar to the Blessed Virgin Mary
in St. Mary's Pro-Cathedral in Dublin

Some Catholics in the late twentieth century urged Pope John Paul II to infallibly declare Mary a co-redeemer (co-redemptrix) with Jesus. Professor Mark Miravalle of the Franciscan University in Steubenville in the United States launched a petition to urge Pope John Paul to make such a move, by designation Mary as Co-Redemptrix [co-redeemer], Mediatrix [mediator] of All Graces, and Advocate for the People of God. More than six million signatures were gathered from 148 countries. Signaturies included Mother Theresa of Calcutta, Cardinal John O'Connor of New York, 41 other cardinals and 550 bishops. However such a proposal was also heavily criticised by many catholics who suggested that only Christ could be a redeemer and that such an act would drive a wedge in relationships with other apostolic tradition christian faiths, notably the Orthodox faith and Anglicanism, neither of whom would accept such a designation. Though both Pope Pius XI in 1935 and Pope John Paul II himself in 1985 did use the word co-redemptrix to refer to Mary, no formal infallible dogma supporting such a designation has been issued, notwithstanding the petition.

Accusations of Idolatry

Many non-catholic christians have accused Roman Catholicism of idolatry in its focusing on Mary rather than on Jesus Christ. Some religious fundamentalists have accused Roman Catholics of adoring the Virgin Mary, in breach of the Ten Commandments, which condemn keeping 'false gods'. Roman Catholics insist that such claims mis-understand the nature of their devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, which they argue does not involve any form of adoration but merely focuses on the Virgin Mary as the Mother of Christ, who in the view of generations of Roman Catholic theologans and saints is a living embodiment of motherhood and womanhood, whom they believe can intercede with her son for the good of humanity.

Marian Titles & Feast Days

Our Lady of Lourdes
frequently displayed image
commemorating Lourdes 'Apparition'

• Our Lady of the Holy Rosary
• Our Lady of Guadalupe
• The Madonna of Consolation
• Our Lady of Perpetual Help (see icon below)
• Our Lady of Good Counsel
• Our Lady of Lourdes (see icon above)
• Our Lady, Queen of Ireland
• Mary, Queen of Heaven
• Mary, Queen of the World
• Queen of the Angels

Among the most prominent Marian feast days in the Roman Catholic Calendar are

• January 1 Mary, Mother of God
• February 2 Purification of Mary
• February 11 Our Lady of Lourdes
• March 25 Annunciation by Archangel Gabriel
• May 13 Our Lady of Fatima
• May 31 Mary, Mediatrix of all Graces
• June 27 Our Lady of Perpetual Help
• August 15 Assumption into Heaven
• August 21 Our Lady of Knock
• October 7 Feast of the Most Holy Rosary
• December 8 Feast of the Immaculate Conception

See also:

• Mary, the mother of Jesus,
• The Virgin Mary shrines
• The Sacred Heart
• Papal Infallibility
• Pope John Paul II

Footnotes

¹ Some conservative catholics claim that Pope Paul VI was replaced by an imposter, supposedly an Italian actor, in 1972. Some websites claim a series of apparitions in New York by the Blessed Virgin took place in the 1970s confirming the 'switch', with the real Pope Paul kept drugged in the Vatican Palace, thus fulfilling what they claim is the real Third Secret of Fatima. However few give such claims, or the claims about the apparitions, much credence.
² The office was later called General Secretary.

External links

Our Lady of Perpetual Help
a famous mediæval icon

• The Mary Page - maintained by The Marian Library/International Marian Research Institute at the University of Dayton in Ohio
• Website of Medjugorje apparitions
• site containing long list of other Marian sites
• Catholic Apparitions of Jesus and Mary Homepage
• website about the alleged Zeitun apparitions, with photographs
• Pope John Paul's Encyclical Rosarium Virginis Mariae
• The academic and religious investigations into the photograph of a possible apparition in Portugal during Assumption 2003
• Politicizing the Virgin Mary (Skeptical Inquirer, Nov 2002 (Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal)
• Anglo-Catholic (Church of England) website for the 'Society of Mary'
• Apologetics Index research resources on Mariology
• Page on Pareidolia (the illusion or misperception involving a vague or obscure stimulus being perceived as something clear and distinct.)
• Website mentioning use of the image of Mary by US tobacco companies to promote cigarettes
• Anno Domini - Link on the designation of Mary as 'Our Lady' in the late middle ages in an era of 'courtly love'
• - The Virgin Mary 'An Example of Chastity' website
• BBC News report on Marian statue purportedly weeping blood
• Religious Tolerance webpage on Mary
• Right wing fringe US Catholic website based on 'apparitions' and 'prophesies' of Veronica Lueken
• Catholic Pages Directory entry on the Virgin Mary

  Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Blessed Virgin Mary."

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Mary, the mother of Jesus

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

In Christianity, Mary is the mother (by God) of Jesus Christ and the betrothed of Joseph. Mary is mentioned by name in each of the Gospels except the Gospel of John. It is generally agreed that she was a young woman when she first became a mother, and that she died between 3 and 15 years after the crucifixion of Jesus. Christian theology holds that Jesus was a virgin birth. She is often called the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, Our Lady (Notre Dame, Nuestra Señora), Theotokos, or Madonna, in addition to being given many other titles. She is also widely known to Catholics as St. Mary, Mother of the Church, Queen of All Saints, Queen of Angels, and Queen of Heaven.

Christian Tradition

Little is known of her personal history from the New Testament. Her purported genealogy is given in Luke 3. According to Luke, she was of the tribe of Judah and the lineage of David (Ps. 132:11; Luke 1:32). She was cousin by marriage to Elisabeth, who was of the lineage of Aaron (Luke 1:36). According to the Gospel of James (which, though not considered part of the New Testament, contains biographical material about Mary widely accepted by Orthodox and Catholic Christians) she was the daughter of Joakim and Anna. Before Mary's conception, Anna had been barren, and her parents were quite old when she was conceived. They took her to live in the Temple in Jerusalem when she was three years old, much like Hanna took Samuel to the Temple as recorded in the Old Testament (Tanakh, Hebrew Bible).

While she resided at Nazareth with her parents, while betrothed to Joseph, the angel Gabriel announced to her that she was to be the mother of the promised Messiah while remaining a virgin (Luke 1:35). After this she went to visit her cousin Elisabeth, who was living with her husband Zacharias (probably at Juttah, Josh. 15:55; 21:16, in the neighbourhood of Maon), at a considerable distance, about 100 miles, from Nazareth. Immediately on entering the house she was saluted by Elisabeth as the mother of her Lord, and then forthwith gave utterance to her hymn of thanksgiving (Luke 1:46-56; comp. 1 Sam. 2:1-10). (This hymn is commonly known as the Magnificat.) After three months Mary returned to Nazareth to her own home. Joseph was told in a dream (Matt. 1:18-25) of her condition, and took her to his own home. Soon after this the decree of [[Augustus Caesar| Augustus]] (Luke 2:1) required that they should proceed to Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), some 80 or 90 miles from Nazareth; and while they were there they found shelter in the inn provided for strangers (Luke 2:6, 7). But as the inn was crowded, Mary had to retire to a place among the cattle, and there she brought forth her son, who was called Jesus (Matt. 1:21), because he was to save his people from their sins. This was followed by the presentation in the temple, the flight into Egypt, and their return in the following year and residence at Nazareth (Matt. 2). Mary apparently remained in Nazareth for thirty uneventful years. During these years only one event in the history of Jesus is recorded, viz., his going up to Jerusalem when twelve years of age, where he was found among the doctors in the temple (Luke 2:41-52). Probably also during this period Joseph died, for he is not mentioned again.

Mary was also present at the inauguration of Jesus' public ministry when, at the marriage in Cana, her intercession led to the first public miracle performed by Jesus (John 2:1-11). After this point, there is little mention of Mary in the Gospels until we find her at the cross along with her sister Mary, and Mary Magdalene, and Salome, and other women (John 19:26). Mary cradling the dead body of her son is a common motif in art, called a pietà.

Of the roughly 100 people in the upper room after the Ascension on the day of Pentecost, she is one of the handful who are named (Acts 1:14). From this time she wholly disappears from the historical biblical accounts, although it is held by many Christians that she is again portrayed as the heavenly Woman of Revelation (Revelation 12.1).

Her death is not recorded in Scripture. According to Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox tradition, between three and fifteen years after Christ's Ascension, in either Jerusalem or Ephesus, she died while surrounded by the apostles. Later when the apostles opened her tomb, they found it empty and concluded that she had been bodily assumed into Heaven. (A tomb in Jerusalem is attributed to Mary, but it was unknown until the 6th century.)

Beliefs

Immaculate Conception of Mary

The Immaculate Conception is a doctrine unique to the Roman Catholic Church, and is rejected by both Eastern Orthodoxy and by Protestantism, albeit for very different reasons.

Veneration of Mary

Both Catholics and Orthodox Christians venerate Mary by praying to her: kneeling in front of her images (statues, in the case of most Catholics, and icons in the case of the Orthodox), and entreating her aid. Both Catholics and Orthodox make a clear distinction between such veneration (which is also due to the other saints) and worship, which is due to God alone. Mary, they point out, is not in herself divine, and has only such powers to help as are granted to her by God in response to her prayers. Roman Catholicism distinguishes three forms of honour: "latria", due only to God, and usually translated by the English word adoration; "hyperdulia", accorded only to the Blessed Virgin Mary, usually translated simply as veneration; and "dulia", accorded to the rest of the saints, also usually translated as veneration.

Others, both Christians and non-Christians, reject the distinction between veneration and worship, and consider all these practices to be idolatry or unlawful worship.

Even some early Protestants venerated Mary. Martin Luther said Mary is "the highest woman", that "we can never honour her enough", that "the veneration of Mary is inscribed in the very depths of the human heart", and that we should "wish that everyone know and respect her". Veneration of Mary was later, not primarily but secondarily, rejected as a result of iconoclasm and disbelief in human mediators (intercessors).

Virgin Birth of Jesus

The Apostles Creed and Nicene Creed both refer to Mary as "the Virgin Mary". This alludes to the belief that Mary conceived Jesus through the action of God the Holy Spirit, and not through normal intercourse with Joseph or anyone else. That she was a virgin at this time is affirmed by Eastern Christianity, Roman Catholicism and by many Protestants (though not by all Protestants).

Historic Christianity, including modern-day Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy, teaches that she was a virgin before, during, and after giving birth to Jesus. Islam also takes this position, which is stated explicitly in the Qur'an. Some Protestants also hold this view, while many others believe that she was a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus, but that she later was not and had other children with Joseph the Betrothed. Catholics and Orthodox explain references to Jesus' brothers as either cousins, or as half brothers who were Joseph's children by a prior marriage.

Persons who are neither Christians nor Muslims generally doubt that Mary was a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus.

The Gospel of Matthew describes Mary as a virgin who fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14. The passage in Isaiah, in the Hebrew Masoretic Text, stated that a young woman would give birth to the Messiah. Some scholars believe that the Greek language Septuagint, which the author of Matthew would have used as his Bible, mistranslated the Hebrew word for young woman, "almah", into the Greek word "parthenos", meaning virgin. This suggests that the origin of the belief that Mary was a virgin derived from an attempt by Matthew at describing the fulfillment of a prophecy that was actually not made. However, many scholars find evidence that the Septuagint was translated from a different Hebrew text that has since been lost, based on comparisons between existing Masoretic texts, Septuagint texts, Dead Sea Scrolls, and some Samaritan texts. If so, then it is impossible to compare the Septuagint with the Hebrew text its translators used, and it remains possible that the Septuagint has an equally valid translation of Isaiah's prophecy.

In the academic community, controversy surrounds the interpretation of this passage. According to almost all non-Christian biblical scholars, many liberal Christian biblical scholars, and also according to Jewish tradition, the prophecy only describes events during the rule of King Ahaz of Judea. The prophet is giving information to the King about an event that will soon be made known to him. The text is clearly not about someone being born centuries later. However, soon after the development of Christianity a new way to read this text was born, one in which Isaiah was not only giving prophetic comfort to his peers, but was also cryptically forecasting the coming Messiah.

St. Irenaeus of Lyons observed in the second century that the Jews themselves translated the word "virgin" well before the time of Jesus; he attributes the translation "young woman" to Theodotian the Ephesian and Aquila of Pontus, both Jewish proselytes who published new translations of the Tanakh in the second century. Thus the universal acceptance of it in the Jewish community as meaning "young woman" apparently came about in response to the development of Christianity. Irenaeus reinterprets many prophecies by David, Moses, and Daniel as also predicting a virgin birth, and demonstrates why the messiah could not be born of Joseph (Against Heresies, Book III, Chapter 21.). Jews and Christians have disagreed about the interpretation of these and other prophecies since the birth of Christianity.

Perpetual Virginity

That Mary remained a virgin after the birth of Jesus has been accepted by most Christians until comparatively recent times. Of the early fathers of the Church, only Tertullian seems to have questioned the teaching. Both the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches insist on it, as do Muslims. The most prominent leaders of the Reformation, Luther, Zwingli, and Calvin also defended the perpetual virginity of Mary against those who questioned it.

Later generations of Protestants, however, abandoned the traditional teaching, citing references to "brothers" of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. Defenders of the teaching, including John Calvin, have pointed out that Aramaic, the language spoken by Christ and his disciples, lacked a specific word for "cousin," so that the word "brother" was used instead.

Dormition and Assumption

The belief in the corporeal assumption of Mary was formally declared to be dogma by Pope Benedict XIV in the encyclical De Festis B.V.M.; Roman Catholics must therefore hold the doctrine as being necessary to salvation. Pope Pius XII, in Munificentissimus Deus [1], reiterated "We pronounce, declare, and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma: that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory." The establishment of this dogma as "necessary to salvation" is widely taken to be an example of the Pope's invoking papal infallibility. The Feast of the Assumption is celebrated on August 15.

At the time that this dogma was promulgated, there was a strong sentiment among many Catholics that the immaculately conceived and sinless Mother of God would not have suffered death (which is "the wages of sin"), but was instead taken up alive into heaven like Elijah the Prophet. For this reason, the dogma was deliberately so worded ("when the course of her earthly life was finished") as to allow faithful Catholics to believe either hypothesis: that Mary was assumed bodily into heaven without dying, or that her incorrupt body was assumed into heaven after her death.

Judging from the sources quoted in Munificentissimus Deus, Pius XII himself almost certainly rejected the notion of Mary's "immortality" (the idea that she never suffered death) in favor of the more widely accepted understanding that her assumption took place after her physical death.

The tradition of the Eastern Orthodox Church holds that Mary died, and that after her death and burial, she was resurrected and taken up bodily into heaven. This two-fold event is celebrated as the Dormition ("falling asleep") of the Theotokos. The Feast of the Dormition is celebrated on August 15, and is preceded by a fourteen day fast from meat and dairy products, the third longest fast of the liturgical year after Great Lent and Winter Lent. Despite the great importance of this feast in the Orthodox liturgical calendar, it is not, as in the Catholic Church, considered a matter of dogma, since it has not been formally defined by any ecumenical council accepted by the Orthodox.

For Orthodox and Catholics alike, Mary's assumption is seen as a concrete and present instance of the resurrection of the body; a belief asserted by virtually all Christians in the creeds, yet often replaced in the popular imagination by a more shadowy spiritual immortality.

Theotokos

At the Third Ecumenical council, the Council of Ephesus, it was decided that it was entirely appropriate to refer to Mary as the Theotokos, a Greek word which can be translated as "God bearer" or "Mother of God." This was to emphasize that Mary's child, Jesus Christ, was in fact God. She is often referred to as "Theotokos" in Eastern Orthodox hymns. She is also one of the most highly venerated saints in both the Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox Church; several major feast days are devoted to her each year. (See Liturgical year.) Protestants have generally been less enthusiastic about the cult of the Virgin than their Catholic and Orthodox cousins, often arguing that if too much attention is focussed on Mary, there is a danger of detracting from the worship due to God alone.

Some non-Christians, particularly followers of Wicca, link Mary to the Earth Mother of various Neo-pagan traditions. Some Buddhists have even been known to link Mary to Kwan-Yin of various Chinese Buddhist faiths.

See also

• Blessed Virgin Mary
• The Virgin Mary shrines
• Marian apparitions
• Theotokos
• Immaculate Conception

External Link

• 632 pictures of the Virgin
• Munificentissimus Deus

Further reading

• Jaroslav Pelikan, Mary Through the Centuries: Her Place in the History of Culture, Yale University Press, 1998, hardcover, 240 pages ISBN 0300069510; trade paperback, 1998, 240 pages, ISBN 0300076614

  Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Mary, the mother of Jesus."

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Richard Branson

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Sir Richard Branson, (born July 18, 1950) is a famed British entrepreneur, is best known for his widely successful Virgin brand, a banner that encompasses a variety of business organizations. Current ventures include the Virgin Atlantic airline (a major competitor to British Airways in prestige), Virgin Trains, Virgin Mobile, Virgin Cola, Virgin Energy, the chain of Virgin Megastores retail shops, and Virgin financial services. A previous part of the empire was the now disappeared Virgin Cinemas chain, sold to UGC Cinemas, and Branson's only real media venture, Virgin Radio, now a part of the Scottish Radio Group.

Branson first achieved notoriety with Virgin Records, a record label that started out with multi-instrumentalist Mike Oldfield and introduced bands like the Sex Pistols and Culture Club to the world music scene. Branson was knighted by the Queen for his business prowess and exuberance for the spirit of the United Kingdom. Known for his wacky exploits used to promote his businesses, Branson is keen on playful antagonisms, exemplified by his "Mine is bigger than yours" decals on the new Airbus A340-600 jets used by his airline. He has also made several unsuccessful attempts to fly in a hot air balloon around the world.

In October 2003, Branson annouced he would be teaming up with balloonist Steve Fossett to attempt to break the record for non-stop flying around the world. A new plane, the Global Flyer will be built specially for the attempt.

Branson has guest starred, playing himself, on several television shows, including Friends, Baywatch and Only Fools and Horses.

Branson appears in the 2002 List of "100 Greatest Britons" (sponsored by the BBC and voted for by the public), alongside others ranging from Winston Churchill and Isaac Newton to David Beckham and Aleister Crowley.

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Richard Branson."

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Virgin

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

A virgin is most commonly seen as a person who has not yet engaged in sexual intercourse. In a stricter sense it is somebody who has not yet engaged in sexual activities (the wider this term is taken, the stricter the definition of virgin). The status of "virginity" (remaining a virgin) is something that is respected and valued in certain segments of society, especially in regards to religious views of retaining one's virginity before marriage.

Among human females, the hymen is a membrane which is part of the vulva which is often physically torn when the women first engages in vaginal intercourse. The presence of an intact membrane is therefore often seen as physical evidence of virginity in the broader technical sense. By contrast, there is no obvious physical indicator of virginity in human males.

Virginity has been often considered to be a virtue denoting purity and physical self-restraint and is an important characteristic of some religious figures such as the Virgin Mary and goddesses such as Athena, Artemis, and Hestia. The Maiden or Virgin is one of the three persons of the Triple Goddess in many Neopagan traditions. The constellation Virgo represents a wide selection of sacred virgins.

References to virginity are often used in a discouraging manner among younger members of society (especially minors and high school students). The common belief among youths that virginity is something to be ridiculed has been a matter of considerable debate, especially related to the controversy involving sexuality among minors.

Some historians and anthropologists note that many societies such as the United States before the sexual revolution which place a high value on virginity before marriage actually have large amount of premarital sexual activity which does not involve penetration, e.g. oral sex and mutual masturbation. This has been termed technical virginity or hot virginity.

The term "virgin" is also used in a similar manner to describe someone or something who has not yet achieved a significant goal of some sort, or something unused, or unspoilt (e.g. Virgin Islands).

Virgin is a term used by beekeepers to refer to young emerged queen bees that have not yet mated.

"Virgin" is also the far-reaching British corporate banner encompassing Sir Richard Branson's various business ventures, the Virgin Group, including

• Virgin Atlantic
• Virgin Trains
• Virgin Wines
• Virgin Blue
• Virgin Records

Related Links

• Virgin Mary

  Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Virgin."

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Virgin Group

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

The Virgin Group describes the group of companies using the Virgin brand of British celebrity business tycoon Sir Richard Branson. The wide variety of companies includes airlines, mobile phone service providers, wine, and music retailers, amongst many others.

Some of the companies are publicly listed on various stock exchanges around the world, or are part-owned by others.

Some of the companies in the group include:

• Virgin Wines
• Radio Free Virgin
• Virgin Atlantic
• Virgin Trains
• Virgin Blue (Australian budget airline)
• Virgin Mobile
• Virgin Megastores
• Vrigin Finance
• Virgin Cola

As well as the now defunct

• Virgin Cinemas, sold to UGC Cinemas
• Virgin Radio, now a part of the Scottish Radio Group.

Virgin Records was founded by Branson, but he sold his stake in the late 1980's.

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Virgin Group."

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Virgin Mary

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

The term Virgin Mary has a several different meanings:

• For reference to the historical and multi-denominational concept of Mary, see Mary, the mother of Jesus.
• For reference to the Roman Catholic theological and doctrinal concept of Mary, see Blessed Virgin Mary.
• For reference to the issue of Marian apparitions, see Marian apparitions.
• For shrines associated with the Virgin Mary, see The Virgin Mary shrines.
• For the drink Virgin Mary, see Virgin Mary (cocktail).

This is a disambiguation page, that is, one that just points to other pages that might otherwise have the same name. If you followed a link here, you might want to go back and fix that link to point to the appropriate specific page.

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Virgin Mary."

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Virgin Records

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Virgin Records is a British recording label founded by British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson. The first release on the label was the classic progressive rock album Tubular Bells by multi-instrumentalist Mike Oldfield in 1973 (see 1973 in music). Virgin Records introduced bands like the Henry Cow, the Sex Pistols, Camper Van Beethoven and Boy George to the world music scene, and at one point was the producer of the Rolling Stones. Sold by Branson in the early 1990s, it now faces competition from Branson's newer label, V2 Records.

See also: Caroline Records, List of other record labels

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Virgin Records."

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Virgin, Utah

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Virgin is a town located in Washington County, Utah. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 394.

Geography

Virgin is located at 37°12'6" North, 113°11'23" West (37.201620, -113.189617)¹. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 30.9 km² (11.9 mi²). 30.9 km² (11.9 mi²) of it is land and none of the area is covered with water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 394 people, 146 households, and 102 families residing in the town. The population density is 12.8/km² (33.1/mi²). There are 170 housing units at an average density of 5.5/km² (14.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 96.45% White, 0.00% African American, 0.51% Native American, 0.00% Asian, 1.27% Pacific Islander, 0.00% from other races, and 1.78% from two or more races. 1.27% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 146 households out of which 30.8% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.2% are married couples living together, 8.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 30.1% are non-families. 24.0% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.70 and the average family size is 3.23. In the town the population is spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 11.4% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 37 years. For every 100 females there are 114.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 109.4 males. The median income for a household in the town is $36,953, and the median income for a family is $37,500. Males have a median income of $32,625 versus $19,500 for females. The per capita income for the town is $14,797. 9.0% of the population and 9.3% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 7.4% are under the age of 18 and 0.0% are 65 or older.

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Virgin, Utah."

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Virgo

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Virgo (the virgin) is a constellation of the zodiac. Lying between Leo to the west and the Libra to the east, it is one of the largest constellations in the sky. It can be easily found through its bright α star, Spica.

Virgo
larger map
Abbreviation	Vir
Genitive	Virginis
Meaning in English	the Virgin
Right ascension	13 h
Declination	0°
Visible to latitude	Between 80° and -80°
On meridian	9 p.m., May 25
Area  - Total	Ranked 2nd 1294 sq. deg.
Number of stars with apparent magnitude < 3	3
Brightest star  - Apparent magnitude	Spica (α Vir) 1,0
Meteor showers	Virginids Mu Virginids
Bordering constellations	Boötes Coma Berenices Leo Crater Corvus Libra Serpens Caput

Notable features

The most prominent star in Virgo is Spica (α Vir), which represents an ear of wheat in the goddess's hand. Spica makes it easy to locate Virgo, as it can be found by following the curve of the Big Dipper to Arcturus in Boötes and continuing from there in the same curve ("follow the arc to Arcturus and speed on to Spica").

Other bright stars in Virgo include Zavijah (β Vir), Porrima (γ Vir), Auva (δ Vir) and Vindemiatrix (ε Vir). Other fainter stars which were also given a name are Heze (ζ Vir), Zaniah (η Vir), Syrma (ι Vir) and Rijl al Awwa (μ Vir).

The star 70 Virginis is an extrasolar planetary system with one confirmed planet 6.6 times the mass of Jupiter.

Notable deep sky objects

Because of the presence of a galaxy cluster (consequently called the Virgo cluster) within its borders 5° to 10° west of Vindemiatrix (ε Vir), this constellation is especially rich in galaxies.

Some examples are M49 (elliptical), M58 (spiral), M59 (elliptical), M60 (elliptical), M61 (spiral), M84 (elliptical), M86 (elliptical), M87 (elliptical and a famous radiosource), and M90 (spiral). A noted galaxy that is not part of the cluster is M104, an elliptical galaxy also called the Sombrero Galaxy. It is located about 10° due west of Spica.

Mythology

Who exactly Virgo is supposed to represent is uncertain; in history, it has been associated with nearly every prominent goddess, including Ishtar, Isis, Demeter, Cybele, Athena, and so forth.

According to one version, the constellation depicts Astraea, the virgin daughter of the god Zeus and the goddess Themis. Astraea was known as the goddess of justice, hence the scales of justice Libra nearby, and supposedly ruled the world at one point with her wise ways until mankind became so callous that she returned to skies in disgust. Persephone is often mentioned as well, Virgo being visible mainly in the spring months when she was believed to have risen from the underworld.

Astrology

The astrological sign Virgo (August 23 - September 22) is associated with the constellation. In some cosmologies, Virgo is associated with the classical element Earth, and thus called an Earth Sign (with Taurus and Capricorn). Its polar opposite is Pisces.

Constellations of the zodiac : Aries -- Taurus -- Gemini -- Cancer -- Leo -- Virgo -- Libra -- Scorpius -- (Ophiuchus) -- Sagittarius -- Capricornus -- Aquarius -- Pisces

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Virgo."

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Abbreviations & Acronyms: Virgin

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Synonyms within Context: Virgin

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Modern Usage: Virgin

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Commercial Usage: Virgin

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Image Slideshow: Virgin

Photos: Virgin More pictures...

Illustrations: Virgin More pictures...

Computer Images: Virgin More pictures...

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Photo Album: Virgin

Thumbnail	Description & Credit	Thumbnail	Description & Credit
	Tombstone of Henry Warren, R.N., who died of yellow fever in 1855. Christiansted, St. Croix, Virgin Islands. Credit: CDC.		St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. Credit: CDC.
	Islands in the stream - the cays on the north side of Pillsbury Sound British Virgin Islands to the left - St. Johns to the right Picture taken from the top of Thatch Cay. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection.		East end of Thatch Cay, U. S. Virgin Islands Old derelict, victim of storms past. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection.
	The Virgin Islands - tropical or desert? Shallow stream and rainforest on the west end of St. Croix. Credit: America's Coastlines.		St. Croix, United States Virgin Islands. Credit: America's Coastlines.
	An aerial view of a segment of Virgin Islands coastline. Credit: Paths Less Taken - NOAA at the Ends of the Earth.		The entrance to the Virgin Islands Game Fishing Club. Credit: Fisheries.
	Callinectes sapidus. 3. Ventral surface of a virgin female, showing the narrow triangular abdomen. 4. Ventral surface of an ovigerous female, showing the broad, semicircular abdomen. In: "Life History of the Blue Crab (Callinectes Sapidus" by W. P. Hay. Report of the Bureau of Fisheries 1904. P. 413, Plate II. Credit: Fisheries.		Pederson cleaning shrimp on a reef in the Virgin Islands. Credit: National Undersea Research Program (NURP).
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

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Digital Photo Gallery: Virgin
 

"Stasidia" by Akis Apostoliadis Commentary: "Church of Virgin Mary in Arkoudila's forest-Corfu."	"ST.CROIX beach" by Igor Beres Commentary: "St Croix,West Indies , US Virgin Islands , Caribbean This shoot is taken with small underwater (200$) Minolta camera, I was scuba diving and came out on this beach. I sought this ..."
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers.

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Familiar Quotations: Virgin

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Use in Literature: Virgin

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Non-Fiction Usage: Virgin

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Spoken Usage: Virgin

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Speeches: Virgin

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Usage Frequency: Virgin

Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.

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Name Usage Frequency: Virgin

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Derived & Related Names: Virgin

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Cities: Virgin

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