The Book Stories of Mary - The Mother of Jesus Christ:

 

In the sacred history of Christianity, the traditional narrative of the nativity begins with the announcement of the angel Gabriel to the young Mary about her pregnancy and the birth, within a few months, of God’s son. However, doubts persist about the extended nativity story - which should include Mary’s life, the Mother of the Savior, as well as sweet and wonderful revelations of what it was like on Earth before and after Jesus' coming. In what context was the Mother of All Mothers conceived and how did she prepare to birth and, above all, educate the Messiah? Mary was a housewife, and Joseph, her husband, was a carpenter. They were simple and humble people with a huge mission ahead of them. Many questions remain today about the magnificent and surprising life of this courageous woman. There are many unanswered questions, especially about what happened to Mary after her son's death and resurrection. Jesus’ mother simply disappears in the texts about the Holy Family. Joseph, Jesus' earthly father, it’s known to have died when Jesus was still alive; but Jesus’ mother disappears abruptly as if she had not existed. However, this fact did not happen under any circumstances: Mary, with absolute certainty, lived for several years after Christ went to heaven! The book, Stories of Mary, tries to answer those frequent questions about the Mother of All Mothers in the times of Early Christianity, when the apostles and disciples of the Great Teacher still preached and taught about Jesus’ word throughout the world.

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This book’s story shines - indeed, radiates - when it touches the souls and hearts of readers in a surprising way, and when it revives the life stories of Jesus’ mother. They are magnificent, beautiful narratives, such as:

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- The Holy Shroud passage that tells the story about a cloth that Mary received from the women who found Jesus' empty tomb. The shroud was folded over the stone where his body once was found. She kept it for the rest of her life. What has happened, over the years, to this extraordinary relic? Almost two millennia have passed: where and how is the shroud found today?

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- What about the one painting that faithfully portrays Mary's face? This artwork was recovered by Helena, the mother of Roman emperor Constantine, on her visit to the Holy Land (Jerusalem) in about AD 330 - when she sought to find sacred places and remains of the wood of the cross on which Christ was crucified. The painting is attributed to Luke, in popular culture. He wrote one of the two gospels of the nativity, although he was never in the presence of Jesus. Luke was able to paint this art piece because he listened carefully to Mary’s stories, narrating how everything really happened. While listening to Mary, the apostle painted her portrait on the top of Mary's worktable. The portrait painted on the wood was given to Helena by the remaining elders of the first Christians - faithful people who had hidden and preserved the fresco made by Luke for almost three hundred years.

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 - There's still more: The Veil of Veronica story – she was that woman who, in Jesus' Way of Sorrows (also known as Via-Crucis), wiped his face. The face of the master remained imprinted on that cloth. Where is this fabulous relic?

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- Nor is much known about the Miracle of Bilocation, when Mary, still living in Turkey, mysteriously appeared in the lands of Spain for the apostle James - to encourage him to continue his arduous preaching in Hispanic communities. In order to present the nativity in a different and unprecedented way, the book Stories of Mary was idealized. This text seeks to answer some questions about the dazzling and surprising life of Mary, the woman who, without a doubt, was - after her son, Jesus - the most important figure in Christianity. Mary lived in difficult times, when brutal persecutions were carried out against all those who decided to embrace the words of Christ, propagated by his apostles and disciples, who were always widely supported, cherished, encouraged and very protected by Mary, the Mother.

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The beautiful stories and texts that can be found in this book, Stories of Mary, were, primarily, based on reliable historical facts. Besides that, the texts were also based on popular religious traditions, passed down from generation to generation orally. In this case, some supplementary research was made with the intention to refine “some exaggerations”. And, in some passages where there were not enough reliable references, the author filled in the gaps with “well-dosed bits of fiction” - a literary strategy that proved to be necessary and effective, given the small amount of writings that could be searched. The result is a writing work that pays due reverence to the most important mother in the history of mankind!

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Unforgettable Paintings of Great Masters in the Book Stories of Mary

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     It would be unrealistic to develop a writing work of this magnitude and importance to retell some stories of Mary's life without mentioning the artwork of this historical period. During this remote period portrayed through this book, “Stories of Mary”, the lenses of today's powerful cameras were represented by the retinas of the perceptive eyes of the great masters of painting. Their eyes were directed and guided by their fertile imaginations and exuberant creativity.

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      Western religious art, in the first and second millennia of humanity after Christ, was intense and extremely creative, given the large number of exceptional painters and wealthy patrons (within the church itself, as well as in the powerful aristocracy). It was an extraordinary time, filled with nobles and majesties eager for power and frequently with intense desires to achieve the good graces of the dominant clergy. For this, they did not hesitate to open their treasures. They financed extensively painters, sculptors, artisans, musicians, singers. In short, all the artists considered welcome by the church were somehow rewarded with large funding.

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      This book, “Stories of Mary”, is full of images of artwork created by the great notable masters and seeks to show part of their magnificent work.

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      Most of these artistic creations are now on display. They are well-kept in large museums or in rich private collections. These are rare and highly valued art pieces. Most of them are valued in the millions of dollars. More than seventy-seven copies of these fantastic artistic wonders, and almost a dozen old photographs, are spread throughout the pages of this beautiful and incredible book, “Stories of Mary - The Mother of Jesus Christ.” This book will be available soon by pre-order in both color and black and white illustrated versions. Incredibly favorable prices and extraordinary advantages make this book simply unmissable.

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      Unforgettable artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt, James Tissot, Raphael, Edwin Long, Caravaggio, Titian, El Greco, Mattia Preti, Paolo Veronese, Heinrich Bloch, Vasily Grigorevich Perov, Hans Memling, Eustache Le Sueur, Lazzaro Baldi, Pietro Perugino, among many others, were recognized worldwide for their famous productions of religious artwork during ancient, medieval, and modern to contemporary times.