The wedding day of Mary to Joseph is not recorded in the Bible, only the betrothal and subsequent recognition of the marriage are described in two of the gospels. Luke 1:26-28 tells us that: “In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favoured one, the Lord is with you!”

And Matthew 1:18-19 records that: “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.” 

In both gospels the word ‘betrothed’ means to be legally pledged to marry. Now after Joseph had been visited by an angel who was able to explain the troubling and new circumstances, he devised a different plan. In Matthew 1:24-25 we are told that “When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.”

Luke 2:4-6 repeats the betrothal status when Joseph, by law is required to register their relationship in Bethlehem – “And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.”

So why did artists begin to paint the wedding ceremony and from what sources were they inspired? While the Gospels never directly say that Mary and Joseph married before Jesus’ was born, 1st-century readers would have assumed that if they were already betrothed, had lived together, travelled together and raised a child, then they must have been married at some point.  

A quick look at marital customs and traditions in Bible times helps us to understand Mary and Joseph’s relationship. In 1st-century Palestine, late adolescence was considered the ideal age for marriage for both women and men, although men often married later and could marry as late as in their 30’s. This might account for one theory of the discrepancy in age that has often been attributed to Mary and Joseph’s relationship.

At this time in Palestine, husbands and wives did not expect to enjoy a close bond as this was not a requirement of the marriage contract. This doesn’t mean that they weren’t or couldn’t be close, loving and affectionate, but that it was not a necessity of marriage that we would assume today. Marriage in the Bible was an economic and tribal arrangement, which brought together two families for financial purposes and practical gain. As Mary was pregnant before their intended marriage, the marriage ceremony itself would usually have been cancelled since a pregnant bride was considered less valuable. The fact that neither Joseph nor his family, as indicated in the gospels, nullifies the betrothal and therefore the wedding, means to show us that Joseph was a kind and devout person and that this relationship was ordained by God.

None of the gospels gives us any detailed information about Mary and Joseph’s upbringing or whether they did indeed marry in the usual way, in a religious ceremony. However, other texts, such as the Protoevangelium of James and the Apocryphal Pseudo-Gospel of Matthew, claim to include a biography of Mary and her family. These texts have been mined by many artists for creative inspiration and to root Mary, Joseph and Jesus into the world of their everyday viewers and believers. “Protoevangelium” means “proto-Gospel,” or a type of prequel to the Gospels. In this case, the Protoevangelium of James was actually written after the Gospels so cannot be considered a prequel.

According to these texts, Mary was the daughter of Joachim and Anna, a devout couple who were unable to conceive until their persistent prayers for a child were answered. In response to her miraculous pregnancy, Anna dedicates Mary to God and vows that she will be raised in the Temple. This story is almost identical to the story of the prophet Samuel in 1 Samuel:1 in which Hannah, also childless, pleads with God to give her a child, and when he finally does, she also dedicates him to the Temple. By intentionally echoing this Old Testament story as a parallel, we see how Mary, like the prophet Samuel, was a pure servant of God, and worthy of giving birth to his Son, Jesus Christ. So Mary is raised in the Temple until she is 12, when the priests tell her she must leave the Temple because she is about to become a young woman. God now brings Joseph into the story who is introduced to Mary, first as a widower and soon to be her older guardian.

In this fresco painting by one of the greatest Italian and Late Mediaeval artists of all time, Giotto uses this information to portray the wedding day itself. At the precise moment when Joseph and Mary join hands as a sign of their marriage bond, a white dove flies from out of Joseph’s staff causing it to grow a flower and burst into blossom.  This becomes a sign of his holiness and faith, chosen by God to help raise his Son on earth. Both the dove, a sign of the Holy Spirit in Scripture, and here the heavenly presider of the marriage, and the lily will continue to appear in most paintings, sculptures and stained-glass windows of Mary’s Annunciation and of Mary and Joseph’s early life.

The flower from Joseph’s staff is mentioned in the ‘Golden Legend’ by Jacobus Voragine (a Late Mediaeval collection of 153 stories of saints which was popular across Europe). The flower is also mentioned in the ‘Gospel of the Nativity of Mary’ which draws on the prophecy in Isaiah 11:1-2 that “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.”

The Marriage ceremony was a common subject in the history of Western art since it engaged the viewers with an experience that they understood and inspired them to continue in their marriages faithfully. In Giotto’s painting there appears to be no ring or need for it, as in many pictures of a marriage ceremony or in other paintings of husbands and wives. The high priest who conducts the marriage is sometimes portrayed in official or sacred dress, here in red and gold, according to the artist’s knowledge of the times or preferred style. Or later as a bishop, once marriage was declared a Sacrament at the Council of Trent in 1563. Giotto’s high priest is identified as Reuben in both the Protoevangelium of James and the Apocryphal Pseudo-Gospel of Matthew.

What is particular to most marriage ceremonies in these religious paintings, is the inclusion of several witnesses. As a public rite, it must be verified by the couple, the priest, the supporters and onlookers originating from the Biblical imperative that a crime committed, cannot be proved legally if there is not evidence of at least two other witnesses. (cf. Deuteronomy 17:6; 19:15 and 2 Corinthians 13:1). In a more positive way, the witnesses also stand for affirmation and approval from their families and wider community.

Here, Mary dressed in white-gold is shy and humble. With her left hand she holds her womb, and with her right, the high priest Reuben joins her hand to Joseph in holy matrimony. Behind her, three women (one who is also pregnant) and a scribe (a precursor to our modern-day registrars) look on. While on our left, apart from the nearest man cloaked in grey who salutes the happy celebration, the group of young men seem cross and disappointed. Perhaps they are envious of Joseph who was chosen for Mary instead of them. As hopeful suitors, they also came with their staffs, but on theirs, no flowers blossomed forth. Although much younger than Joseph, God has ordained a different path for these eager and inexperienced chaps.

As Mary and Joseph stand at the threshold of the Temple, we watch this marriage transform the world. By uniting old and new covenants in this holy place a Messiah will be born. Only Mary and Joseph wear golden haloes, and we are to bow down in adoration.

Painting: The Arena Chapel Frescoes, The Marriage of the Virgin by Giotto. Padua. 1305-1306.

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