Life of the Virgin Mary (Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library)

The first complete, up to date translation of one of the vital vital Byzantine works of Marian doctrine and devotion.

John Geometres (ca. 935–ca. 1000) used to be one of the vital highly esteemed poets and authors in Byzantium; yet his most vital text, the Life of the Virgin Mary, remains in large part unknown lately. This literary and rhetorical masterpiece stands as a work of outstanding theological sophistication, animated by deeply felt devotion to the Mother of God. Geometres’s distinctive and idiosyncratic narrative offers a comprehensive biography, from Mary’s ancestry to her death and beyond, with special emphasis on her direction of Christ’s female disciples, her active participation in the passion and resurrection, and her leadership of the nascent Church. The Life has been rightly thought to be a critical missing piece in a larger puzzle connecting early Marian writings with later works. In response to an absolutely new edition of the Byzantine Greek text, that is the first complete translation of Life of the Virgin Mary into a up to date language.