Mary is mentioned, by name, but twice in the Book of Mormon. Beside this prophecy by Alma, King Benjamin, in prophesying to his people in Zarahemla of the coming of the Redeemer (125 B.C.) said, “He shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and His mother shall be called Mary.” (Mosiah 3:8)
She was also shown to Nephi in his great vision of the Son of God (600 B.C.) although her name is not mentioned by him. He recorded,
And it came to pass that I looked and beheld the great city of Jerusalem, and also other cities. And I beheld the city of Nazareth; and in the city of Nazareth I beheld a virgin, and she was exceedingly fair and white.
And it came to pass that I saw the Heavens open; and an angel came down and stood before me; and he said unto me: Nephi, what beholdest thou?
And I said unto him: A virgin, most beautiful and fair above all other virgins.
And he said unto me: Knowest thou the condescension of God?
And I said unto him: I know that He loveth His children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things.
And he said unto me: Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of the Son of God, after the manner of the flesh.
And it came to pass that I beheld that she was carried away in the Spirit; and after she had been carried away in the Spirit for a space of a time the angel spake unto me, saying: Look!
And I looked and beheld the virgin again, bearing a child in her arms.
And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father! (I Nephi 11:13-21)
She being a virgin. The term Virgin has several different interpretations. In Hebrew, with which Nephi was undoubtedly familiar, the word bethulah used by writers of that period usually suggests to us, an unmarried maiden. The Arabian root means to be mature, and the Aramaic does not connote virginity. The word apparently means one of marriageable age, and certainly not the word which would naturally be used if virginity were the point to be emphasized. (Hasting’s Dictionary of the Bible
Among those who had a profound respect for the Law of Moses, and which was mixed with love and awe of the coming Messiah, it was a Jewish custom for them to dedicate to the temple service a female child born under extraordinary circumstances.
In the Apocryphal Gospels—although legendary they have a basis of fact surrounding their conclusions—we are told that Mary was miraculously granted to an aging, childless, couple, named Joachim and Anna, who were known for their piety and generosity. At the age of three years she was dedicated to the Lord, or to the temple service, where, it is said that she was ministered to by angels from Heaven, and where also she grew in wisdom and virtue. Those who were so set apart for such a service were called Virgins. At the age of twelve 11 Mary was betrothed to Joseph, a widower older than she.
Let us now have Luke, the author of the Third Gospel, tell us in his own beautiful but simple words, the story of the birth of the infant child, Jesus. He could have gained the knowledge he imparts in no other way than by having the Virgin Mother, Mary, relate to him the intimate details of the events occurring at that time. You will observe that his summary of the incidents therein noted are stated by him “calmly, delicately, and clearly. Saint Luke has proven to be a writer of great historical accuracy, and we may be certain that he admitted nothing within his record of which he had not thoroughly tested the truth thereof: and it is difficult to believe that he would open his Gospel with a statement that he had accurately traced the course of the Gospel history from the first, and then immediately proceed to insert untrustworthy information.” (Ibid., Mary the Virgin; See also COMMENTARY ON THE BOOK OF MORMON, Volume I, pp. 82-83)
Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us,
Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word;
It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,
That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.
There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.
And it came to pass that while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course,
According to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.
And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.
And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.
And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
And he shall go before Him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.
And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.
And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words which shall be fulfilled in their season.
And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple.
And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.
And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.
And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying,
Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein He looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.
And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
And, behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a Son, and shalt call His name JESUS.
He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of his father David:
And He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end.
Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that Holy Thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
For with God nothing shall be impossible.
And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda;
And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.
And it came to pass that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:
And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.
And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
For He hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
For He that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is His name.
And His mercy is on them that fear Him from generation to generation.
He hath shewed strength with His arm: he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich He hath sent empty away.
He hath holpen His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy;
As He spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.
And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.
Now Elisabeth’s full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son.
And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her.
And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father.
And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John.
And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name.
And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called.
And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all.
And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.
And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judea.
And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.
And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for He hath visited and redeemed His people,
And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David;
As He spake by the mouth of His holy prophets, which have been since the world began:
That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;
To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember His holy covenant;
The oath which He sware to our father Abraham,
That He would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve Him without fear,
In holiness and righteousness before Him, all the days of our life.
And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways;
To give knowledge of salvation unto His people by the remission of their sins,
Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,
To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.
A precious and chosen vessel. This phrase is amply explained in Luke 1:28-30. The Angel Gabriel was sent by God to Nazareth to inform Mary of the part she was to take in the mission of the coming Lord. The angel approached her, and in words that she did not understand or comprehend their meaning, saluted her, saying, “Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.” Mary, who was yet very young, marvelled at the salutation of the angel. She was confused and confounded, somewhat afrighted. The angel seeing that Mary was startled and abashed at his unannounced presence, quickly reassured her, saying, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” (Revised Version) Truly, Mary was chosen above the many Hebrew women who loved the Lord and who sought to do His bidding. She was indeed a precious “vessel” in whom God carried out to all mankind the fullest expression of His loving-kindness: “Behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a Son, and shalt call His name JESUS.” Alma, in his great prophecy, said, “Yea, even the Son of God.”
She shall be overshadowed and conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is that Personage through whom God, the Father, accomplishes many of His divine purposes. The power of the Holy Ghost is its ability to produce a desired effect; it is that might, or wonderful privilege granted by God to His Second Counselor in the Presidency of the Heavens to lead and to direct, and to warn of things to come. Nor is that all; among its solemn attributes is a delegated right to act in God’s stead, to represent Him in the councils of men, to be commissioned by Him, and otherwise be His Deputy. What a sacred prerogative has the Holy Ghost! (See COMMENTARY ON THE BOOK OF MORMON, Volume II, pp. 168-170)
Mary, in great bewilderment at the angel’s words, said to him, “How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?’ (Luke 1:34, King James’ Translation) ”I have no husband," other translations interpret it. Then in explanation the angel further said to her,
The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the Child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. (Revised Version)
In the Authorized King James’ Translation the verse reads:
The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee...."
The Book of Mormon, which we may consider more accurate, says of Mary,
A precious and chosen vessel, who shall be overshadowed and conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost, and bring forth a Son, yea, even the Son of God.
It is fruitless to discuss further the “Immaculate Conception” of Christ, as it is often called, but it is most important for us to know that such an event did actually take place. It is the beginning, as far as mortals are concerned, of the fulfillment of God’s promise to ancient Israel:
Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. (See Isaiah 7:14)