Dear Tiina,
You might compare your passage with the first paragraphs in the chapter for
Assumptio Mariae in the _Legenda aurea_. All which I have at home is the
German translation, which gives two alternative calculations:
According to the first, which is said to be taken from Epiphanius, Mary was
14 years old when she conceived; 15 when she gave birth; lived 33 years with
Christ, and lived 24 years after his ascension: 15+33+24 = 72 in all.
The other one, preferred in the _Legenda aurea_ and said to be taken 'from
another book', counts only 12 years between passion/ascension and
assumption, thus 15+33+12 = 60 in all (the German translation says that she
was 'in her 60th year').
Your source (14+33+16 = 63) differs from both accounts, but I suppose that
other members of this list can cite better matches.
The dating of the day of Assumptio in your source is self-contradictory:
Sexque decem solo, christo simul astra subivit;
depositio beate viriginis fuit in assumptione eiusdem, XL autem die,
hoc est 9 Kal. aprilis cum corpore et anima assumpta est in celum.
Quinto Idus marcij hoc est 14 die ante passionem domini fuit Lazarus
suscitatus.
I cannot resolve the contradiction, but will try to explain where I see it:
a) "depositio beatae virginis fuit in assumptione eiusdem" seems to
refer to Christ (cf. "[cum] Christo simul astra subivit") and dates her
death/burial (depositio) on the day of his ascension (theologically,
assumption and ascension are not the same terms, and ascension is reserved
to Christ, but the theological difference was not always respected in
medieval Latin).
b) "XL autem die, ... assumpta est" expresses the belief that her
assumption took place not on the same day as her depositio, but 40 days
afterwards. Tradition placed both events on the same day, 15 August, but the
_Legenda aurea_ also cites the deviating view given in your text and
attributes it to the visions of Elizabeth (von Schoenau).
c) The dating of the resurrection of Lazarus on V Id. Marc. (11 March),
"hoc est 14 die ante passionem domini", presupposes the usual (fixed) date
for passion on 25 March.
d) While a+b would place the day of Mary's assumption 40+40 days after
Easter (inclusive count, because otherwise Ascension is 5 x 7 + 5 = 39 days
after Easter), that is (according to c) after 28 March, the explicit dating
in your text places it on "9 kal. aprilis" (24 March). I cannot resolve this
contradiction. Maybe the author of your source somehow got the dates of
Annunciation/Conception (25 March = VIII kal. Apr.) and Assumption mixed.
Otfried
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