The Mother of God (Greek: Θεοτόκος, Theotokos), the Virgin Mary, the Most Holy Virgin, the Madonna (Aramaic, Hebrew: מרים, Maryam—usually translated as strong, beautiful, and also as Lady)—in Christianity, she is the mother of Jesus Christ, one of the most revered figures, and the greatest of the saints. In the historical churches and a number of others, she is venerated as the Mother of God and the Queen of Heaven (Latin: Regina Caeli). The Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, the mother of Jesus Christ, was not an accidental or ordinary event, as she was assigned a vital role in the fulfillment of the divine plan for the salvation of mankind. The ancient tradition of the Christian Church views many Old Testament prophecies and archetypes as indications of the birth of the Mother of God. We find such references in the proverbs (paroemias) of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos: Jacob's Ladder (Gen. 28:10–17); The Prophecy of Ezekiel (Ezek. 43:27, Ezek. 44:1–4); The Words of the Book of Proverbs (Prov. 9:1–11). All of this can be read again. And quite attentively. The event is known from the apocryphal Protoevangelium of James. According to this account, a pious married couple from Jerusalem—Joachim and Anna—had no children for a long time. When Joachim came to the temple to offer a sacrifice to God, the high priest refused him because he had 'not begotten offspring for Israel.' Then Joachim, in deep sorrow, withdrew into the wilderness to pray, while his wife remained at home in solitude and also prayed. At that time, they both had a vision of an angel who announced, 'The Lord has heard your prayer, you shall conceive and give birth, and your offspring shall be spoken of in all the world.' Following this annunciation, Joachim and Anna met at the Golden Gate of Jerusalem: 'And behold, Joachim came with his flocks, and Anna stood by the gate and saw Joachim coming, and she ran and hung upon his neck, saying: Now I know that the Lord God has blessed me exceedingly; for behold, the widow is no longer a widow, and she that was barren shall conceive!' And Joachim found rest in his house that day. — Protoevangelium of James (4:7–8)After this, Anna conceived. As stated in the Protoevangelium, 'her months were fulfilled, and in the ninth month Anna gave birth.' The spouses made a vow to dedicate their child to God and, as was the custom at the time, to bring her to the Temple of Jerusalem to serve until she reached maturity.