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What do the Gospels say about Mary’s age when Jesus was born?

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Antonello da Messina: Madonna and Child — Mary *Madonna and Child*, oil and tempera on panel by Antonello da Messina, 1475; in the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.

The Gospels do not state Mary’s age at the time of Jesus’ birth. While the Gospel According to Matthew and the Gospel According to Luke both document the birth of Jesus and note that Mary was engaged to Joseph, neither text provides specific information regarding her age.1

The common perception that Mary was a teenager is based on historical context and later traditions rather than the canonical Gospels. Cultural norms in Judaism at the time permitted girls to be married shortly after reaching puberty, making a betrothal in the early teens socially unremarkable.1

Specific claims about her age, such as the suggestion that she was 12 years old at the time of her betrothal, originate from noncanonical, apocryphal works like the Protevangelium of James, which was written in the mid-2nd century CE. Consequently, while she may have been a teenage mother, her exact age remains unknown.1