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The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich
2.5 A REPRESENTATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN IN EGYPT.
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In Egypt I saw the message of salvation being announced in the
following manner. I saw that by God's command Elijah sent messages to
summon devout families scattered about in three regions to the east,
north, and south. For this purpose he sent forth three of the sons of
the prophets, but only after asking a sign from God that he had decided
rightly, for it was a difficult and dangerous mission, and he had to
choose messengers whose prudence would lessen the danger of their being
murdered. One traveled northwards, one eastwards, and the third
southwards. This last one had to pass through a considerable part of
Egyptian territory, where the Israelites were in particular danger of
being killed. This messenger took the way followed by the Holy Family
on their flight into Egypt. I think, too, that he passed near On, where
the Child Jesus took refuge. I saw him come to an idolatrous temple on
a great plain; in this temple, which was surrounded by a meadow and by
many other buildings, they adored a living bull. They had an image of a
bull and many other idols in their temple; their sacrifices were
gruesome and they slaughtered deformed children. They seized the son of
the prophet and brought him before the priests. Fortunately, the latter
were very inquisitive; otherwise, they might easily have murdered him.
They questioned him as to whence he came and what brought him there,
and he answered without hesitation, telling them how a virgin would be
born from whom the salvation of the world was to come, and that then
all their idols would fall in pieces. [38]
They were amazed at his announcement, seemed greatly moved thereby, and
let him go unharmed. I saw them taking counsel together thereafter, and
having the image of a virgin constructed and fixed in the middle of the
temple roof. This image [See Figure 4], represented as floating
downwards at full length, had a headdress like the idols, so many of
which lie in rows there, half like a woman, half like a lion. On the
top of the head was something like a little high vessel or bushel of
fruit; the elbows were close to the body, while the forearms were held
out in a gesture as it were of withdrawal and repulse. In her hands
were ears of corn. She had three breasts; a large one in the middle,
with two smaller ones on each side of it but lower down. The lower part
of the body was clothed in a long dress, and from the feet, which were
comparatively small and pointed, hung tassels or something of the sort.
She had as it were wings on her arms both above and below the elbows;
these wings seemed to be made of delicate feathers spreading out on
each side like rays and intertwined with each other. Feathers ran
crosswise down both thighs and over the middle of the body to the feet.
The dress had no folds. They venerated this image and sacrificed to it,
begging it not to destroy their God Apis and their other gods. At the
same time they continued their gruesome idolatry as before, except that
they always began by invoking this virgin. In making this image they
had, I believe, followed the indications given them by the son of the
prophet in his account of the vision which Elijah had seen.
Figure 4. Egyptian idol of the blessed virgin Mary constructed after
receiving Elijah's prophesy. [39]
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