Maria

The spelling in the Semitic abjads of Maryam; Mariam; Maryam; Myriam; Miryam; Miriam; Mary; Marie, and Maria, is a factor of vowels and accentuations changing the pronunciation in a number of ways.

• In Hebrew, Myriam represents the 'Old Testament' version of Mary's name. The meaning of which has been debated for centuries.
• In Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus, Joseph and Mary, Maryam is notably the name of Mary the mother of Jesus (Isa).
• The Greek translation of the Old Testament calls her Mariam, whereas, with the New Testament Greek she is Maria.
• The Arabic version of this universal female name is written, Marie, Maria, or Miriam, also versions of the name Mary is found in English.

Myriam, is described in the ‘Hebrew Old Testament’ as the daughter of Amram (Imran) and Jochebed (Shiphrah), and the older sister of Moses and Aaron. She was a Prophetess and first appears in the ‘Book of Exodus’. The Torah refers to her as "Miriam the Prophetess" and the Talmud names her as one of the seven major female Prophets of Israel.

Mary, is identified in the ‘New Testament’ as the daughter of Joachim (Imran) and Anne (Hannah), and had no full siblings (although (John 19:25) states that Mary had a sister). The 'Synoptic Gospels' name Mary as a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee, the wife of Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is a central figure of Christianity, venerated under various titles such as ‘Virgin’ (Al-Azra’) or ‘Queen’, many mentioned in the ‘Litany of Loreto’ (the “Rosary”).

Maryam, is mentioned in the ‘Holy Quran’ as the daughter of Amram (Imran) and Anne (Hannah), and sister of Aaron. The Holy Quran refers to her 70 times and explicitly identifies her as the greatest woman to have ever lived. In the Holy Quran, her story is related in three Meccan surahs (19, 21, 23) and four Medinan surahs (3, 4, 5, 66), with surah 19, named after her. Moreover, she is the only woman mentioned by name in the Holy Quran...

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Food for thought!