My understanding is she was about 14 when he was born and 47 when he died.
And I don’t know how old she was when she died.
Can anybody shed any light on all of this?
Interesting questions. I have no idea how old she was when she died - I don’t recall ever reading anything that talks about her death. During Advent, we talked about the Lukan narrative at church, and the best we could come up with was that she was a young woman, say in her late teens. Otherwise, the Bible is not specific on her age, so IMHO, any specific number would be pure conjecture.
Vlad/Igor
Given her status as a betrothed woman at the time of Christ’s birth, it is likely that she was in her early to mid teens during the divine conception. Which would have put her in her late forties at the time of Christ’s death and resurrection.
Catholic and Orthodox tradition states that Mary’s Dormition (and subsequet Assumption) occurred when she was in her late 50s, about ten years after the Ascension of Jesus.
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia Jewish girls were considered marriageable at the age of twelve years and six months.
Although the marriage was preceded by the betrothal, after which the bride legally belonged to the bridegroom, though she did not live with him till about a year later, when the marriage was to be celebrated … Mary concieved during this bethrohal period.
The Apocryphal writing gives a timeline – when she is 14 the High Priest hooks her up with Joseph – presumably a year of betrothal follows … meaning that Jesus was concieved in that timeframe.
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15464b.htm
(search down to peices: **The Presentation of Mary ** & **Her betrothal to Joseph ** )