The Virgin Mary Throughout the History of the Church
By Fr. Kamil AlChouefati
Our Lady Star of the East Church — Pleasantville NJ
Our Lady Star of the East Church — Pleasantville NJ
Introduction: As soon as the Christian religion spread, it became, when followers of the Jewish religion and pagan philosophies heard of it, the target of many attacks seeking to eliminate it and its believers. The early Christians faced various persecutions and deadly tortures, but they did not submit to humiliation. They defended their faith with the courage of opinion, the argument of proof, and the confidence of the believer, out of the certainty that the Holy Spirit is the one who teaches them what they use as evidence. This is evidenced by the large number of texts left by believers in defense of their faith in the first generations that we are dealing with, that is, from the Pentecostals until the early fifth century. But these texts, despite their abundance, did not address in detail the subject of the Virgin Mary; she was not then a subject of theological controversy and criticism. However, these historical circumstances do not prevent us from talking about Mary, because the Virgin is for the Christian faith like the heart in man, and because the Virgin is for the Christian faith like the heart in man, and because talking about the son inevitably leads to talking about the mother, especially since the basic logic of faith is the data provided by the Bible.
Biblical Data: There is a close connection between the Virgin Mary and Christ. If the Christian religion is primarily to preach the mystery of Christ, the God of man, then it does not make sense for it to neglect the part of which Christ was incarnated. Therefore, Christians inherited honor and respect for the Virgin Mary by adopting the Christian religion and by approving the law of faith, which reminds them that Christ was incarnated by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, as conveyed to them by Saint Luke and as indicated by the Apostle John. These biblical data gradually crystalized in the early ages when Christians tried to clarify their faith in Christ in a way that did not contradict the axioms of reason and logic. How did that happen?
One of the first heresies that struck the Christian faith was a heresy that denied Christ the reality of his body and his suffering and death. It was necessary to return to the sources of faith to emphasize the human birth of Christ from the lineage of David, which took place thanks to the Virgin Mary. In this field, Mary’s true role as the mother of Christ emerged based on the angel’s announcement to her and her pregnancy in a wondrous way. Mary was not a passage or a door through which Christ passed to appear among the people in human form, but rather Christ was a real incarnation of her, and she gave him a real human body like all other people. In addition to his divine birth that transcends time, there is a human birth from the virgin Mary that has a specific date. From here, his human birth’s (and human mother’s) unique role became apparent, and its features became clear, and the holy fathers explained it at length through their talks about the Son of God. Here, we will focus on some of these landmark ideas that later took on dimensions and meanings that they retain to this day as pillars of our faith.
This is what the Church teaches and acknowledges regarding the Virgin Mary:
The Virgin Mary, from the first time of the apostles or in the apostolic tradition until the first testimonies of the second century until the Council of Ephesus, who lived during this period, along with her son Jesus Christ and his pure disciples, the apostles, was the holy virgin, mother of the Savior. She was present in all the decisive and essential moments of the history of salvation: not only at the beginning (Lk 1:26) and at the end (Jn 19:27) of the life of her son Jesus Christ (that is, in the mysteries of incarnation and redemption) but also at the opening or beginning of his message and his public life (In. 2, the wedding at Cana of Galilee) and at the birth of the Church (Acts 1:4). A hidden presence, most of the time a silent one, activated by a spark of pure faith and a passion of love ready to accept and follow God’s program and human aspirations. The Virgin, in second century Christian literature, had a friendly status; Mary is the mother of Jesus and a virgin in her pregnancy. In that era, three main topics emerged regarding her:
1 - Comparing Mary with Eve:
The holy fathers compared Mary and Eve. While Eve believed Satan and submitted to him, thus becoming a mother of children subject to death and destruction, Mary, due to her faith in God and his words, became the mother of the Savior and the mother of life. She gives birth to children, those who believe in her son, to a new life beyond the human mind's comprehension.
2 - Mary’s Divine Motherhood and Virginity:
The unique motherhood of Mary caught the attention of the early Christians; she is a mother and a virgin, and there is no separation between these two facts, as her virginity clearly reveals that the child born to her is of divine origin. And it is not appropriate for whoever carries in her womb the Son of God, the source of holiness, to be united carnally with humans. Like other people, her remaining a virgin is linked to her holiness because she is full of grace, and it is also linked to her son the source of love and blessings dwelt in her, because she is the mother of the savior. So, Mary is truly the mother of God, Jesus, because Christ is indivisible: He is one person in two natures, so Mary is the mother of that one person, Jesus Christ, God and man.
3 - Mary and the Church:
Christ was born of the Virgin Mary. We too, as believers, are born in a wondrous birth from the womb of our mother, the church, to a divine life. However, our birth is a spiritual birth that takes place through the action of the Holy Spirit. The Church is like the Virgin Mary. Mary gave birth to Jesus by the power of the Spirit, a new and unique birth by the action of the Holy Spirit, preserving her virginity by her faithfulness to Christ and her faith in Him. The more she nurtures this faith and transmits it to her children, the more her devotion to Christ increases, so she becomes wholly for him without hesitation, just as the virgin Mary was wholly for God. She believed in what was told to her from his heart and surrendered to God with full satisfaction and love. This faith, based on consent and love, revealed Mary’s role in the mystery of the incarnation and in the mystery of salvation, the salvation of the entire human race. It is no wonder that a role was attributed to her in the renewal of humanity that began with the incarnation of the Son.
Among the most famous fathers who excelled in this “Marian” field during that period were Saint Ignatius of Antioch (110), Saint Justinus (+ 163), and Saint Irenaeus (202) in particular.
In the beginning of the third century, many writings appeared highlighting the person of Mary. These writings highlighted several theological points, including:
A - The motherhood of Mary “Theotokos” (against Marcion, the adherent of the outward heresy).
B - The Virginity of Mary (at birth and afterwards).
C - Mary’s participation in salvation.
D - Mary and the Church.
Among the most famous fathers of this era who dealt with these topics are:
In the East:
St. Clement of Alexandria (+215), Tertullian (+220), Origen (+253-54), St. Ephram (+373), St. Basil the Great (+330-379), St. Cyril of Jerusalem (+384), St. Gregory of Nazianzus (330-390), St. Gregory of Nyssa (+493), and St. John Chrysostom (344-407).
In the West:
St. Ambrose (334-397) and St. Augustine (354-430)
This quick tour of the early Christian eras allowed us to explore some of the basic ideas that crystallized among the Holy Fathers about Mary’s status and role in Christian life, although concerns were directed specifically to Christ and the Trinity. This indicates to us that honoring Mary in the church is not new and is not the result of pent-up emotion but rather is part of the core Christian faith that we received from Christ himself.
If God assigned the Virgin Mary a role in the history of salvation and the Church, and if Christians from ancient times have adhered to honoring Mary despite all the difficulties and persecution, are we less committed to her today than they were?
Conclusion:
The devotion of Christian sects to Mary was not in vain but was preserved by straight faith. This devotion may be one of the cornerstones that build today’s ecumenical efforts, which aim to unite Christians. Mary, around whom the apostles gathered, and who prayed with them waiting for the Holy Spirit to descend upon them, is the one Christians pray with today until Christ’s desire is fulfilled for all his believers to be one.
Prayer:
O Mary, may your honor among all the denominations that bear the name of your Son Jesus be a strong incentive to unite Christians to be one flock under one shepherd.
Help them to overcome all hostility and division and let the love of your son be the only weapon they use in their relationships. Amen.
Biblical Data: There is a close connection between the Virgin Mary and Christ. If the Christian religion is primarily to preach the mystery of Christ, the God of man, then it does not make sense for it to neglect the part of which Christ was incarnated. Therefore, Christians inherited honor and respect for the Virgin Mary by adopting the Christian religion and by approving the law of faith, which reminds them that Christ was incarnated by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, as conveyed to them by Saint Luke and as indicated by the Apostle John. These biblical data gradually crystalized in the early ages when Christians tried to clarify their faith in Christ in a way that did not contradict the axioms of reason and logic. How did that happen?
One of the first heresies that struck the Christian faith was a heresy that denied Christ the reality of his body and his suffering and death. It was necessary to return to the sources of faith to emphasize the human birth of Christ from the lineage of David, which took place thanks to the Virgin Mary. In this field, Mary’s true role as the mother of Christ emerged based on the angel’s announcement to her and her pregnancy in a wondrous way. Mary was not a passage or a door through which Christ passed to appear among the people in human form, but rather Christ was a real incarnation of her, and she gave him a real human body like all other people. In addition to his divine birth that transcends time, there is a human birth from the virgin Mary that has a specific date. From here, his human birth’s (and human mother’s) unique role became apparent, and its features became clear, and the holy fathers explained it at length through their talks about the Son of God. Here, we will focus on some of these landmark ideas that later took on dimensions and meanings that they retain to this day as pillars of our faith.
This is what the Church teaches and acknowledges regarding the Virgin Mary:
- She is the most favored of all human beings, due to her immaculate conception, that is, she was free from original sin, because she is full of grace, and she is innocent of every defect.
- She is intercessor of all the blessings granted by Christ.
- She is the one who was assumed, soul and body, to heaven.
The Virgin Mary, from the first time of the apostles or in the apostolic tradition until the first testimonies of the second century until the Council of Ephesus, who lived during this period, along with her son Jesus Christ and his pure disciples, the apostles, was the holy virgin, mother of the Savior. She was present in all the decisive and essential moments of the history of salvation: not only at the beginning (Lk 1:26) and at the end (Jn 19:27) of the life of her son Jesus Christ (that is, in the mysteries of incarnation and redemption) but also at the opening or beginning of his message and his public life (In. 2, the wedding at Cana of Galilee) and at the birth of the Church (Acts 1:4). A hidden presence, most of the time a silent one, activated by a spark of pure faith and a passion of love ready to accept and follow God’s program and human aspirations. The Virgin, in second century Christian literature, had a friendly status; Mary is the mother of Jesus and a virgin in her pregnancy. In that era, three main topics emerged regarding her:
- Comparing Mary with Eve.
- Mary’s divine motherhood and virginity.
- Mary and the Church.
1 - Comparing Mary with Eve:
The holy fathers compared Mary and Eve. While Eve believed Satan and submitted to him, thus becoming a mother of children subject to death and destruction, Mary, due to her faith in God and his words, became the mother of the Savior and the mother of life. She gives birth to children, those who believe in her son, to a new life beyond the human mind's comprehension.
2 - Mary’s Divine Motherhood and Virginity:
The unique motherhood of Mary caught the attention of the early Christians; she is a mother and a virgin, and there is no separation between these two facts, as her virginity clearly reveals that the child born to her is of divine origin. And it is not appropriate for whoever carries in her womb the Son of God, the source of holiness, to be united carnally with humans. Like other people, her remaining a virgin is linked to her holiness because she is full of grace, and it is also linked to her son the source of love and blessings dwelt in her, because she is the mother of the savior. So, Mary is truly the mother of God, Jesus, because Christ is indivisible: He is one person in two natures, so Mary is the mother of that one person, Jesus Christ, God and man.
3 - Mary and the Church:
Christ was born of the Virgin Mary. We too, as believers, are born in a wondrous birth from the womb of our mother, the church, to a divine life. However, our birth is a spiritual birth that takes place through the action of the Holy Spirit. The Church is like the Virgin Mary. Mary gave birth to Jesus by the power of the Spirit, a new and unique birth by the action of the Holy Spirit, preserving her virginity by her faithfulness to Christ and her faith in Him. The more she nurtures this faith and transmits it to her children, the more her devotion to Christ increases, so she becomes wholly for him without hesitation, just as the virgin Mary was wholly for God. She believed in what was told to her from his heart and surrendered to God with full satisfaction and love. This faith, based on consent and love, revealed Mary’s role in the mystery of the incarnation and in the mystery of salvation, the salvation of the entire human race. It is no wonder that a role was attributed to her in the renewal of humanity that began with the incarnation of the Son.
Among the most famous fathers who excelled in this “Marian” field during that period were Saint Ignatius of Antioch (110), Saint Justinus (+ 163), and Saint Irenaeus (202) in particular.
In the beginning of the third century, many writings appeared highlighting the person of Mary. These writings highlighted several theological points, including:
A - The motherhood of Mary “Theotokos” (against Marcion, the adherent of the outward heresy).
B - The Virginity of Mary (at birth and afterwards).
C - Mary’s participation in salvation.
D - Mary and the Church.
Among the most famous fathers of this era who dealt with these topics are:
In the East:
St. Clement of Alexandria (+215), Tertullian (+220), Origen (+253-54), St. Ephram (+373), St. Basil the Great (+330-379), St. Cyril of Jerusalem (+384), St. Gregory of Nazianzus (330-390), St. Gregory of Nyssa (+493), and St. John Chrysostom (344-407).
In the West:
St. Ambrose (334-397) and St. Augustine (354-430)
This quick tour of the early Christian eras allowed us to explore some of the basic ideas that crystallized among the Holy Fathers about Mary’s status and role in Christian life, although concerns were directed specifically to Christ and the Trinity. This indicates to us that honoring Mary in the church is not new and is not the result of pent-up emotion but rather is part of the core Christian faith that we received from Christ himself.
If God assigned the Virgin Mary a role in the history of salvation and the Church, and if Christians from ancient times have adhered to honoring Mary despite all the difficulties and persecution, are we less committed to her today than they were?
Conclusion:
The devotion of Christian sects to Mary was not in vain but was preserved by straight faith. This devotion may be one of the cornerstones that build today’s ecumenical efforts, which aim to unite Christians. Mary, around whom the apostles gathered, and who prayed with them waiting for the Holy Spirit to descend upon them, is the one Christians pray with today until Christ’s desire is fulfilled for all his believers to be one.
Prayer:
O Mary, may your honor among all the denominations that bear the name of your Son Jesus be a strong incentive to unite Christians to be one flock under one shepherd.
Help them to overcome all hostility and division and let the love of your son be the only weapon they use in their relationships. Amen.
