The Virgin Mary: Undoing the Wrong (Challenge of the Bible Book 3)

THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH

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The writing is clear, and well referenced, as is true for all Jaroslav Pelikan works. The series allows those curious about the history of the Christian faith understand better the origins of various approaches to the faith, and expands upon what most Christians acquire as basic information through going to church and Sunday School. Not to worry about boredom either. A real bonus for the fact-checkers and those curious as to supporting material, is that references are given on the page where the supporting material is discussed. Christianity is an exciting religion, and understanding the faith can be greatly enhanced through reading any of these wonderful texts.

This volume in particular enhances understanding of what preceded the Reformation, and increases the comprehension of that vast but largely unknown period of Medieval Church. One can only benefit by understanding doctrine from this period, and greater benefit might be felt by Orthodox Christians or those considering converting to this branch of Christianity.

In this volume, Pelian explores the development of doctrine in Western Christendom from the close of the patristic era to the height of medieval scholasticism. In this period, the Western Church, beginning with the theological synthesis of St. Augustine of Hippo, developed an outlook on the Christian faith that differed in fundamental ways with theological currents in the Christian East.

The collapse of the Western Roman Empire, the use of Latin instead of Greek, and the increasing claims of the papacy all were hallmarks on this era where the Christian West began to assert its own unique theology. Pelikan begins with the book with an historical exposition of the Augustinian synthesis and its understanding of the Catholic tradition.

The Western Church no less than the East claimed loyalty to the tradition of the Fathers but saw it though an Augustinian prism. So pervasive was the influence of the great Bishop of Hippo, that it seemed natural to add the clause "and the Son" to the Creed when speaking of the Holy Spirit simply based on St. Augustine's own writings on the Trinity. Not just on the Trinity, but on every key aspect of the faith, St. Augustine of Hippo was a towering figure. His ideas on salvation, the nature of the Church, and the Sacraments would dominate Western thinking for centuries to come and the earlier Fathers would be interpreted through the synthesis he created.

Then turning to the period at the end of the patristic era, Pelikan explores how Western theologians began to extend the Augustinian synthesis in the face of new challenges. Among the theological challenges facing Western Christendom were semi-adoptionst views, the blurring of the line between the doctrine of the Trinity and tritheism, the role of faith and works in salvation, the nature of the Sacraments, and the position of Mary in the divine economy. Some of these issues, as Pelikan skillfully details, would continue to occupy the theological concerns of the Western Church for centuries to come.

One of the areas where such concerns would meld to form a more comprehensive view occurred as the Western Church began to develop its theology of the divine economy. Within Western theology, salvation had since St. Augustine emphasized tended towards a transactional theory of atonement which differed from the idea of theosis that was holding sway in the East. However, the exact nature of the transaction involved was left nebulous in the writings of the great bishop of Hippo.

An idea that had begun to hold sway in the Western Church was the ransom theory whereby Jesus gave His life as a ransom paid to Satan who was then unable to hold him in the bondage of death. New speculation began in the eleventh century with St. Anselm who asserted instead that no ranson is owed to Satan but instead satisfaction to God's honor. Anselm's theories met some opposition notably Peter Abelard who backed a theory of Jesus redeeming us by His moral example , the idea would eventually begin to dominate Western thinking and be held as the logical consequence of Augustinian theology.

Pelikan focuses in on St. Anselm's satisfaction theory of the atonement as setting the stage for all discussion on the matter in the Western Church for centuries to come. The theory would continue to be developed in various ways but Western ideas on salvation became uniformly cross-centered. The cross was the turning point in human history and the fact that the crucifixion had been for the salvation of mankind demonstrated that Christ was the Lord of history and His sovereignty was absolute.

Pelikan then turns to the matter of how the grace won by Christ was made efficacious for men. Here special attention is focused on two developments within Western Christianity: Although the core was something imported from the Church's earlier Catholic tradition, the Western Church would further develop the particulars into a distinctive theological consensus. In examining the issue of devotion to Mary and the Saints, Pelikan notes that such practices had long been established, but the West began to develop them in new directions.

What began to set apart the Western understanding of Mary's role in the divine economy was the emphasis placed on her as mediatrix. This was not to be understood as mediating in the sense of Christ who mediates between God and man through His sacrifice on the cross, but in the sense that she brought Christ to us through the Incarnation and can bring us to Christ through her intercession.

Still, it was subject to excesses and this new attention paid to Mary would lead to the elevation of devotion to saints in general as the excesses of popular piety became a seriously debated issue in the Church. Pelikan then explores how debates over the exact nature of the Eucharist led to the evolution of the theory of transubstantiation within the Western Church. Theological arguments over the nature of Christ's presence, whether the presence was objective or subject to the believer's faith, and other related issues all led to the adoption of the language of substance and accidents in the presentation of the emerging doctrine.

The concerns over the Eucharist opened up the discussion for the nature of the Sacraments in general. These disputes included the definition of what constituted a Sacrament and the numbering of the Sacraments. As time went on, a general agreement of a Sacrament as an outward sign conferring an inward grace and the numbering of seven Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation, Penance, Ordination, Matrimony, Exreme Unction would be the consensus.

Pelikan then describes how the Western Church, with its development of doctrine and ecclesial polity, would more and more see itself as upholding the one true faith of Christ in a fallen world. The patristic consensus of earlier centuries was viewed entirely through the prism of Augustinian theology and even this Augustinian view was interpreted through the later developments of St.

Authentic and fruitful spirituality is "inside out" rather than "outside in. This is the way of surrendered love. Mary's surrender reveals the deeper meaning of every human life and is the true path to authentic peace. It is the portal of the mystery of meaning itself.

THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH

It is what Christian Scripture calls the "more excellent way" 1 Cor. Mary understood and walked this way with extraordinary humility. Is it any wonder that the early Christians painted her image in the catacombs during their moments of fear, persecution and doubt? They found great inspiration from this little woman of great faith. In her "yes" they came to understand that ordinary people can change human history. They were inspired to add their own "yes", their own "fiat" to hers.

Is it any wonder that the writings of the early Fathers of the Christian Church are also replete with reflections on this woman who said so little verbally in the biblical text? That is because it is not about an abundance of our words but rather our receptivity to the Word. Justin Martyr and many other early Christian apologists found in her "fiat", her obedient "yes" to the angel, the undoing of the "no-I will not serve" uttered in rebellion by the first woman Eve. They called Mary "The Second Eve", the mother of a new creation, because she said "Yes" and in her womb carried the One whom the biblical authors would call the "New Adam.

That same Redeemer now comes to reside within, and live through, all of those who respond to the invitation of Love like Mary did. All who are prepared and who, in response, surrender to His grace. Mary's choice, her response to the invitation of a God who always respects human freedom, is a singularly extraordinary event in all of human history.

What Does the Catholic Church Teach About Mary?

However, it is meant to be much more. It is meant to be an invitation to each one of us to explore our own personal histories and to write them anew in Him by joining our own "yes" to hers. On this Feast of the Presentation of Mary, let us make the choice to surrender ourselves to the same Lord. That is how we can bring this Feast to life in our own age and continue to participate in God's plan for the whole human race. That priests, who experience fatigue and loneliness in their pastoral work, may find help and comfort in their intimacy with the Lord and in their friendship with their brother priests.

Reading 1, Jeremiah Rufus and Zosimus were citizens of Antioch or The California Network Inspiring streaming service. Advertise on Catholic Online Your ads on catholic. Catholic Online Email Email with Catholic feel. Catholic Online Singles Safe, secure Catholic dating.

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I really appreciate it. Naturally, I still disagree with many elements of Catholic doctrine and practice, but I am glad to be able to understand Catholic positions better. Honestly, the fact that you at least understand Catholic positions better is a Huge thing to me. Too often non-Catholics have misconceptions about what our beliefs are. The more people that can at least see where we are coming from will help bridge the gap to more understanding and mutual respect.

Chelsea, I heartily agree that better understanding between Protestants and Catholics is needed. I, of course, want people to become Protestant, just as you want them to become Catholic, but whether people choose Protestantism or Catholicism, I want them to do so with their eyes wide open. Too many Protestants dismiss without thought the rich history of Catholic teaching and traditions, and I suspect that many Catholics misunderstand the richness of Protestant heritage and doctrine.

Because the authorities were pretty concerned about the new faith- it really was an amazing time in history, when Pentecost arrived, the apostles were in danger and we are told of some of their horrendous deaths. AND it makes more sense than saying she was whisked off without fanfare to heaven. After all, the authorities would certainly not want her producing another contender after they had just illegally murdered her first born. So to preserve her life, she was moved to another country. Some myths- at least equally believable as the sky-lift, even say she was taken to England by sea.

I never got to reply to the other comment in the previous post. I have been swamped. I will still try to get to it sometime. I will tackle 2 first. The Perpetual Virginity of Mary states that she was a virgin before, during and after the birth. He would be a very devout Jew and follow the laws of the faith with care. According to the Protoevangelium of James, from which we learn a bunch of things regarding Mary, we know that her parents, Ann and Joaquin, were old and had no children Sarah and Abraham, Elyzabeth and Zacharias, etc.

At this moment, because of the flow of blood, she could no longer be in the temple. Because she was consecrated to God, there was the need to find a guardian for her. This is where Joseph comes in. It is difficult to know what would normally happen between Joseph and Mary, even though she had been consecrated to God, because she was no longer living in the temple, and was given in marriage.

At this point it really is irrelevant because of what happens next. She is found to be with child, before she was taken by Joseph, and we all know the story, but there is ONE portion that is missed badly. In conclusion, Mary never had any more children, nor did Joseph have any sexual relations with Mary. This is the part that must be accepted under the authority of the Church, but it really is not a big deal. A seven year old girl was blind from birth because she had no pupils. If God can do this kind of stuff for a girl, keeping His own mother perpetually a virgin would be nothing. Things like oil for one day burned for eight.

Thanks, Antonio, for your reply. I fully agree that God is capable of having Mary be a perpetual virgin, as I absolutely believe in miracles. That said, my three main concerns about the concept of the perpetual virginity of Mary are as follows: I have no seminary training myself and should look into the matter more. I know Mary was a virgin up to the birth of Christ; what happened later is the area of concern for me. Did it actually happen? Catholics rightly look to church traditions for evidence, and I can assure you that carries a lot of weight for me too just not in the same way it does for Catholics.

I would feel more comfortable making sure the traditions are sourced reliably. You note the Protoevangelium of James, but I looked it up and my understanding is that there was some question about its reliability even in the early church period, and I know that it is not accepted as part of either the Protestant or Catholic biblical canons. Do you know if the Catholic Church views the Protoevangelium as being historically authoritative? Please forgive my ignorance of this aspect of Catholicism. This is where I find myself most in disagreement with Catholicism. This, of course, displays my Protestant ways of thinking and is probably not an objection that would be reasonable to a devout Catholic.

Also, I still and again I display my Protestant ways of thinking have concerns about the doctrine being officially defined years after the fact. I know Catholics argue that it was all but universally taught until that time, but my Protestant mind has difficulty with such a concept. It was taught, but was not dogmatically defined.

That makes me wonder whether things that Catholic apologists today say are not part of official church teaching could later become so. I made a terrible academic error. In discussing so many Catholic doctrines lately, I think I confused the timing of when some were dogmatically defined in history. The orthodox church also teaches that Mary was a vestal virgin, and as such she would have after puberty been released from temple duties to a live with an older guardian type guy, and they would never have had sex.

According to the text, Mary was a consecrated virgin. At that time in Jewish society, she still needed a male protector bound to her through marriage. But he was required to hold her vows in the highest respect. Thanks for telling me my first child will be a boy. Based on this understanding, it is more likely they were cousins. It is also possible for them to be step-brothers children of Joseph rather than half brothers children of Mary. Catholics absolutely believe others are in Heaven. This last one is a little more complicated. The short answer is yes, we can pray to anyone we suspect is in Heaven.

When there is a declaration of Sainthood, the Church is merely recognizing the person is in Heaven. Again, Bryan, thanks for your comments. They are both insightful and helpful. The way you describe it in contrast to some other Catholics , it is largely a historical discussion, and I have no problem with that. From my perspective, the key is simply to make sure no side of the debate inherently contradicts Scripture then see what the historical record shows.

In closing, I would like to note that I have no doubts about Mary being a virgin when Christ was born. That is made absolutely clear in Scriptural passages that both sola-Scriptura-style Protestants and Catholics view as being authoritative. It is a historical argument, as Mary was consecrated to the Lord as a child to serve like the prophetess Anna. Because of the culture, it was fitting that she still have a husband to serve as provider and protector.

This man was required by law to respect her purity, and serious consequences awaited if he violated her pledge to remain a virgin throughout her life. If Mary planned on a sexual relationship with Joseph, why would she ask how it was possible she would conceive?

What Do Catholics REALLY Believe About Mary, Saints and Statues?

We can argue she was curious specifically about the birth of Jesus, but the fact remains Mary was aware of how babies were made. No impure man was allowed to touch the OT Ark, and since New Testament types are always more perfect than their OT counterparts we would expect the same treatment given to Mary. You are correct—it is much more complicated than that, and in Christianity, history and theology are ultimately inseparable.

That said, you also correctly illustrate what I was trying to get at with my points.

I have no question about the propriety of discussing the historical record of what we know about Mary. I would simply be hesitant to make a conclusion from the non-Scriptural historical record into a matter of church doctrine.

Finally, your closing paragraph on the theology of Mary as the Ark of the Covenant is where I personally balk the most. I know that Catholics do use Scriptural parallels between Mary and the Ark to make this argument, but in my opinion, the analogy only holds up so far in regard to the perpetual virginity of Mary. If we take the analogy too far, we would be forced to come to the conclusion that she would have to be carried around her entire life in a special, ceremonial manner, and that outside of those ceremonies, no normal human could have any form of contact with her without risking being killed instantly.

Dear Jesus, please tell saint Anthony to help me. I also love hearing what Protestant traditions Catholics think are strange. What I mean is that the theological importance of her virginity is to support our belief in Jesus having 2 natures — true God and true man. Not completely unrelated is that the Catholic Church has from the time of St. Augustine had a rather poor view of the married state and that poor view is not supported by the Bible.

People are free to choose a celibate life for themselves, but they are not then free to look down upon us married householders. Love of God and love of your fellow human beings makes one holy — not being in the celibate state for life. I agree—it does seem excessive. Once Jesus is born—why does it really matter? Please read my response to DCal90 a few comments above. There is a place for marriage, and some are called to live a life of virginal purity and chastity in total consecration to God.

This was what St Paul talks about and challenges people to do, as he was doing. We were only taught to pray to the Lord. Actually it does say in the bible Luke 1: If I could take the liberty of commenting on this thread, the point that the doctrine of the Trinity is not spelled out in exact detail in the Bible is very insightful and is something Protestants like myself should consider. That said, I think the difference for some Protestants such as myself between the concept of the Trinity and the concept of the sinlessness of Mary is that we find the former to be a necessary conclusion from the words of the Bible and the latter not to be.

The Bible presents the idea of one God then also presents the idea of Christ as God, so the concept of the Trinity seems to be there. Thank you DCal90 for your thoughtful response. I did some reading this morning and came across this from the writings of Martin Luther, father of the Reformation:. God is with her, meaning that all she did or left undone is divine and the action of God in her.

Do Catholics Worship Mary?

Moreover, God guarded and protected her from all that might be hurtful to her. The quotes you share are helpful, as I do value church history, both pre-Reformation and post-Reformation.

As has been noted by others in these threads, and as most Protestants themselves claim, the Bible does not contain all truth. We just hold it to be authoritative truth for matters of doctrine, etc. I like the parallel that Catholics draw between Eve and Mary i. Christ is the new Adam and Mary the new Eve , but the apostle Paul did not seem concerned about making a clear parallel between Mary and Eve in his letters in the New Testament, even though he did make clear the parallel between Christ and Adam. The problem with this line of argument, however, is that not everything that is true is written in the Bible.

The gospels did intend to give a good description of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, but the rest of the NT is composed of letters that were written to specific churches at a specific time to address specific issues. The Bible nowhere says that it even attempts to cover everything. For example, I know that you strongly believe that women should stay home and not work outside the home. Can you show me a single verse that says that? The Bible is the authority on everything it speaks on—but it does not speak on everything.

Another thing to remember is that the Bible was written by apostles. So you believe that the apostles are worth listening to. The Catholic Church does too. Remember also—there WAS no Bible for the first few hundred years. Yes, Brittany, you make a very valid point. The Bible was not intended to contain all truth and all answers. This is why I am not, and could never be, a Protestant. Yet, although I recognize a need for a magesterium, I do see in Church history abuses of Church authority some of which continue to this day.

As an example of my view: Thus, I think we as Christians need to condemn and work against all forms of murder — even those forms of murder not specifically mentioned in the Bible. The church is guided by the Holy Spirit but is made up of men — and men have free will and certainly are not perfect. As always Brittany you are tackling some huge teachings of the beautiful Catholic faith and doing a great job with your research and delivery! Kudos and blessings to you! As far as Mary being the Mother of the Church here is a good resource about that: Mary is also referred to as the Ark of the Covenant.

And here is a link about Mary ever virgin: Hopefully this series will shed some light! Thought this was some good information regarding the communion of saints. He did the Catholicism series on PBS and is a great teacher. This was his daily Lenten email for today:. They give us additional insights into the nature of prayer.

This means that you can come into contact with the past and the future. We speak of invoking the saints, speaking with them, seeking their help and intercession. This is not just pious talk. It is the metaphysics of eternity. But what precisely are Jesus, Moses, and Elijah talking about? In both cases, it is a great work of liberation and life-giving love, and this is key.

The fruit of prayer in the Biblical tradition is action on behalf of the world. We are, essentially, a mission religion. It is not to cling to mystical experience, however wonderful. It is to become radiant with the divine light so as to share it with the world. I grew up Catholic. The autobiography of St. Therese taught me the intimacy of prayer: I thiink one of the most eye-opening experiences about Mass is when we went to a Bat Mitzvah a long time ago — and I saw where the Catholic Mass came from — from the format for Jewish worship. The only difference was Catholics had new testament readings.

Yes, I think attending a Jewish service would really shed a lot of light on things too. You will find Dr.

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This resource will provide you with some really great info on the Jewish connections. These sites are all extremely good. In his Prescott Arizona mission, Roy shares his conversion story, along with insights into the Jewish culture and the intimate relationship of Mary with the Holy Spirit, in addition to a lot of other info. For non-Catholics, and even for Catholics who are not deep into Catholic theology, a couple of the things he says sound really strange, but he is SOLID.

Anyway, here are the three links in sequence to his 3-day mission. Not only can we ask those who are in Heaven already to pray for us, we can also pray for those whose lives were not perfect and are in Purgatory. They need our prayers to shorten their time in Purgatory. But she is also much more than that. It starts with Mary prophecied as the New Eve in Genesis 3: This was very unusual language. Adam and Eve began their lives in an Immaculate state, as did Christ, so we should expect the Second Eve to also begin her life immaculate just as the First Eve and Second Adam.

This also explains other teachings about Mary. Because Christ was dedicated to serving the Lord, it would make since for Mary as the New Eve to be dedicated to the Lord as well. And just as Adam and Eve shared the same fate by returning to dust, we would expect the New Eve to share the same fate as the New Adam who went to Heaven. Heaven is the Kingdom, with Christ as King. It was his mother. The Old Testament Ark: The Ark stayed 3 months at the house of Obed-edom, who was greatly blessed by the Lord because of the Ark.

David danced before the Ark as it was brought into Jerusalem Mary: The Ark went with the people of Israel everywhere they went until the conquering of Jerusalem and building of the first Temple. Went everywhere with Jesus until He was laid in the tomb, then followed Him after the resurrection until His ascension. It is very difficult so to dissent from them that you will not appear to them as a cad as well as a heretic. She is not a side note in the story, but the reason the story exists at all.

May it be done unto me according to your word. Why would she be compelled to say that if it was not her choice? Would God have forced a young unmarried woman into an unplanned pregnancy? Did Mary not have free will, as we believe all humans have? Could Mary have said NO? I posed this question to my third grade religious education class. They agreed that Mary could have done things her own way. They had fun speculating on what would have happened if she had decided the name Emmanuel or Jesus was no good and she had named the baby Bob instead.

But, broaden the question. What if she had chosen the route of abortion extremely dangerous, but available throughout the centuries? What if she had just left the baby in that manger, trusting the inn keepers to raise him? What if she had decided Egypt sounded too dangerous and given him over to Herod? What if she had not bothered to take him to the temple every year and teach him to read the scriptures?

Mary is our mother because she does what mothers do. She puts her child first.

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