Read complete books and articles on: Virgin Mary

Mary - in the Bible, mother of Jesus. Christian tradition reckons her the principal saint, naming her variously the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady, and Mother of God (Gr., theotokos). Her name is the Hebrew Miriam.

Her Life

The events of her life mentioned in the New Testament include her betrothal and marriage to Joseph; the archangel Gabriel's annunciation to her of Jesus' birth; her visitation

Her Life

The events of her life mentioned in the New Testament include her betrothal and marriage to Joseph; the archangel Gabriel's annunciation to her of Jesus' birth; her visitation to her cousin Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist; Jesus' nativity; her purification at the Temple; her station at the Cross, where Jesus instructed that she and his disciple John should consider themselves related as mother and son; her visit to Christ's tomb after his resurrection; and her attendance in the room with the Twelve Apostles at Pentecost.

Although few other details of her life are mentioned or implied in the Bible, tradition has it that she was the daughter of St. Joachim and St. Anne, announced miraculously to them; that she was presented and dedicated at the Temple as a virgin; and that she was "assumed" directly into heaven, a doctrine that did not appear until the 5th cent. In 1950, Pope Pius XII's bull Munificentissimus Deus made Mary's bodily assumption into heaven an article of faith.

Her Significance in Christianity

Virginity and Immaculate Conception

Since the early church the theme of Mary's virginity has served as an important emblem of Christianity's ascetic ideal. The Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and some Protestant traditions teach the perpetual virginity of Mary, placing a nonliteral interpretation on New Testament references to Jesus' "brothers." The Roman Catholic Church additionally has proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception (declared in the bull Ineffabilis Deus of Pius IX, 1854), according to which Mary was conceived without original sin. The Roman Catholic Church further teaches that Mary was freed from actual sin by a special grace of God.

Intercession and Veneration

From earliest times Mary's intercession was believed to be especially efficacious on behalf of humankind and the church; since the Middle Ages, recitation of the rosary has been among the most popular expressions of Marian devotion. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that Mary is the mediatrix of all graces. The body of doctrine about Mary is called Mariology; Mariolatry is an opprobrious term used since the Reformation to mean the worship of Mary—a criticism leveled by many Protestants at the cult of Mary within the Roman Catholic Church. Catholics maintain that the veneration (hyperdulia) accorded Mary, while higher than that accorded any other creature, is infinitely lower than the worship (latria) reserved for Jesus. The principal feasts honoring Mary are those of the Assumption (Aug. 15), the Birthday of Our Lady (Sept. 8), the Immaculate Conception (Dec. 8), the Purification (Feb. 2: see Candlemas), and the Annunciation or Lady Day (Mar. 25).

Apparitions

Apparitions of the Virgin have been reported since ancient times, and some have led to new cultuses and shrines, typically associated with cures. These apparitions include those at Guadalupe Hidalgo, Mexico, in 1531, associated with a miraculous painting (Our Lady of Guadalupe); at Paris (Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal) in 1830; at Lourdes, France, in 1858; and at Fatima, Portugal, in 1917. The most well-known apparitions since then have been those at Medjugorje, Bosnia; since they began in the early 1980s they have attracted many pilgrims but have not been officially recognized by the Roman Catholic Church. Two great pilgrim shrines of medieval England were Our Lady of Glastonbury and Our Lady of Walsingham (Norfolk). Our Lady of Częstochowa has been a rallying point of Polish nationalism.

Patroness and Artistic Subject

Mary in her aspect of the Immaculate Conception is the patroness of the United States, and Our Lady of Guadalupe was declared Empress of all the Americas by Pope Pius X. With Lumen Gentium (1964), Pope Paul VI proclaimed Mary as Mother of the Church. In the 1980s, while it was still a part of the USSR, Pope John Paul II dedicated Russia to her. Artistic representations of Mary are innumerable; for differing aspects, see Christian iconography under iconography. She has been the subject of countless works from the time of the pseudepigrapha.

Bibliography

See H. C. Graef, Mary (2 vol., 1963–65); H. A. Oberman, The Virgin Mary in Evangelical Perspective (1971); S. Benko, Protestants, Catholics and Mary (1978); H. Küng, ed., Mary in the Churches (1983); M. O'Connell, ed., Theotokos: A Theological Encyclopedia of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1983).

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15 of the Best Books and Articles on: Virgin Mary

as selected by Questia librarians

1.

The Virgin Mary: The Roman Catholic Marian Doctrine » Read Now
by Giovanni Miegge, Waldo Smith. 202 pgs.

Collections: Religious Studies, Entire Library

...THE VIRGIN MARY The Roman Catholic Marian Doctrine THE VIRGIN MARY THE ROMAN CATHOLIC MARIAN DOCTRINE...way. a To the Orthodox Church the Virgin Mary belongs to the basic...
2.

Mary: The Feminine Face of the Church » Read Now
by Rosemary Radford Ruether. 108 pgs.

Collections: Religious Studies, Entire Library

For many Protestants the dogma of the Roman Catholic Church in relation to Mary has been mysterious and inscrutable. It has caused them to pull away from Mary and assume that doctrines about Mary are simply false. New questions are being raised. Is Protestantism too masculine? Why are all of its...
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For many Protestants the dogma of the Roman Catholic Church in relation to Mary has been mysterious and inscrutable. It has caused them to pull away from Mary and assume that doctrines about Mary are simply false. New questions are being raised. Is Protestantism too masculine? Why are all of its symbols male? Are there neglected positive elements for Protestants in Mary? How is the veneration of Mary related to Biblical faith?
Dr. Ruether's book makes a significant contribution to our understanding of Mary's role in the vital doctrine of the contemporary church. In this unique study, she brings together much hard-to-find material. Her careful Biblical scholarship enables us to reclaim a long-ignored part of our religious tradition. Useful for women's and other adult study groups, this book includes helps for study leaders.
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3.

Reforming Mary: Changing Images of the Virgin Mary in Lutheran Sermons of the Sixteenth Century » Read Now
by Beth Kreitzer. 229 pgs.

Collections: Religious Studies, Entire Library

Catholics and Protestants have, since the earliest days of the Reformation, held markedly different views about the Virgin Mary. In Reforming Mary Beth Kreitzer examines the development of Lutheran views on this subject as expressed in 16th-century Lutheran published sermons, starting with the...
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Catholics and Protestants have, since the earliest days of the Reformation, held markedly different views about the Virgin Mary. In Reforming Mary Beth Kreitzer examines the development of Lutheran views on this subject as expressed in 16th-century Lutheran published sermons, starting with the earliest of Luther's own Reformation sermons. She shows that from the beginning Lutherans rejected much of the theology and piety that surrounded Mary in Catholicism, especially her status as heavenly queen and intercessor with Christ. They affirmed those orthodox teachings about Mary that related to Christ (the Virgin's role as Theotokos, the virgin birth) and by extension Mary's purity, or perpetual virginity. As time went on Lutheran preachers showed less interest in Mary as a topic and by the later part of the century showed an increasingly harsh and critical view of her. These later sermons reveal a new willingness, in opposition to received tradition, to impute sin to Mary. Kreitzer attributes this changed attitude to the increasing distance of Lutherans from their Catholic roots, the logical results of theological changes in the Reformation, and a perception of an increased threat of re-catholicization. Finally, she shows, Mary was pressed into service by preachers who endeavored to instruct the laity in both what to believe and how to live, making a causal connection between being a good Christian and being a good citizen of society. In this context, Mary was used as a role model and was often promoted as an exemplar for females in ways that served to constrain and domesticate women, placing them more firmly under male authority. But despite the attempts by preachers to domesticate and mold her, Kreitzer argues, the Lutheran Mary remains a complex and paradoxical figure.
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4.

The Mary Myth: On the Femininity of God » Read Now
by Andrew M. Greeley. 230 pgs.

Collections: Religious Studies, Entire Library

...Crossroad book." 1. Mary, Virgin--Theology. 2. Femininity...was the cult of the virgin, which elevated...inconsequential figure of Mary to a stupendous...
5.

Mary's Pope: John Paul II, Mary, and the Church since Vatican II » Read Now
by Antoine Nachef. 282 pgs.

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Rooted in Scripture, Tradition, and Redemtoris Mater and other encyclicals, this book lays the foundations for understanding the teachings of the Catholic Church concerning Mary.
6.

Gertrude the Great and the Virgin Mary, in Church History » Read Now
by Sharon Elkins. 15 pgs.

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...Gertrude the Great and the Virgin Mary SHARON ELKINS Scholars agree...enthusiastically devoted to the Virgin Mary. 1 Even when they debated...Her Sex: The Myth and Cult of...
7.

Looking for a Miracle: Weeping Icons, Relics, Stigmata, Visions & Healing Cures ("Marian Apparitions" begins on p. 169) » Read Now
by Joe Nickell. 248 pgs.

Collections: Religious Studies, Entire Library

Do miracles really happen? What is the evidence for paranormal phenomena that demonstrate divine power, and what alternative explanations can be offered for such apparently miraculous occurrences? How does the earnest inquirer assess the conflicting evidence and reach a conclusion? These and related...
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Do miracles really happen? What is the evidence for paranormal phenomena that demonstrate divine power, and what alternative explanations can be offered for such apparently miraculous occurrences? How does the earnest inquirer assess the conflicting evidence and reach a conclusion? These and related questions are answered in this illuminating examination of miracle claims by respected historical, paranormal, and forensic investigator Joe Nickell. Not a critique of religion but rather a careful examination of the evidence relating to specific claims of the miraculous, Looking for a Miracle investigates a panoply of strange events, powers, and objects that are at the center of the controversy between so-called miraculists and confirmed skeptics. Among the phenomena studied are "Miraculous Pictures", like the Shroud of Turin, the Edessan Image, and the Image of Guadalupe; seemingly "Magical Icons", such as weeping, bleeding, and otherwise animated paintings and statues; "Mystical Relics", including "burning handprints", the liquefying blood of St. Januarius, and ostensibly "incorruptible" corpses of saints; "Pentecostal Powers", such as speaking in tongues, the gift of prophecy, taking up serpents, and other powers and immunities; "Faith Healing", including the reported miracle cures at Lourdes and the practices of evangelists, Christian Scientists, and "psychic surgeons"; "Ecstatic Visions", like the apparitions of the Virgin Mary at Fatima and Medjugorje; and such "Sanctified Powers" as luminosity, levitation, bilocation, stigmata, inedia (the going without food); and the ability to produce objects out of thin air. Looking for a Miracle is a wide-ranging investigative study of acontroversial topic that has all too often been approached either with excessive credulity or a dismissive attitude. Religious believers and rationalist thinkers alike have much to learn from this revealing examination of the eviden
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8.

Theological Investigations, Vol 1: God, Christ, Mary, and Grace » Read Now
by Karl S. J. Rahner, Cornelius O. P. Ernst. 382 pgs.

Collections: Religious Studies, Entire Library

...INVESTIGATIONS VOLUME I GOD, CHRIST, MARY AND GRACE by KARL S. J. RAHNER...Mediator. A. Marys divine Motherhood. Mary as the representative of humanity. The...brethren of...
9.

Sexism and God-Talk: Toward a Feminist Theology (Chap. 6 "Mariology as Symbolic Ecclesiology: Repression or Liberation?") » Read Now
by Rosemary Radford Ruether. 292 pgs.

Collections: Religious Studies, Entire Library

...Ecclesiology: Repression or Liberation? 139 The Patriarchal Feminine as Mater Ecclesia, Psyche, and Virgin Mary 139 Liberation Mariology: The Church as Humanity Redeemed...
10.

Church Symbolism: An Explanation of the More Important Symbols of the Old and New Testament, the Primitive, the Mediaeval and the Modern Church (Chap. XIII "Symbols of the Blessed Virgin") » Read Now
by F. R. Webber. 413 pgs.

Collections: Religious Studies, Entire Library

...XIII. Symbols of the Virgin Mary 173 XIV. The Four...XVII. Symbols of the Virgin Mary 177 XVIII. The...liberalistic mind. In speaking of the Virgin Mary, it is customary...
11.

Her Image of Salvation: Female Saviors and Formative Christianity (Chap. 4 "'Mother and Maiden Was Never None But She': The Many Marys") » Read Now
by Gail Paterson Corrington. 228 pgs.

Collections: Religious Studies, Entire Library

Corrington examines the image of the savior and the experience of salvation, two concepts that are inextricably entwined. The author asserts that Christianity set aside female images of salvation by emphasizing the maleness of Jesus. She draws on solid knowledge of Jewish and classical Greek sources...
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Corrington examines the image of the savior and the experience of salvation, two concepts that are inextricably entwined. The author asserts that Christianity set aside female images of salvation by emphasizing the maleness of Jesus. She draws on solid knowledge of Jewish and classical Greek sources to show that the image of God could be seen as both male and female.
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12.

Religion and Sexism: Images of Woman in the Jewish and Christian Traditions ("Equality of Souls, Inequality of Sexes: Woman in Medieval Theology" begins on p. 213) » Read Now
by Rosemary Radford Ruether. 360 pgs.

Collections: Religious Studies, Entire Library

...in the symbolic expression of ultimate concern," especially as the female element is represented in the role of the Virgin Mary. Tillich believed the purge drove many...
13.

Polaroids from Heaven: Photography, Folk Religion, and the Miraculous Image Tradition at a Marian Apparition Site, in Journal of American Folklore » Read Now
by Daniel Wojcik. 20 pgs.

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...Veronica Lueken, through whom the Virgin Mary, Jesus, and numerous saints are...adorned five-foot statue of the Virgin Mary which stands on a modest slab...dictation. On...
14.

From Judgment to Passion: Devotion to Christ and the Virgin Mary, 800-1200 » Read Now
by Rachel Fulton. 674 pgs.

Collections: Religious Studies, Entire Library

Devotion to the crucified Christ is one of the most familiar yet disconcerting artifacts of medieval European civilization. How and why did the images of the dying God-man and his grieving mother achieve such prominence, inspiring unparalleled religious creativity and emotional artistry even as they...
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Devotion to the crucified Christ is one of the most familiar yet disconcerting artifacts of medieval European civilization. How and why did the images of the dying God-man and his grieving mother achieve such prominence, inspiring unparalleled religious creativity and emotional artistry even as they fostered such imitative extremes as celibacy, crusade, and self-flagellation? Magisterial in style and comprehensive in scope, From Judgment to Passion is the first systematic attempt to explain the origins and initial development of European devotion to Christ in his suffering humanity and Mary in her compassionate grief. Rachel Fulton examines liturgical performance, doctrine, private prayer, scriptural exegesis, and art in order to illuminate and explain the powerful desire shared by medieval women and men to identify with the crucified Christ and his mother. The book begins with the Carolingian campaign to convert the newly conquered pagan Saxons, in particular with the effort to explain for these new converts the mystery of the Eucharist, the miraculous presence of Christ's body at the Mass. Moving on to the early eleventh century, when Christ's failure to return on the millennium of his Passion (A.D. 1033) necessitated for believers a radical revision of Christian history, Fulton examines the novel liturgies and devotions that arose amid this apocalyptic disappointment. The book turns finally to the twelfth century when, in the wake of the capture of Jerusalem in the First Crusade, there occurred the full flowering of a new, more emotional sensibility of faith, epitomized by the eroticism of the Marian exegesis of the Song of Songs and by the artistic and architectural innovations we have come to think of as quintessentially high medieval. In addition to its concern with explaining devotional change, From Judgment to Passion presses a second, crucial question: How is it possible for modern historians to understand not only the social and cultural functions but also the experience of faith -- the impulsive engagement with the emotions, sometimes ineffable, of prayer and devotion? The answer, magnificently exemplified throughout this book's narrative, lies in imaginative empathy, the same incorporation of self into story that lay at the heart of the medieval effort to identify with Christ and Mary in their love and pain.
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15.

The Virgin Goddess: Studies in the Pagan and Christian Roots of Mariology » Read Now
by S. Benko. 304 pgs.

Collections: Religious Studies, Entire Library