There is no figure in Christian history that is more misunderstood than Mary. The biggest misconception is that she is worshiped by Catholic and Orthodox Christians and even by some early reformed Protestant Christians like traditional Anglicans and Lutherans. This may shock you, but see how some of the early Protestant Reformers of the 1500s viewed Mary. I verified that this meme is historically-correct.
Let's take a look at the video that gave me the spark to understand Mary Biblically through Jewish-Christian eyes. If you don't watch any other video about Mary, PLEASE watch this one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
I wanted to understand who Mary was. This video clip gives the Old and New Testament covenentual parallels that finaly helped me understand who Mary properly seen by the Early Christians, the New Ark of the Convenanet and the New Eve.
All four of the ancient Christian Marian doctrines are: 1. She is the Mother of God, 2. She was a perpetual virgin, 3. She was immaculately conceived, and 4. She was assumed into Heaven. Not only did the Early Church Fathers believe in these doctrines, Protestant Reformers Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Ulrich Zwingli believed in some to all of the Marian doctrines.
Please watch at least the first video from Dr. Brant Pitre and the Biblical Jewish Roots of Mary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Catechism of the Catholic Church
970 "Mary's
function as mother of men in no way obscures or diminishes this unique
mediation of Christ, but rather shows its power. But the Blessed Virgin's
salutary influence on men . . . flows forth from the superabundance
of the merits of Christ, rests on his mediation, depends entirely on it, and
draws all its power from it."513 "No creature could
ever be counted along with the Incarnate Word and Redeemer; but just as the
priesthood of Christ is shared in various ways both by his ministers and the
faithful, and as the one goodness of God is radiated in different ways among
his creatures, so also the unique mediation of the Redeemer does not exclude
but rather gives rise to a manifold cooperation which is but a sharing in this
one source."514
--------Quotes from the Church Fathers and Protestant Reformers about Mary.-------
Protestant Reformers Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Ulrich Zwignli quotes are below the Church Fathers.
--------Quotes from the Church Fathers and Protestant Reformers about Mary.-------
Protestant Reformers Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Ulrich Zwignli quotes are below the Church Fathers.
Assumption
Assumption of Mary (400 ad)
And the Holy Spirit said to the apostles: Let all of you together, having come by the clouds from the ends of the world, be assembled to holy Bethlehem by a whirlwind, on account of the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ; Peter from Rome, Paul from Tiberia, Thomas from Hither India, James from Jerusalem. Andrew, Peter's brother, and Philip, Luke, and Simon the Cananaean, and Thaddaeus who had fallen asleep, were raised by the Holy Spirit out of their tombs
Assumption of Mary (400 ad)
and for three days the voices of invisible angels were heard glorifying Christ our God, who had been born of her. And when the third day was ended, the voices were no longer heard; and from that time forth all knew that her spotless and precious body had been transferred to paradise.
Assumption of Mary (400 ad)
We apostles, therefore, having beheld the sudden precious translation of her holy body, glorified God, who had shown us His wonders at the departure of the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, whose prayers and good offices may we all be deemed worthy to receive.
John Damascene Sermon 2 on the Assumption (676–749 ad)
How, then, was she assumed to the heavenly courts? In this way. What were the honours then conferred upon her by God who commands us to honour our parents?
John Damascene Sermon 2 on the Assumption (676–749 ad)
And thus the immaculate (panagion) [191] body was laid in the tomb. Then it was assumed after three days to the heavenly mansions. The bosom of the earth was no fitting receptacle for the Lord's dwelling-place, the living source of cleansing water, the corn of heavenly bread, the sacred vine of divine wine, the evergreen and fruitful olive-branch of God's mercy. And just as the all holy body of God's Son, which was taken from her, rose from the dead on the third day, it followed that she should be snatched from the tomb, that the mother should be united to her Son; and as He had come down to her, so she should be raised up to Him, into the more perfect dwelling-place, heaven itself.
John of Damascus Sermon 3 (676-749 ad)
Let the air rejoice at the Assumption. Let gentle breezes waft grace. Let all nature keep the feast of the Mother of God's Assumption.
John of Damascus Sermon 2 (676-749 ad)
And thus the immaculate (panagion) [191] body was laid in the tomb. Then it was assumed after three days to the heavenly mansions.
Ever Virgin
Peter of Alexandria Fragments 5 par 7 (260-311ad)
the only-begotten Son, and the Word co-eternal with the Father and the Holy Spirit, and of the same substance with them, according to His divine nature, our Lord and God, Jesus Christ, being in the end of the world born according to the flesh of our holy and glorious lady, Mother of God, and Ever-Virgin, and, of a truth, of Mary the Mother of God; and being seen upon earth, and having true and real converse as man with men, who were of the same substance with Him
Athanasius Discourse 2 Against the Arians par 70 (296-373 ad)
Therefore let those who deny that the Son is from the Father by nature and proper to His Essence, deny also that He took true human flesh(2) of Mary Ever-Virgin(3); for in neither case had it been of profit to us men, whether the Word were not true and naturally Son of God, or the flesh not true which He assumed.
Liturgy of James 9 (300 ad)
Thou who art the only-begotten Son and Word of God, immortal; who didst submit for our salvation to become flesh of the holy Mother of God, and ever-virgin Mary
Gregory of Nyssa On Virginity ch 8(325-386 ad)
Just as, in the age of Mary the mother of God, he who had reigned from Adam to her time found, when he came to her and dashed his forces against the fruit of her virginity as against a rock, that he was shattered to pieces upon her, so in every soul which passes through this life in the flesh under the protection of virginity, the strength of death is in a manner broken and annulled, for he does not find the places upon which he may fix his sting
Ambrose of Milan Concerning Virgins book 2 ch 2 (340-397 ad)
The life of Mary is set before virgins as an example, and her many virtues are dwelt upon, her chastity, humility, hard life, love of retirement, and the like; then her kindness to others, her zeal in learning, and love of frequenting the temple.
Jerome Against Jovinianus book 1 par 31 (347-420 ad)
That which is shut up and sealed reminds us of the mother of our Lord who was a mother and a Virgin. Hence it was that no one before or after our Saviour was laid in his new tomb, hewn in the solid rock. And yet she that was ever a Virgin is the mother of many virgins.
Jerome Letter 22 par 22 (347-420 ad)
I think, described shortly in my treatise--published against Helvidius--on the perpetual virginity of the blessed Mary.
Jerome Letter 22 par 18 (347-420 ad)
For me, virginity is consecrated in the persons of Mary and of Christ."
Jerome Letter 48 par 21 (347-420 ad)
and I will explain how the holy Mary can be at once a mother and a virgin. A mother before she was wedded, she remained a virgin after bearing her son.
Augustine of Hippo on Marriage and concupiscence book 2 ch 15 (354-430 ad)
as the heretic Jovinian did, when the holy bishop maintained the permanent virginity of the blessed Mary even after child-bearing, in opposition to this man's impiety
Augustine of Hippo Nature and Grace ch 42 [354-430 AD]
"Having excepted the holy Virgin Mary, concerning whom, on account of the honor of the Lord, I wish to have absolutely no question when treating of sins—for how do we know what abundance of grace for the total overcoming of sin was conferred upon her, who merited to conceive and bear him in whom there was no sin?—so, I say, with the exception of the Virgin, if we could have gathered together all those holy men and women, when they were living here, and had asked them whether they were without sin, what do we suppose would have been their answer?"
Augustine Tractate 10 on the gospel of John (354-430 ad)
For our Scripture is wont to call them brethren, not only that are sprung from the same man and woman, or from the same mother, or from the same father, though by different mothers; or, in truth, that are of the same degree as cousins by the father's or mother's side: not these alone is our Scripture wont to call brethren. The Scripture must be understood as it speaks. It has its own language; one who does not know this language is perplexed and says, Whence had the Lord brethren? For surely Mary did not give birth a second time? Far from it! With her begins the dignity of virgins. She could be a mother, but a woman known of man she could not be. She is spoken of as mulier [which usually signifies a wife], but only in reference to her sex, not as implying loss of virgin purity: and this follows from the language of Scripture itself. For Eve, too, immediately she was formed from the side of her husband, and as yet not known of her husband, is, as you know, called mulier: "And he made her a woman [mulier]." Then, whence the brethren? The kinsmen of Mary, of whatever degree, are the brethren of the Lord. How do we prove this? From Scripture itself. Lot is called " Abraham's brother;" he was his brother's son.
Augustine On the Creed A Sermon to Catechumens par 6 (354-430 ad)
A virgin conceived, a virgin bore, and after the birth was a virgin still.
Augustine on Holy Virginity par 4 (354-430 ad)
She might have been bidden also to continue a virgin, that in her by fitting miracle the Son of God should receive the form of a servant, but, being to be a pattern to holy virgins, lest it should be thought that she alone needed to be a virgin, who had obtained to conceive a child even without sexual intercourse, she dedicated her virginity to God, when as yet she knew not what she should conceive, in order that the imitation of a heavenly life in an earthly and mortal body should take place of vow, not of command; through love of choosing, not through necessity of doing service.
Augustine of Hippo Holy Virginity par 6 [354-430 AD]
"That one woman is both mother and virgin, not in spirit only but even in body.
Leo the Great Letter 28 ch 2 (395-461 ad)
He was conceived of the Holy Spirit within the womb of His Virgin Mother, who brought Him forth without the loss of her virginity, even as she conceived Him without its loss.
Leo the Great Sermon 23 (395-461 ad)
For her virginity was violated neither at the conception nor at the birth: "that it might be fulfilled," as the Evangelist says, "which was spoken by the LORD through Isaiah the prophet, saying, behold the virgin shall conceive in the womb, and shall bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which is interpreted, GOD with us."
Gospel of the Nativity of Mary ch 4
Thereafter he appeared to Anna his wife, saying: Fear not, Anna, nor think that it is a phantom which thou seest. For I am that angel who has presented your prayers and alms before God; and now have I been sent to you to announce to you that thou shalt bring forth a daughter, who shall be called Mary, and who shall be blessed above all women. She, full of the favour of the Lord even from her birth, shall remain three years in her father's house until she be weaned. Thereafter, being delivered to the service of the Lord, she shall not depart from the temple until she reach the years of discretion.
Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew ch 4 (400 ad)
After these things, her nine months being fulfilled, Anna brought forth a daughter, and called her Mary. And having weaned her in her third year, Joachim, and Anna his wife, went together to the temple of the Lord to offer sacrifices to God, and placed the infant, Mary by name, in the community of virgins, in which the virgins remained day and night praising God. And when she was put down before the doors of the temple, she went up the fifteen steps so swiftly, that she did not look back at all; nor did she, as children are wont to do, seek for her parents
Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew ch 8 (400 ad)
they began to call her queen of virgins.
Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew ch 13 (400 ad)
It has never been heard or thought of, that any one should have her breasts full of milk, and that the birth of a son should show his mother to be a virgin. But there has been no spilling of blood in his birth, no pain in bringing him forth. A virgin has conceived, a virgin has brought forth, and a virgin she remains.
Council of Constantinople 2 (533-534 ad)
If anyone shall not confess that the nature or essence of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost is one, as also the force and the power; [if anyone does not confess] a consubstantial Trinity, one Godhead to be worshipped in three subsistences or Persons: let him be anathema. For there is but one God even the Father of whom are all things, and one Lord Jesus Christ through whom are all things, and one Holy Spirit in whom are all things. II. If anyone shall not confess that the Word of God has two nativities, the one from all eternity of the Father, without time and without body; the other in these last days, coming down from heaven and being made flesh of the holy and glorious Mary, Mother of God and always a virgin, and born of her: let him be anathema.
John of Damascus Sermon 1 on Dormition of Mary (676-749 ad)
When, however, she reached full age and the law required that she should leave the temple, she was entrusted by the priests to Joseph, her bridegroom, as the guardian of her virginity, a steadfast observer of the law from his youth.
John Damascene Sermon 2 on Assumption (676–749 ad)
To-day the holy Virgin of Virgins is presented in the heavenly temple. Virginity in her was so strong as to be a consuming fire. It is forfeited in every case by child-birth. But she is ever a virgin, before the event, in the birth itself, and afterwards.
Constantinople/Trullo/Quinisext canon 79 (692 ad)
Wherefore since some on the day after the holy Nativity of Christ our God are seen cooking semidalin, and distributing it to each other, on pretext of doing honour to the puerperia of the spotless Virgin Maternity, we decree that henceforth nothing of the kind be done by the faithful.
Immaculate Conception
Augustine of Hippo Nature and Grace ch 42 [354-430 AD]
"Having excepted the holy Virgin Mary, concerning whom, on account of the honor of the Lord, I wish to have absolutely no question when treating of sins—for how do we know what abundance of grace for the total overcoming of sin was conferred upon her, who merited to conceive and bear him in whom there was no sin?—so, I say, with the exception of the Virgin, if we could have gathered together all those holy men and women, when they were living here, and had asked them whether they were without sin, what do we suppose would have been their answer?"
Gregory Thaumaturgus Four Homilies 2nd homily (213-275ad)
And she was perplexed by this word; for she was inexperienced in all the addresses of men, and welcomed quiet, as the mother of prudence and purity; (yet) being a pure, and immaculate, and stainless image herself, she shrank not in terror from the angelic apparition, like most of the prophets, as indeed true virginity has a kind of affinity and equality with the angels
Athanasius on the Incarnation of the Word par 8 (296-373 ad)
The Word, then, visited that earth in which He was yet always present; and saw all these evils. He takes a body of our Nature, and that of a spotless Virgin, in whose womb He makes it His own, wherein to reveal Himself, conquer death, and restore life.
Ephraim the Syrian On the Nativity of Christ in the Flesh Hymn XV par 23 (306-373 ad)
Let women praise Her, the pure Mary,--that as in Eve their mother,--great was their reproach,--lo! in Mary their sister,--greatly magnified was their honour
Gregory Nazianzen Oration 38 par 13 (325-389 ad)
Conceived by the Virgin,(g) who first in body and soul was purified by the Holy Ghost(d) (for it was needful both that Childbearing should be honoured, and that Virginity should receive a higher honour), He came forth then as God with that which He had assumed, One Person in two Natures, Flesh and Spirit, of which the latter deified the former
Gregory Nazianzen Oration 40 par 45 (325-389 ad)
Believe that the Son of God, the Eternal Word, Who was begotten of the Father before all time and without body, was in these latter days for your sake made also Son of Man, born of the Virgin Mary ineffably and stainlessly (for nothing can be stained where God is, and by which salvation comes),
Augustine On Nature and Grace ch 2 (354-430 ad)
the mother of our Lord and Saviour, for of her," he says, "we must needs allow that her piety had no sin in it." We must except the holy Virgin Mary, concerning whom I wish to raise no question when it touches the subject of sins, out of honour to the Lord; for from Him we know what abundance of grace for overcoming sin in every particular was conferred upon her who had the merit to conceive and bear Him who undoubtedly had no sin. Well, then, if, with this exception of the Virgin, we could only assemble together all the forementioned holy men and women, and ask them whether they lived without sin whilst they were in this life, what can we suppose would be their answer?
Augustine On Merits and Remission of Sin and Infant Baptism book 2 ch 7 (354-430 ad)
Whether it be possible for a man in this life to be without sin? I should allow the possibility, through the grace of God and the man's own free will; not doubting that the free will itself is ascribable to God's grace, in other words, to the gifts of God
Leo the Great Sermon 22 (395-461 ad)
Cherish an undoubting belief in the Virgin's pure conception.
Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew ch 13 (400 ad)
It has never been heard or thought of, that any one should have her breasts full of milk, and that the birth of a son should show his mother to be a virgin. But there has been no spilling of blood in his birth, no pain in bringing him forth. A virgin has conceived, a virgin has brought forth, and a virgin she remains.
Assumption of Mary (400 ad)
and a voice, as if of the Son of man, was heard, and the seraphim in a circle round the house where the holy, spotless mother of God and virgin was lying, so that all who were in Bethlehem beheld all the wonderful things,
John Damascene Dormition of the Virgin Sermon 1 [676-754 AD]
Hence, when thy holy and sinless body was taken to the tomb, the choirs of angels bore it, and were all around, leaving nothing undone for the honour of our Lord's Mother, whilst apostles and all the assembly of the Church burst into [168] prophetic song, saying: "We shall be filled with the good things of Thy house, holy is Thy temple, wonderful in justice."
John Damascene Sermon 2 on the Assumption (676–749 ad)
To-day the holy dove, the pure and guileless soul, sanctified by the Holy Spirit, putting off the ark of her body, the life-giving receptacle of Our Lord, found rest to the soles of her feet, taking her flight to the spiritual world, and dwelling securely in the sinless country above.
John of Damascus Apologia Against those who Decry Holy Images (676-749 ad)
St Maximus, Philosopher and Confessor. From his "Acts" and those of Bishop Theodosius. And after this all rose with tears of devotion, and kneeling down, prayed. And every one kissed the holy Gospels, and the sacred Cross, and the image of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and of Our Lady, His Immaculate Mother (panagiaV qeotokou), putting their hands to it in confirmation of what had been said.
John of Damascus Sermon 2 (676-749 ad)
And thus the immaculate (panagion) [191] body was laid in the tomb. Then it was assumed after three days to the heavenly mansions.
John of Damascus Sermon 2 (676-749 ad)
The King was there to receive with divine embrace* the holy, undefiled, and stainless soul of His Mother on her going home.
John of Damascus Sermon 1 (676-749 ad)
The Father predestined her, the prophets foretold her through the Holy Ghost. His sanctifying power overshadowed her, cleansed* and made her holy, and, as it were, predestined her.
Constantinople/Trullo/Quinisext canon 79 (692 ad)
Wherefore since some on the day after the holy Nativity of Christ our God are seen cooking semidalin, and distributing it to each other, on pretext of doing honour to the puerperia of the spotless Virgin Maternity, we decree that henceforth nothing of the kind be done by the faithful.
2nd Council of Nicaea During the time of Stephen II [787-788 AD]
the figure of our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ, of our spotless Lady, the Mother of God
Mary the New Eve
Justin Martyr Dialogue with Trypho ch 100 [100-165 AD]
"[Jesus] became man by the Virgin so that the course which was taken by disobedience in the beginning through the agency of the serpent might be also the very course by which it would be put down. Eve, a virgin and undefiled, conceived the word of the serpent and bore disobedience and death. But the Virgin Mary received faith and joy when the angel Gabriel announced to her the glad tidings that the Spirit of the Lord would come upon her and the power of the Most High would overshadow her, for which reason the Holy One being born of her is the Son of God. And she replied ‘Be it done unto me according to your word’ [Luke 1:38]"
Irenaeus of Lyons Adversus Haereses (Book V Chapter 19) [120-180 AD]
"The Lord then was manifestly coming to his own things, and was sustaining them by means of that creation that is supported by himself. He was making a recapitulation of that disobedience that had occurred in connection with a tree, through the obedience that was upon a tree [i.e., the cross]. Furthermore, the original deception was to be done away with—the deception by which that virgin Eve (who was already espoused to a man) was unhappily misled. That this was to be overturned was happily announced through means of the truth by the angel to the Virgin Mary (who was also [espoused] to a man). . . . So if Eve disobeyed God, yet Mary was persuaded to be obedient to God. In this way, the Virgin Mary might become the advocate of the virgin Eve. And thus, as the human race fell into bondage to death by means of a virgin, so it is rescued by a virgin. Virginal disobedience has been balanced in the opposite scale by virginal obedience. For in the same way, the sin of the first created man received amendment by the correction of the First-Begotten" Tertullian The Flesh of Christ ch 17 [160-240 AD]
"And again, lest I depart from my argumentation on the name of Adam: Why is Christ called Adam by the apostle [Paul], if as man he was not of that earthly origin? But even reason defends this conclusion, that God recovered his image and likeness by a procedure similar to that in which he had been robbed of it by the devil. It was while Eve was still a virgin that the word of the devil crept in to erect an edifice of death. Likewise through a virgin the Word of God was introduced to set up a structure of life. Thus what had been laid waste in ruin by this sex was by the same sex reestablished in salvation. Eve had believed the serpent; Mary believed Gabriel. That which the one destroyed by believing, the other, by believing, set straight"
Tertullian On the Flesh of Christ [160-240 AD]
CHAPTER 17 The similarity of circumstances between the first and the second Adam, as to the derivation of their flesh. An analogy also pleasantly traced between Eve and the Virgin Mary.
Peter of Alexandria Fragments 5 par 7 [260-311 AD]
Therefore, when the holy prophets, and all, as I have said, who righteously and justly walked in the law of the Lord, together with the entire people, celebrated a typical and shadowy Passover, the Creator and Lord of every visible and invisible creature, the only-begotten Son, and the Word co-eternal with the Father and the Holy Spirit, and of the same substance with them, according to His divine nature, our Lord and God, Jesus Christ, being in the end of the world born according to the flesh of our holy and glorious lady, Mother of God, and Ever-Virgin, and, of a truth, of Mary the Mother of God; and being seen upon earth, and having true and real converse as man with men, who were of the same substance with Him, according to His human nature, Himself also, with the people, in the years before His public ministry and during His public ministry, did celebrate the legal and shadowy Passover, eating the typical lamb...
Peter of Alexandria The Genuine Acts of Peter [260-311 AD]
In the meanwhile a spirited body of senators of those who are en gaged in the public transport service, seeing what had happened, for they were near the sea, prepared a boat, and suddenly seizing upon the sacred relics, they placed them in it, and scaling the Pharos from behind, by a quarter which has the name of Leucado, they came to the church of the most blessed mother of God, and Ever-Virgin Mary, which, as we began to say, he had constructed in the western quarter, in a suburb, for a cemetery of the martyrs.
Ephraim the Syrian On the Nativity of Christ in the Flesh Hymn XV par 23 (306-373 ad)
Let women praise Her, the pure Mary,--that as in Eve their mother,--great was their reproach,--lo! in Mary their sister,--greatly magnified was their honour
Augustine of Hippo On Marriage and Concupiscence ch 15 [354-430 AD]
when the holy bishop maintained the permanent virginity of the blessed Mary even after child-bearing, in opposition to this man's impiety. If, however, you do not dare to call him a Manichean, why do you call us Manicheans when we defend the catholic faith in the self-same cause and with the self same opinions?
Mary Ark of the Covenant
Hyppolytus Extant works and Fragments Fragment 2 par 6 (170-236 ad)
At that time, then, the Saviour appeared and showed His own body to the world, (born) of the Virgin, who was the "ark overlaid with pure gold," with the Word within and the Holy Spirit without; so that the truth is demonstrated, and the "ark" made manifest.
Hyppolytus Extant works and Fragments Commentary on psalm 22 (170-236 ad)
And, moreover, the ark made of imperishable wood was the Saviour Himself. For by this was signified the imperishable and incorruptible tabernacle of (the Lord) Himself, which gendered no corruption of sin. For the sinner, indeed, makes this confession: the Lord was without sin, made of imperishable wood, as regards His humanity; that is, of the virgin and the Holy Ghost inwardly, and outwardly of the word of God, like an ark overlaid with purest gold.
Gregory Thaumaturgus 1st homily on the Annuciation (213-275 ad)
Come, then, ye too, dearly beloved, and let us chant the melody which has been taught us by the inspired harp of David, and say, "Arise, O Lord, into Thy rest; Thou, and the ark of Thy sanctuary." For the holy Virgin is in truth an ark, wrought with gold both within and without, that has received the whole treasury of the sanctuary.
John Damascene Sermon 2 on the Assumption (676–749 ad)
When the Ark of God, departing from Mount Sion for the heavenly country, was borne on the shoulders of the Apostles, it was placed on the way in the tomb.
John Damascene Sermon 2 on the Assumption (676–749 ad)
To-day the sacred and living ark of the living God, who conceived her Creator Himself, takes up her abode in the temple of God, not made by hands. David, her [174] forefather,* rejoices. Angels and Archangels are in jubilation, Powers exult, Principalities and Dominations, Virtues and Thrones are in gladness: Cherubim and Seraphim magnify God. Not the least of their Praise is it to refer praise to the Mother of glory. To-day the holy dove, the pure and guileless soul, sanctified by the Holy Spirit, putting off the ark of her body, the life-giving receptacle of Our Lord, found rest to the soles of her feet, taking her flight to the spiritual world, and dwelling securely in the sinless country above.
John Damascene Sermon 2 on the Assumption (676–749 ad)
Let us dance in spirit with David; to-day the Ark of God is at rest. With Gabriel, the great archangel, let us exclaim, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Hail, inexhaustible ocean of grace. Hail, sole refuge in grief. Hail, cure of hearts. Hail, through whom death is expelled and life is installed."
Mother of God
Peter of Alexandria Fragments 5 par 7 (260-311ad)
the only-begotten Son, and the Word co-eternal with the Father and the Holy Spirit, and of the same substance with them, according to His divine nature, our Lord and God, Jesus Christ, being in the end of the world born according to the flesh of our holy and glorious lady, Mother of God, and Ever-Virgin, and, of a truth, of Mary the Mother of God; and being seen upon earth, and having true and real converse as man with men, who were of the same substance with Him
Athanasius Discourse 3 Against the Arians par 33 (296-373 ad)
even from the womb, and John, while yet in the womb, leapt for joy at the voice of Mary Bearer of God
Methodius Oration concerning Simeon and Anna par 7 (300 ad)
While the old man was thus exultant, and rejoicing with exceeding great and holy joy, that which had before been spoken of in a figure by the prophet Isaiah, the holy mother of God now manifestly fulfilled
Gregory of Nyssa Letter 17 (325-386 ad)
And what means this opposing array of new Altars? Do we announce another Jesus? Do we hint at another? Do we produce other scriptures? Have any of ourselves dared to say "Mother of Man" of the Holy Virgin, the Mother of God: which is what we hear that some of them say without restraint?
Gregory of Nyssa On Virginity ch 8(325-386 ad)
Just as, in the age of Mary the mother of God, he who had reigned from Adam to her time found, when he came to her and dashed his forces against the fruit of her virginity as against a rock, that he was shattered to pieces upon her, so in every soul which passes through this life in the flesh under the protection of virginity, the strength of death is in a manner broken and annulled, for he does not find the places upon which he may fix his sting
Gregory Nazianzen Letters Division I to CLEDONIUS (325-389 ad)
If anyone does not believe that Holy Mary is the Mother of God, he is severed from the Godhead. If anyone should assert that He passed through the Virgin as through a channel, and was not at once divinely and humanly formed in her (divinely, because without the intervention of a man; humanly, because in accordance with the laws of gestation), he is in like manner godless.
Basil Letter 262 par 1 (329-379 ad)
I mean that God Himself was turned into flesh; that He did not assume, through the Holy Mary, the nature of Adam, but, in His own proper Godhead, was changed into a material nature.
Ambrose of Milan Concerning Virgins book 2 ch 1 par 7 (340-397 ad)
What is greater than the Mother of God? What more glorious than she whom Glory Itself chose?
Sozomen Ecclesiastical History Book VII ch 5 [375-447 AD]
"Gregory of Nazianzen presided over those who maintain the consubstantiality of the Holy Trinity, and assembled them together in a little dwelling, which had been altered into the form of a house of prayer, by those who held the same opinions and had a like form of worship. It subsequently became one of the most conspicuous in the city, and is so now, not only for the beauty and number of its structures, but also for the advantages accruing to it from the visible manifestations of God. For the power of God was there manifested, and was helpful both in waking visions and in dreams, often for the relief of many diseases and for those afflicted by some sudden transmutation in their affairs. The power was accredited to Mary, the Mother of God, the holy Virgin, for she does manifest herself in this way"
Socrates Ecclesial History book 7 ch 32 (379-450 ad)
Nestorius had an associate whom he had brought from Antioch, a presbyter named Anastasius; for this man he had the highest esteem, and consulted him in the management of his most important affairs. This Anastasius preaching one day in the church said, 'Let no one call Mary Theotocos: for Mary was but a woman; and it is impossible that God should be born of a woman.' These words created a great sensation, and troubled many both of the clergy and laity; they having been heretofore taught to acknowledge Christ as God, and by no means to separate his humanity from his divinity on account of the economy of incarnation, heeding the voice of the apostle when he said, 'Yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh; yet now henceforth know we him no more.
Vincent of Lerins Commonitory par 35 (390-450 ad)
Nestorius, whose disease is of an opposite kind, while pretending that he holds two distinct substances in Christ, brings in of a sudden two Persons, and with unheard of wickedness would have two sons of God, two Christs,--one, God, the other, man, one, begotten of his Father, the other, born of his mother. For which reason he maintains that Saint Mary ought to be called, not Theotocos (the mother of God), but Christotocos (the mother of Christ), seeing that she gave birth not to the Christ who is God, but to the Christ who is man.
Theodoret Letter 151 (393-457 ad)
Wherefore also we call tile holy Virgin both Mother of God and Mother of man, since the Lord Christ Himself is called God and man in the divine Scripture. The name Emmanuel proclaims the union of the two natures. If we acknowledge the Christ to be both God and Man and so call Him, who is so insensate as to shrink from using the term "Mother of man" with that of " Mother of God"? For we use both terms of the Lord Christ. For this reason the Virgin is honoured and called accordance with the titles of the Saviour, when on His account she is honoured by the faithful? For He who was born of her is not worshipped on her account, but she is honoured with the highest titles on account of Him Who was born from her.
Council of Ephesus letter of Cyril to John of Antioch (431 ad)
O fools, whose only competence is in slander! How did you become so perverted in thought and fall into such a sickness of idiocy? For you must surely know that almost all our fight for the faith arose in connection with our insistence that the holy virgin is the mother of God. But if we claim that the holy body of our common saviour Christ is born from heaven and was not of her, why should she still be considered God-bearer? For whom indeed did she bear, if it is untrue that she bore Emmanuel according to the flesh? It is rather they who speak such nonsense against me who deserve to be ridiculed.
John of Damascus Exposition of the Faith book 3 ch 12 (676-749 ad)
Hence it is with justice and truth that we call the holy Mary the Mother of God. For this name embraces the whole mystery of the dispensation. For if she who bore Him is the Mother of God, assuredly He Who was born of her is God and likewise also man. For how could God, Who was before the ages, have been born of a woman unless He had become man ? For the son of man must clearly be man himself. But if He Who was born of a woman is Himself God, manifestly He Who was born of God the Father in accordance with the laws of an essence that is divine and knows no beginning, and He Who was in the last days born of the Virgin in accordance with the laws of an essence that has beginning and is subject to time, that is, an essence which is human, must be one and the same. The name in truth signifies the one subsistence and the two natures and the two generations Of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Constantinople/Trullo/Quinisext canon 79 (692 ad)
Ancient Epitome: Whoever after the feast of the Mother of God shall prepare semidilin (semilam) or anything else on account of what is called puerperia, let him be cut off.
Veneration of Mary
Rylands Papyrus P470 Egypt (250 ad)
Under thy compassion we take refuge, O Mother of God (Theotokos). Do not despise our petitions in the time of trouble, but from dangers ransom us, singularly holy, singularly blessed.
Sozomen Ecclesiastical History Book VII ch 5 [375-447 AD]
"Gregory of Nazianzen presided over those who maintain the consubstantiality of the Holy Trinity, and assembled them together in a little dwelling, which had been altered into the form of a house of prayer, by those who held the same opinions and had a like form of worship. It subsequently became one of the most conspicuous in the city, and is so now, not only for the beauty and number of its structures, but also for the advantages accruing to it from the visible manifestations of God. For the power of God was there manifested, and was helpful both in waking visions and in dreams, often for the relief of many diseases and for those afflicted by some sudden transmutation in their affairs. The power was accredited to Mary, the Mother of God, the holy Virgin, for she does manifest herself in this way"
Council of Ephesus Extracts from session 1 (431 ad)
Theodosius, the humble Christian, to the holy and Ecumenical Synod: I confess and I agree to (suntiqemai) and I receive and I salute and I venerate in the first place the spotless image of our Lord Jesus Christ, our true God, and the holy image of her who bore him without seed, the holy Mother of God, and her help and protection and intercessions each day and night as a sinner to my aid I call for, since she has confidence with Christ our God, as he was born of her. Likewise also I receive and venerate the images of the holy and most laudable Apostles, prophets, and martyrs and the fathers and cultivators of the desert. Not indeed as gods (God forbid!) do I ask all these with my whole heart to pray for me to God, that he may grant me through their intercessions to find mercy at his hands at the day of judgment, for in this I am but showing forth more clearly the affection and love of my soul which I have borne them from the first. Likewise also I venerate and honour and salute the reliques of the Saints as of those who fought for Christ and who have received grace from him for the healing of diseases and the curing of sicknesses and the casting out of devils, as the Christian Church has received from the holy Apostles and Fathers even down to us to-day.
John of Damascus Sermon 1 on Dormition of Mary (676-749 ad)
If, as the divine Word made flesh taught us, [170] honour shown to servants, is honour shown to our common Lord, how can honour shown to thee, His Mother, be slighted? How is it not most desirable? Art thou not honoured as the very breath of life?
John Damascene Sermon 2 on the Assumption (676–749 ad)
Let us dance in spirit with David; to-day the Ark of God is at rest. With Gabriel, the great archangel, let us exclaim, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Hail, inexhaustible ocean of grace. Hail, sole refuge in grief. Hail, cure of hearts. Hail, through whom death is expelled and life is installed."
John Damascene Sermon 2 on the Assumption (676–749 ad)
Let us then also keep solemn feast to-day to honour the joyful departure of God's Mother,
John of Damascus Apologia Against those who Decry Holy Images (676-749 ad)
From the Life of the Abbot Daniel, on Eulogius the Quarryman. [+] Then he went away dejected, and threw himself before an image of Our Lady, and crying out, he said: "Lord, enable me to pay what I promised this man."
John of Damascus Apologia Against those who Decry Holy Images (676-749 ad) (From the Life of St Mary of Egypt) When I came to the place in which the agreement had been signed, I knelt down before the [145] blessed Virgin, Mother of God, and addressed her in these words :- [+] "O loving Queen (filagaqe despoina), thou hast shown me thy goodness; thou didst not despise the petition of my unworthiness. have seen glory which sinners do not see. Praise be to God who receives the repentance of sinners through thee."
John of Damascus Apologia Against those who Decry Holy Images (676-749 ad)
Listen to what I am going to say as a proof that images are no new invention. It is an ancient practice well known to the best and foremost of the fathers. Elladios, the disciple of blessed Basil and his successor, says in his Life of Basil that the holy man was standing by the image of Our Lady, on which was painted also the likeness of Mercurius, the renowned martyr. He was standing by it asking for the removal of the impious apostate Julian, and he received this revelation from the statue. He saw the martyr vanish for a time, and then reappear, holding a bloody spear.
Other
Josephus Antiquities of the Jews Book 7 ch 11 par 4 (38-100 ad)
So Barzillai left his son with him, and worshipped the king, and wished him a prosperous conclusion of all his affairs according to his own mind, and then returned home; but David came to Gilgal, having about him half the people [of Israel], and the [whole] tribe of Judah. (worship doesn’t always mean worship)
Irenaeus of Lyon Against Heresies Book 3 ch 16.7 (120-180 ad)
Son works them out at the proper time in perfect order and sequence. This was the reason why, when Mary was urging [Him] on to [perform] the wonderful miracle of the wine, and was desirous before the time to partake of the cup of emblematic significance, the Lord, checking her untimely haste, said, "Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come" -- waiting for that hour which was foreknown by the Father.
Julius Africanus Extant Writings ON THE INCARNATION OF OUR LORD AND GOD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST (160-240 ad)
Then said we: Hast thou not had a husband? And she answers: I was only betrothed with a view to the marriage covenant, my thoughts being far removed from this. For I had no mind to come to this. And while I was giving very little concern to it, when a certain Sabbath dawned, and straightway at the rising of the sun, an angel appeared to me bringing me suddenly the glad tidings of a son. And in trouble I cried out, Be it not so to me, Lord, for I have not a husband. And he persuaded me to believe, that by the will of God I should have this son.
Liturgy of James (300 ad)
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed the fruit of thy womb, for thou didst bear the Saviour of our souls.
Methodius Oration concerning Simeon and Anna par 4 (300 ad)
she presented Him there to God the Father, as the joint-partner of His throne and inseparable from His nature, together with that pure and undefiled flesh which he had of her substance assumed.
Cyril of Jerusalem Catechetical Lecture 7 par 21 (315-386 ad)
We ask further, of whom cometh He and how? And this Esaias tells us: Behold! the virgin shall conceive in her womb, and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel. This the Jews contradict, for of old it is their wont wickedly to oppose the truth: and they say that it is not written "the virgin," but "the damsel." But though I assent to what they say, even so I find the truth. For we must ask them, If a virgin be forced, when does she cry out and call for helpers, after or before the outrage? If, therefore, the Scripture elsewhere says, The betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her, doth it not speak of a virgin? But that you may learn more plainly that even a virgin is called in Holy Scripture a "damsel," hear the Book of the Kings, speaking of Abishag the Shunamite, And the damsel was very fair: for that as a virgin she was chosen and brought to David is admitted.
Augustine Reply to Faustus the Manichean Book 23 pa 8 (354-430 ad)
First of all, the husband, as the man, is the more honorable; and Joseph was Mary's husband, though she did not live with him, for Matthew himself mentions that she was called Joseph's wife by the angel
Augustine Tractate 8 on the gospel of John (354-430 ad)
His mother then demanded a miracle of Him; but He, about to perform divine works, so far did not recognize a human womb; saying in effect, "That in me which works a miracle was not born of thee, thou gavest not birth to my divine nature; but because my weakness was born of thee, I will recognize thee at the time when that same weakness shall hang upon the cross."
Augustine on the Harmony of the Gospels ch 5 par 14 (354-430 ad)
And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art full of grace," the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
Sozomen Ecclesial History Book 7 Ch 5 (375-477 ad)
For the power of God was there manifested, and was helpful both in waking visions and in dreams, often for the relief of many diseases and for those afflicted by some sudden transmutation in their affairs. The power was accredited to Mary, the Mother of God, the holy virgin, for she does manifest herself in this way.
Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew ch 9 (400 ad)
And when Mary saw him, she exceedingly feared and trembled. And he said to her: Hail, Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And when she heard these words, she trembled, and was exceedingly afraid. Then the angel of the Lord added: Fear not, Mary; for thou hast found favour with God: Behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a King, who fills not only the earth, but the heaven, and who reigns from generation to generation.
Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew ch 6 (400 ad)
She refreshed herself only with the food which she daily received from the hand of the angel; but the food which she obtained from the priests she divided among the poor. The angels of God were often seen speaking with her, and they most diligently obeyed her. If any one who was unwell touched her, the same hour he went home cured.
Gregory the Great Letters Book 10 letter 39 (540-604 ad)
He replied, Woman, what have to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come (Joh. ii. 4). For it was not that the Lord of the angels was subject to the hour, having, among all things which He had created, made hours and times; but, because the Virgin Mother, when wine was wanting, wished a miracle to be done by Him, it was at once answered her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? As if to say plainly, That I can do a miracle comes to me of my Father, not of my Mother. For He who of the nature of His Father did miracles had it of His mother that He could die. Whence also, when He was on the cross, in dying He acknowledged His mother, whom He commended to the disciple, saying, Behold thy mother (Joh. xix. 27). He says, then, l, Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet came.--That is, "In the miracle, which I have not of thy nature, I do not acknowledge thee. When the hour of death shall come, I shall acknowledge thee as my mother, since I have it of thee that I can die."
John of Damascus Sermon 1 (676-749 ad)
In the fulness of time, as the divine apostle says, the angel Gabriel was sent to this true child of God, and saluted her in the words, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee." Beautiful is the angel's salutation to her who is greater than an angel.
Assumption of Mary (400 ad)
And the Holy Spirit said to the apostles: Let all of you together, having come by the clouds from the ends of the world, be assembled to holy Bethlehem by a whirlwind, on account of the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ; Peter from Rome, Paul from Tiberia, Thomas from Hither India, James from Jerusalem. Andrew, Peter's brother, and Philip, Luke, and Simon the Cananaean, and Thaddaeus who had fallen asleep, were raised by the Holy Spirit out of their tombs
Assumption of Mary (400 ad)
and for three days the voices of invisible angels were heard glorifying Christ our God, who had been born of her. And when the third day was ended, the voices were no longer heard; and from that time forth all knew that her spotless and precious body had been transferred to paradise.
Assumption of Mary (400 ad)
We apostles, therefore, having beheld the sudden precious translation of her holy body, glorified God, who had shown us His wonders at the departure of the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, whose prayers and good offices may we all be deemed worthy to receive.
John Damascene Sermon 2 on the Assumption (676–749 ad)
How, then, was she assumed to the heavenly courts? In this way. What were the honours then conferred upon her by God who commands us to honour our parents?
John Damascene Sermon 2 on the Assumption (676–749 ad)
And thus the immaculate (panagion) [191] body was laid in the tomb. Then it was assumed after three days to the heavenly mansions. The bosom of the earth was no fitting receptacle for the Lord's dwelling-place, the living source of cleansing water, the corn of heavenly bread, the sacred vine of divine wine, the evergreen and fruitful olive-branch of God's mercy. And just as the all holy body of God's Son, which was taken from her, rose from the dead on the third day, it followed that she should be snatched from the tomb, that the mother should be united to her Son; and as He had come down to her, so she should be raised up to Him, into the more perfect dwelling-place, heaven itself.
John of Damascus Sermon 3 (676-749 ad)
Let the air rejoice at the Assumption. Let gentle breezes waft grace. Let all nature keep the feast of the Mother of God's Assumption.
John of Damascus Sermon 2 (676-749 ad)
And thus the immaculate (panagion) [191] body was laid in the tomb. Then it was assumed after three days to the heavenly mansions.
Ever Virgin
Peter of Alexandria Fragments 5 par 7 (260-311ad)
the only-begotten Son, and the Word co-eternal with the Father and the Holy Spirit, and of the same substance with them, according to His divine nature, our Lord and God, Jesus Christ, being in the end of the world born according to the flesh of our holy and glorious lady, Mother of God, and Ever-Virgin, and, of a truth, of Mary the Mother of God; and being seen upon earth, and having true and real converse as man with men, who were of the same substance with Him
Athanasius Discourse 2 Against the Arians par 70 (296-373 ad)
Therefore let those who deny that the Son is from the Father by nature and proper to His Essence, deny also that He took true human flesh(2) of Mary Ever-Virgin(3); for in neither case had it been of profit to us men, whether the Word were not true and naturally Son of God, or the flesh not true which He assumed.
Liturgy of James 9 (300 ad)
Thou who art the only-begotten Son and Word of God, immortal; who didst submit for our salvation to become flesh of the holy Mother of God, and ever-virgin Mary
Gregory of Nyssa On Virginity ch 8(325-386 ad)
Just as, in the age of Mary the mother of God, he who had reigned from Adam to her time found, when he came to her and dashed his forces against the fruit of her virginity as against a rock, that he was shattered to pieces upon her, so in every soul which passes through this life in the flesh under the protection of virginity, the strength of death is in a manner broken and annulled, for he does not find the places upon which he may fix his sting
Ambrose of Milan Concerning Virgins book 2 ch 2 (340-397 ad)
The life of Mary is set before virgins as an example, and her many virtues are dwelt upon, her chastity, humility, hard life, love of retirement, and the like; then her kindness to others, her zeal in learning, and love of frequenting the temple.
Jerome Against Jovinianus book 1 par 31 (347-420 ad)
That which is shut up and sealed reminds us of the mother of our Lord who was a mother and a Virgin. Hence it was that no one before or after our Saviour was laid in his new tomb, hewn in the solid rock. And yet she that was ever a Virgin is the mother of many virgins.
Jerome Letter 22 par 22 (347-420 ad)
I think, described shortly in my treatise--published against Helvidius--on the perpetual virginity of the blessed Mary.
Jerome Letter 22 par 18 (347-420 ad)
For me, virginity is consecrated in the persons of Mary and of Christ."
Jerome Letter 48 par 21 (347-420 ad)
and I will explain how the holy Mary can be at once a mother and a virgin. A mother before she was wedded, she remained a virgin after bearing her son.
Augustine of Hippo on Marriage and concupiscence book 2 ch 15 (354-430 ad)
as the heretic Jovinian did, when the holy bishop maintained the permanent virginity of the blessed Mary even after child-bearing, in opposition to this man's impiety
Augustine of Hippo Nature and Grace ch 42 [354-430 AD]
"Having excepted the holy Virgin Mary, concerning whom, on account of the honor of the Lord, I wish to have absolutely no question when treating of sins—for how do we know what abundance of grace for the total overcoming of sin was conferred upon her, who merited to conceive and bear him in whom there was no sin?—so, I say, with the exception of the Virgin, if we could have gathered together all those holy men and women, when they were living here, and had asked them whether they were without sin, what do we suppose would have been their answer?"
Augustine Tractate 10 on the gospel of John (354-430 ad)
For our Scripture is wont to call them brethren, not only that are sprung from the same man and woman, or from the same mother, or from the same father, though by different mothers; or, in truth, that are of the same degree as cousins by the father's or mother's side: not these alone is our Scripture wont to call brethren. The Scripture must be understood as it speaks. It has its own language; one who does not know this language is perplexed and says, Whence had the Lord brethren? For surely Mary did not give birth a second time? Far from it! With her begins the dignity of virgins. She could be a mother, but a woman known of man she could not be. She is spoken of as mulier [which usually signifies a wife], but only in reference to her sex, not as implying loss of virgin purity: and this follows from the language of Scripture itself. For Eve, too, immediately she was formed from the side of her husband, and as yet not known of her husband, is, as you know, called mulier: "And he made her a woman [mulier]." Then, whence the brethren? The kinsmen of Mary, of whatever degree, are the brethren of the Lord. How do we prove this? From Scripture itself. Lot is called " Abraham's brother;" he was his brother's son.
Augustine On the Creed A Sermon to Catechumens par 6 (354-430 ad)
A virgin conceived, a virgin bore, and after the birth was a virgin still.
Augustine on Holy Virginity par 4 (354-430 ad)
She might have been bidden also to continue a virgin, that in her by fitting miracle the Son of God should receive the form of a servant, but, being to be a pattern to holy virgins, lest it should be thought that she alone needed to be a virgin, who had obtained to conceive a child even without sexual intercourse, she dedicated her virginity to God, when as yet she knew not what she should conceive, in order that the imitation of a heavenly life in an earthly and mortal body should take place of vow, not of command; through love of choosing, not through necessity of doing service.
Augustine of Hippo Holy Virginity par 6 [354-430 AD]
"That one woman is both mother and virgin, not in spirit only but even in body.
Leo the Great Letter 28 ch 2 (395-461 ad)
He was conceived of the Holy Spirit within the womb of His Virgin Mother, who brought Him forth without the loss of her virginity, even as she conceived Him without its loss.
Leo the Great Sermon 23 (395-461 ad)
For her virginity was violated neither at the conception nor at the birth: "that it might be fulfilled," as the Evangelist says, "which was spoken by the LORD through Isaiah the prophet, saying, behold the virgin shall conceive in the womb, and shall bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which is interpreted, GOD with us."
Gospel of the Nativity of Mary ch 4
Thereafter he appeared to Anna his wife, saying: Fear not, Anna, nor think that it is a phantom which thou seest. For I am that angel who has presented your prayers and alms before God; and now have I been sent to you to announce to you that thou shalt bring forth a daughter, who shall be called Mary, and who shall be blessed above all women. She, full of the favour of the Lord even from her birth, shall remain three years in her father's house until she be weaned. Thereafter, being delivered to the service of the Lord, she shall not depart from the temple until she reach the years of discretion.
Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew ch 4 (400 ad)
After these things, her nine months being fulfilled, Anna brought forth a daughter, and called her Mary. And having weaned her in her third year, Joachim, and Anna his wife, went together to the temple of the Lord to offer sacrifices to God, and placed the infant, Mary by name, in the community of virgins, in which the virgins remained day and night praising God. And when she was put down before the doors of the temple, she went up the fifteen steps so swiftly, that she did not look back at all; nor did she, as children are wont to do, seek for her parents
Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew ch 8 (400 ad)
they began to call her queen of virgins.
Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew ch 13 (400 ad)
It has never been heard or thought of, that any one should have her breasts full of milk, and that the birth of a son should show his mother to be a virgin. But there has been no spilling of blood in his birth, no pain in bringing him forth. A virgin has conceived, a virgin has brought forth, and a virgin she remains.
Council of Constantinople 2 (533-534 ad)
If anyone shall not confess that the nature or essence of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost is one, as also the force and the power; [if anyone does not confess] a consubstantial Trinity, one Godhead to be worshipped in three subsistences or Persons: let him be anathema. For there is but one God even the Father of whom are all things, and one Lord Jesus Christ through whom are all things, and one Holy Spirit in whom are all things. II. If anyone shall not confess that the Word of God has two nativities, the one from all eternity of the Father, without time and without body; the other in these last days, coming down from heaven and being made flesh of the holy and glorious Mary, Mother of God and always a virgin, and born of her: let him be anathema.
John of Damascus Sermon 1 on Dormition of Mary (676-749 ad)
When, however, she reached full age and the law required that she should leave the temple, she was entrusted by the priests to Joseph, her bridegroom, as the guardian of her virginity, a steadfast observer of the law from his youth.
John Damascene Sermon 2 on Assumption (676–749 ad)
To-day the holy Virgin of Virgins is presented in the heavenly temple. Virginity in her was so strong as to be a consuming fire. It is forfeited in every case by child-birth. But she is ever a virgin, before the event, in the birth itself, and afterwards.
Constantinople/Trullo/Quinisext canon 79 (692 ad)
Wherefore since some on the day after the holy Nativity of Christ our God are seen cooking semidalin, and distributing it to each other, on pretext of doing honour to the puerperia of the spotless Virgin Maternity, we decree that henceforth nothing of the kind be done by the faithful.
Immaculate Conception
Augustine of Hippo Nature and Grace ch 42 [354-430 AD]
"Having excepted the holy Virgin Mary, concerning whom, on account of the honor of the Lord, I wish to have absolutely no question when treating of sins—for how do we know what abundance of grace for the total overcoming of sin was conferred upon her, who merited to conceive and bear him in whom there was no sin?—so, I say, with the exception of the Virgin, if we could have gathered together all those holy men and women, when they were living here, and had asked them whether they were without sin, what do we suppose would have been their answer?"
Gregory Thaumaturgus Four Homilies 2nd homily (213-275ad)
And she was perplexed by this word; for she was inexperienced in all the addresses of men, and welcomed quiet, as the mother of prudence and purity; (yet) being a pure, and immaculate, and stainless image herself, she shrank not in terror from the angelic apparition, like most of the prophets, as indeed true virginity has a kind of affinity and equality with the angels
Athanasius on the Incarnation of the Word par 8 (296-373 ad)
The Word, then, visited that earth in which He was yet always present; and saw all these evils. He takes a body of our Nature, and that of a spotless Virgin, in whose womb He makes it His own, wherein to reveal Himself, conquer death, and restore life.
Ephraim the Syrian On the Nativity of Christ in the Flesh Hymn XV par 23 (306-373 ad)
Let women praise Her, the pure Mary,--that as in Eve their mother,--great was their reproach,--lo! in Mary their sister,--greatly magnified was their honour
Gregory Nazianzen Oration 38 par 13 (325-389 ad)
Conceived by the Virgin,(g) who first in body and soul was purified by the Holy Ghost(d) (for it was needful both that Childbearing should be honoured, and that Virginity should receive a higher honour), He came forth then as God with that which He had assumed, One Person in two Natures, Flesh and Spirit, of which the latter deified the former
Gregory Nazianzen Oration 40 par 45 (325-389 ad)
Believe that the Son of God, the Eternal Word, Who was begotten of the Father before all time and without body, was in these latter days for your sake made also Son of Man, born of the Virgin Mary ineffably and stainlessly (for nothing can be stained where God is, and by which salvation comes),
Augustine On Nature and Grace ch 2 (354-430 ad)
the mother of our Lord and Saviour, for of her," he says, "we must needs allow that her piety had no sin in it." We must except the holy Virgin Mary, concerning whom I wish to raise no question when it touches the subject of sins, out of honour to the Lord; for from Him we know what abundance of grace for overcoming sin in every particular was conferred upon her who had the merit to conceive and bear Him who undoubtedly had no sin. Well, then, if, with this exception of the Virgin, we could only assemble together all the forementioned holy men and women, and ask them whether they lived without sin whilst they were in this life, what can we suppose would be their answer?
Augustine On Merits and Remission of Sin and Infant Baptism book 2 ch 7 (354-430 ad)
Whether it be possible for a man in this life to be without sin? I should allow the possibility, through the grace of God and the man's own free will; not doubting that the free will itself is ascribable to God's grace, in other words, to the gifts of God
Leo the Great Sermon 22 (395-461 ad)
Cherish an undoubting belief in the Virgin's pure conception.
Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew ch 13 (400 ad)
It has never been heard or thought of, that any one should have her breasts full of milk, and that the birth of a son should show his mother to be a virgin. But there has been no spilling of blood in his birth, no pain in bringing him forth. A virgin has conceived, a virgin has brought forth, and a virgin she remains.
Assumption of Mary (400 ad)
and a voice, as if of the Son of man, was heard, and the seraphim in a circle round the house where the holy, spotless mother of God and virgin was lying, so that all who were in Bethlehem beheld all the wonderful things,
John Damascene Dormition of the Virgin Sermon 1 [676-754 AD]
Hence, when thy holy and sinless body was taken to the tomb, the choirs of angels bore it, and were all around, leaving nothing undone for the honour of our Lord's Mother, whilst apostles and all the assembly of the Church burst into [168] prophetic song, saying: "We shall be filled with the good things of Thy house, holy is Thy temple, wonderful in justice."
John Damascene Sermon 2 on the Assumption (676–749 ad)
To-day the holy dove, the pure and guileless soul, sanctified by the Holy Spirit, putting off the ark of her body, the life-giving receptacle of Our Lord, found rest to the soles of her feet, taking her flight to the spiritual world, and dwelling securely in the sinless country above.
John of Damascus Apologia Against those who Decry Holy Images (676-749 ad)
St Maximus, Philosopher and Confessor. From his "Acts" and those of Bishop Theodosius. And after this all rose with tears of devotion, and kneeling down, prayed. And every one kissed the holy Gospels, and the sacred Cross, and the image of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and of Our Lady, His Immaculate Mother (panagiaV qeotokou), putting their hands to it in confirmation of what had been said.
John of Damascus Sermon 2 (676-749 ad)
And thus the immaculate (panagion) [191] body was laid in the tomb. Then it was assumed after three days to the heavenly mansions.
John of Damascus Sermon 2 (676-749 ad)
The King was there to receive with divine embrace* the holy, undefiled, and stainless soul of His Mother on her going home.
John of Damascus Sermon 1 (676-749 ad)
The Father predestined her, the prophets foretold her through the Holy Ghost. His sanctifying power overshadowed her, cleansed* and made her holy, and, as it were, predestined her.
Constantinople/Trullo/Quinisext canon 79 (692 ad)
Wherefore since some on the day after the holy Nativity of Christ our God are seen cooking semidalin, and distributing it to each other, on pretext of doing honour to the puerperia of the spotless Virgin Maternity, we decree that henceforth nothing of the kind be done by the faithful.
2nd Council of Nicaea During the time of Stephen II [787-788 AD]
the figure of our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ, of our spotless Lady, the Mother of God
Mary the New Eve
Justin Martyr Dialogue with Trypho ch 100 [100-165 AD]
"[Jesus] became man by the Virgin so that the course which was taken by disobedience in the beginning through the agency of the serpent might be also the very course by which it would be put down. Eve, a virgin and undefiled, conceived the word of the serpent and bore disobedience and death. But the Virgin Mary received faith and joy when the angel Gabriel announced to her the glad tidings that the Spirit of the Lord would come upon her and the power of the Most High would overshadow her, for which reason the Holy One being born of her is the Son of God. And she replied ‘Be it done unto me according to your word’ [Luke 1:38]"
Irenaeus of Lyons Adversus Haereses (Book V Chapter 19) [120-180 AD]
"The Lord then was manifestly coming to his own things, and was sustaining them by means of that creation that is supported by himself. He was making a recapitulation of that disobedience that had occurred in connection with a tree, through the obedience that was upon a tree [i.e., the cross]. Furthermore, the original deception was to be done away with—the deception by which that virgin Eve (who was already espoused to a man) was unhappily misled. That this was to be overturned was happily announced through means of the truth by the angel to the Virgin Mary (who was also [espoused] to a man). . . . So if Eve disobeyed God, yet Mary was persuaded to be obedient to God. In this way, the Virgin Mary might become the advocate of the virgin Eve. And thus, as the human race fell into bondage to death by means of a virgin, so it is rescued by a virgin. Virginal disobedience has been balanced in the opposite scale by virginal obedience. For in the same way, the sin of the first created man received amendment by the correction of the First-Begotten" Tertullian The Flesh of Christ ch 17 [160-240 AD]
"And again, lest I depart from my argumentation on the name of Adam: Why is Christ called Adam by the apostle [Paul], if as man he was not of that earthly origin? But even reason defends this conclusion, that God recovered his image and likeness by a procedure similar to that in which he had been robbed of it by the devil. It was while Eve was still a virgin that the word of the devil crept in to erect an edifice of death. Likewise through a virgin the Word of God was introduced to set up a structure of life. Thus what had been laid waste in ruin by this sex was by the same sex reestablished in salvation. Eve had believed the serpent; Mary believed Gabriel. That which the one destroyed by believing, the other, by believing, set straight"
Tertullian On the Flesh of Christ [160-240 AD]
CHAPTER 17 The similarity of circumstances between the first and the second Adam, as to the derivation of their flesh. An analogy also pleasantly traced between Eve and the Virgin Mary.
Peter of Alexandria Fragments 5 par 7 [260-311 AD]
Therefore, when the holy prophets, and all, as I have said, who righteously and justly walked in the law of the Lord, together with the entire people, celebrated a typical and shadowy Passover, the Creator and Lord of every visible and invisible creature, the only-begotten Son, and the Word co-eternal with the Father and the Holy Spirit, and of the same substance with them, according to His divine nature, our Lord and God, Jesus Christ, being in the end of the world born according to the flesh of our holy and glorious lady, Mother of God, and Ever-Virgin, and, of a truth, of Mary the Mother of God; and being seen upon earth, and having true and real converse as man with men, who were of the same substance with Him, according to His human nature, Himself also, with the people, in the years before His public ministry and during His public ministry, did celebrate the legal and shadowy Passover, eating the typical lamb...
Peter of Alexandria The Genuine Acts of Peter [260-311 AD]
In the meanwhile a spirited body of senators of those who are en gaged in the public transport service, seeing what had happened, for they were near the sea, prepared a boat, and suddenly seizing upon the sacred relics, they placed them in it, and scaling the Pharos from behind, by a quarter which has the name of Leucado, they came to the church of the most blessed mother of God, and Ever-Virgin Mary, which, as we began to say, he had constructed in the western quarter, in a suburb, for a cemetery of the martyrs.
Ephraim the Syrian On the Nativity of Christ in the Flesh Hymn XV par 23 (306-373 ad)
Let women praise Her, the pure Mary,--that as in Eve their mother,--great was their reproach,--lo! in Mary their sister,--greatly magnified was their honour
Augustine of Hippo On Marriage and Concupiscence ch 15 [354-430 AD]
when the holy bishop maintained the permanent virginity of the blessed Mary even after child-bearing, in opposition to this man's impiety. If, however, you do not dare to call him a Manichean, why do you call us Manicheans when we defend the catholic faith in the self-same cause and with the self same opinions?
Mary Ark of the Covenant
Hyppolytus Extant works and Fragments Fragment 2 par 6 (170-236 ad)
At that time, then, the Saviour appeared and showed His own body to the world, (born) of the Virgin, who was the "ark overlaid with pure gold," with the Word within and the Holy Spirit without; so that the truth is demonstrated, and the "ark" made manifest.
Hyppolytus Extant works and Fragments Commentary on psalm 22 (170-236 ad)
And, moreover, the ark made of imperishable wood was the Saviour Himself. For by this was signified the imperishable and incorruptible tabernacle of (the Lord) Himself, which gendered no corruption of sin. For the sinner, indeed, makes this confession: the Lord was without sin, made of imperishable wood, as regards His humanity; that is, of the virgin and the Holy Ghost inwardly, and outwardly of the word of God, like an ark overlaid with purest gold.
Gregory Thaumaturgus 1st homily on the Annuciation (213-275 ad)
Come, then, ye too, dearly beloved, and let us chant the melody which has been taught us by the inspired harp of David, and say, "Arise, O Lord, into Thy rest; Thou, and the ark of Thy sanctuary." For the holy Virgin is in truth an ark, wrought with gold both within and without, that has received the whole treasury of the sanctuary.
John Damascene Sermon 2 on the Assumption (676–749 ad)
When the Ark of God, departing from Mount Sion for the heavenly country, was borne on the shoulders of the Apostles, it was placed on the way in the tomb.
John Damascene Sermon 2 on the Assumption (676–749 ad)
To-day the sacred and living ark of the living God, who conceived her Creator Himself, takes up her abode in the temple of God, not made by hands. David, her [174] forefather,* rejoices. Angels and Archangels are in jubilation, Powers exult, Principalities and Dominations, Virtues and Thrones are in gladness: Cherubim and Seraphim magnify God. Not the least of their Praise is it to refer praise to the Mother of glory. To-day the holy dove, the pure and guileless soul, sanctified by the Holy Spirit, putting off the ark of her body, the life-giving receptacle of Our Lord, found rest to the soles of her feet, taking her flight to the spiritual world, and dwelling securely in the sinless country above.
John Damascene Sermon 2 on the Assumption (676–749 ad)
Let us dance in spirit with David; to-day the Ark of God is at rest. With Gabriel, the great archangel, let us exclaim, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Hail, inexhaustible ocean of grace. Hail, sole refuge in grief. Hail, cure of hearts. Hail, through whom death is expelled and life is installed."
Mother of God
Peter of Alexandria Fragments 5 par 7 (260-311ad)
the only-begotten Son, and the Word co-eternal with the Father and the Holy Spirit, and of the same substance with them, according to His divine nature, our Lord and God, Jesus Christ, being in the end of the world born according to the flesh of our holy and glorious lady, Mother of God, and Ever-Virgin, and, of a truth, of Mary the Mother of God; and being seen upon earth, and having true and real converse as man with men, who were of the same substance with Him
Athanasius Discourse 3 Against the Arians par 33 (296-373 ad)
even from the womb, and John, while yet in the womb, leapt for joy at the voice of Mary Bearer of God
Methodius Oration concerning Simeon and Anna par 7 (300 ad)
While the old man was thus exultant, and rejoicing with exceeding great and holy joy, that which had before been spoken of in a figure by the prophet Isaiah, the holy mother of God now manifestly fulfilled
Gregory of Nyssa Letter 17 (325-386 ad)
And what means this opposing array of new Altars? Do we announce another Jesus? Do we hint at another? Do we produce other scriptures? Have any of ourselves dared to say "Mother of Man" of the Holy Virgin, the Mother of God: which is what we hear that some of them say without restraint?
Gregory of Nyssa On Virginity ch 8(325-386 ad)
Just as, in the age of Mary the mother of God, he who had reigned from Adam to her time found, when he came to her and dashed his forces against the fruit of her virginity as against a rock, that he was shattered to pieces upon her, so in every soul which passes through this life in the flesh under the protection of virginity, the strength of death is in a manner broken and annulled, for he does not find the places upon which he may fix his sting
Gregory Nazianzen Letters Division I to CLEDONIUS (325-389 ad)
If anyone does not believe that Holy Mary is the Mother of God, he is severed from the Godhead. If anyone should assert that He passed through the Virgin as through a channel, and was not at once divinely and humanly formed in her (divinely, because without the intervention of a man; humanly, because in accordance with the laws of gestation), he is in like manner godless.
Basil Letter 262 par 1 (329-379 ad)
I mean that God Himself was turned into flesh; that He did not assume, through the Holy Mary, the nature of Adam, but, in His own proper Godhead, was changed into a material nature.
Ambrose of Milan Concerning Virgins book 2 ch 1 par 7 (340-397 ad)
What is greater than the Mother of God? What more glorious than she whom Glory Itself chose?
Sozomen Ecclesiastical History Book VII ch 5 [375-447 AD]
"Gregory of Nazianzen presided over those who maintain the consubstantiality of the Holy Trinity, and assembled them together in a little dwelling, which had been altered into the form of a house of prayer, by those who held the same opinions and had a like form of worship. It subsequently became one of the most conspicuous in the city, and is so now, not only for the beauty and number of its structures, but also for the advantages accruing to it from the visible manifestations of God. For the power of God was there manifested, and was helpful both in waking visions and in dreams, often for the relief of many diseases and for those afflicted by some sudden transmutation in their affairs. The power was accredited to Mary, the Mother of God, the holy Virgin, for she does manifest herself in this way"
Socrates Ecclesial History book 7 ch 32 (379-450 ad)
Nestorius had an associate whom he had brought from Antioch, a presbyter named Anastasius; for this man he had the highest esteem, and consulted him in the management of his most important affairs. This Anastasius preaching one day in the church said, 'Let no one call Mary Theotocos: for Mary was but a woman; and it is impossible that God should be born of a woman.' These words created a great sensation, and troubled many both of the clergy and laity; they having been heretofore taught to acknowledge Christ as God, and by no means to separate his humanity from his divinity on account of the economy of incarnation, heeding the voice of the apostle when he said, 'Yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh; yet now henceforth know we him no more.
Vincent of Lerins Commonitory par 35 (390-450 ad)
Nestorius, whose disease is of an opposite kind, while pretending that he holds two distinct substances in Christ, brings in of a sudden two Persons, and with unheard of wickedness would have two sons of God, two Christs,--one, God, the other, man, one, begotten of his Father, the other, born of his mother. For which reason he maintains that Saint Mary ought to be called, not Theotocos (the mother of God), but Christotocos (the mother of Christ), seeing that she gave birth not to the Christ who is God, but to the Christ who is man.
Theodoret Letter 151 (393-457 ad)
Wherefore also we call tile holy Virgin both Mother of God and Mother of man, since the Lord Christ Himself is called God and man in the divine Scripture. The name Emmanuel proclaims the union of the two natures. If we acknowledge the Christ to be both God and Man and so call Him, who is so insensate as to shrink from using the term "Mother of man" with that of " Mother of God"? For we use both terms of the Lord Christ. For this reason the Virgin is honoured and called accordance with the titles of the Saviour, when on His account she is honoured by the faithful? For He who was born of her is not worshipped on her account, but she is honoured with the highest titles on account of Him Who was born from her.
Council of Ephesus letter of Cyril to John of Antioch (431 ad)
O fools, whose only competence is in slander! How did you become so perverted in thought and fall into such a sickness of idiocy? For you must surely know that almost all our fight for the faith arose in connection with our insistence that the holy virgin is the mother of God. But if we claim that the holy body of our common saviour Christ is born from heaven and was not of her, why should she still be considered God-bearer? For whom indeed did she bear, if it is untrue that she bore Emmanuel according to the flesh? It is rather they who speak such nonsense against me who deserve to be ridiculed.
John of Damascus Exposition of the Faith book 3 ch 12 (676-749 ad)
Hence it is with justice and truth that we call the holy Mary the Mother of God. For this name embraces the whole mystery of the dispensation. For if she who bore Him is the Mother of God, assuredly He Who was born of her is God and likewise also man. For how could God, Who was before the ages, have been born of a woman unless He had become man ? For the son of man must clearly be man himself. But if He Who was born of a woman is Himself God, manifestly He Who was born of God the Father in accordance with the laws of an essence that is divine and knows no beginning, and He Who was in the last days born of the Virgin in accordance with the laws of an essence that has beginning and is subject to time, that is, an essence which is human, must be one and the same. The name in truth signifies the one subsistence and the two natures and the two generations Of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Constantinople/Trullo/Quinisext canon 79 (692 ad)
Ancient Epitome: Whoever after the feast of the Mother of God shall prepare semidilin (semilam) or anything else on account of what is called puerperia, let him be cut off.
Veneration of Mary
Rylands Papyrus P470 Egypt (250 ad)
Under thy compassion we take refuge, O Mother of God (Theotokos). Do not despise our petitions in the time of trouble, but from dangers ransom us, singularly holy, singularly blessed.
Sozomen Ecclesiastical History Book VII ch 5 [375-447 AD]
"Gregory of Nazianzen presided over those who maintain the consubstantiality of the Holy Trinity, and assembled them together in a little dwelling, which had been altered into the form of a house of prayer, by those who held the same opinions and had a like form of worship. It subsequently became one of the most conspicuous in the city, and is so now, not only for the beauty and number of its structures, but also for the advantages accruing to it from the visible manifestations of God. For the power of God was there manifested, and was helpful both in waking visions and in dreams, often for the relief of many diseases and for those afflicted by some sudden transmutation in their affairs. The power was accredited to Mary, the Mother of God, the holy Virgin, for she does manifest herself in this way"
Council of Ephesus Extracts from session 1 (431 ad)
Theodosius, the humble Christian, to the holy and Ecumenical Synod: I confess and I agree to (suntiqemai) and I receive and I salute and I venerate in the first place the spotless image of our Lord Jesus Christ, our true God, and the holy image of her who bore him without seed, the holy Mother of God, and her help and protection and intercessions each day and night as a sinner to my aid I call for, since she has confidence with Christ our God, as he was born of her. Likewise also I receive and venerate the images of the holy and most laudable Apostles, prophets, and martyrs and the fathers and cultivators of the desert. Not indeed as gods (God forbid!) do I ask all these with my whole heart to pray for me to God, that he may grant me through their intercessions to find mercy at his hands at the day of judgment, for in this I am but showing forth more clearly the affection and love of my soul which I have borne them from the first. Likewise also I venerate and honour and salute the reliques of the Saints as of those who fought for Christ and who have received grace from him for the healing of diseases and the curing of sicknesses and the casting out of devils, as the Christian Church has received from the holy Apostles and Fathers even down to us to-day.
John of Damascus Sermon 1 on Dormition of Mary (676-749 ad)
If, as the divine Word made flesh taught us, [170] honour shown to servants, is honour shown to our common Lord, how can honour shown to thee, His Mother, be slighted? How is it not most desirable? Art thou not honoured as the very breath of life?
John Damascene Sermon 2 on the Assumption (676–749 ad)
Let us dance in spirit with David; to-day the Ark of God is at rest. With Gabriel, the great archangel, let us exclaim, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Hail, inexhaustible ocean of grace. Hail, sole refuge in grief. Hail, cure of hearts. Hail, through whom death is expelled and life is installed."
John Damascene Sermon 2 on the Assumption (676–749 ad)
Let us then also keep solemn feast to-day to honour the joyful departure of God's Mother,
John of Damascus Apologia Against those who Decry Holy Images (676-749 ad)
From the Life of the Abbot Daniel, on Eulogius the Quarryman. [+] Then he went away dejected, and threw himself before an image of Our Lady, and crying out, he said: "Lord, enable me to pay what I promised this man."
John of Damascus Apologia Against those who Decry Holy Images (676-749 ad) (From the Life of St Mary of Egypt) When I came to the place in which the agreement had been signed, I knelt down before the [145] blessed Virgin, Mother of God, and addressed her in these words :- [+] "O loving Queen (filagaqe despoina), thou hast shown me thy goodness; thou didst not despise the petition of my unworthiness. have seen glory which sinners do not see. Praise be to God who receives the repentance of sinners through thee."
John of Damascus Apologia Against those who Decry Holy Images (676-749 ad)
Listen to what I am going to say as a proof that images are no new invention. It is an ancient practice well known to the best and foremost of the fathers. Elladios, the disciple of blessed Basil and his successor, says in his Life of Basil that the holy man was standing by the image of Our Lady, on which was painted also the likeness of Mercurius, the renowned martyr. He was standing by it asking for the removal of the impious apostate Julian, and he received this revelation from the statue. He saw the martyr vanish for a time, and then reappear, holding a bloody spear.
Other
Josephus Antiquities of the Jews Book 7 ch 11 par 4 (38-100 ad)
So Barzillai left his son with him, and worshipped the king, and wished him a prosperous conclusion of all his affairs according to his own mind, and then returned home; but David came to Gilgal, having about him half the people [of Israel], and the [whole] tribe of Judah. (worship doesn’t always mean worship)
Irenaeus of Lyon Against Heresies Book 3 ch 16.7 (120-180 ad)
Son works them out at the proper time in perfect order and sequence. This was the reason why, when Mary was urging [Him] on to [perform] the wonderful miracle of the wine, and was desirous before the time to partake of the cup of emblematic significance, the Lord, checking her untimely haste, said, "Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come" -- waiting for that hour which was foreknown by the Father.
Julius Africanus Extant Writings ON THE INCARNATION OF OUR LORD AND GOD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST (160-240 ad)
Then said we: Hast thou not had a husband? And she answers: I was only betrothed with a view to the marriage covenant, my thoughts being far removed from this. For I had no mind to come to this. And while I was giving very little concern to it, when a certain Sabbath dawned, and straightway at the rising of the sun, an angel appeared to me bringing me suddenly the glad tidings of a son. And in trouble I cried out, Be it not so to me, Lord, for I have not a husband. And he persuaded me to believe, that by the will of God I should have this son.
Liturgy of James (300 ad)
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed the fruit of thy womb, for thou didst bear the Saviour of our souls.
Methodius Oration concerning Simeon and Anna par 4 (300 ad)
she presented Him there to God the Father, as the joint-partner of His throne and inseparable from His nature, together with that pure and undefiled flesh which he had of her substance assumed.
Cyril of Jerusalem Catechetical Lecture 7 par 21 (315-386 ad)
We ask further, of whom cometh He and how? And this Esaias tells us: Behold! the virgin shall conceive in her womb, and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel. This the Jews contradict, for of old it is their wont wickedly to oppose the truth: and they say that it is not written "the virgin," but "the damsel." But though I assent to what they say, even so I find the truth. For we must ask them, If a virgin be forced, when does she cry out and call for helpers, after or before the outrage? If, therefore, the Scripture elsewhere says, The betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her, doth it not speak of a virgin? But that you may learn more plainly that even a virgin is called in Holy Scripture a "damsel," hear the Book of the Kings, speaking of Abishag the Shunamite, And the damsel was very fair: for that as a virgin she was chosen and brought to David is admitted.
Augustine Reply to Faustus the Manichean Book 23 pa 8 (354-430 ad)
First of all, the husband, as the man, is the more honorable; and Joseph was Mary's husband, though she did not live with him, for Matthew himself mentions that she was called Joseph's wife by the angel
Augustine Tractate 8 on the gospel of John (354-430 ad)
His mother then demanded a miracle of Him; but He, about to perform divine works, so far did not recognize a human womb; saying in effect, "That in me which works a miracle was not born of thee, thou gavest not birth to my divine nature; but because my weakness was born of thee, I will recognize thee at the time when that same weakness shall hang upon the cross."
Augustine on the Harmony of the Gospels ch 5 par 14 (354-430 ad)
And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art full of grace," the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
Sozomen Ecclesial History Book 7 Ch 5 (375-477 ad)
For the power of God was there manifested, and was helpful both in waking visions and in dreams, often for the relief of many diseases and for those afflicted by some sudden transmutation in their affairs. The power was accredited to Mary, the Mother of God, the holy virgin, for she does manifest herself in this way.
Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew ch 9 (400 ad)
And when Mary saw him, she exceedingly feared and trembled. And he said to her: Hail, Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And when she heard these words, she trembled, and was exceedingly afraid. Then the angel of the Lord added: Fear not, Mary; for thou hast found favour with God: Behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a King, who fills not only the earth, but the heaven, and who reigns from generation to generation.
Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew ch 6 (400 ad)
She refreshed herself only with the food which she daily received from the hand of the angel; but the food which she obtained from the priests she divided among the poor. The angels of God were often seen speaking with her, and they most diligently obeyed her. If any one who was unwell touched her, the same hour he went home cured.
Gregory the Great Letters Book 10 letter 39 (540-604 ad)
He replied, Woman, what have to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come (Joh. ii. 4). For it was not that the Lord of the angels was subject to the hour, having, among all things which He had created, made hours and times; but, because the Virgin Mother, when wine was wanting, wished a miracle to be done by Him, it was at once answered her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? As if to say plainly, That I can do a miracle comes to me of my Father, not of my Mother. For He who of the nature of His Father did miracles had it of His mother that He could die. Whence also, when He was on the cross, in dying He acknowledged His mother, whom He commended to the disciple, saying, Behold thy mother (Joh. xix. 27). He says, then, l, Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet came.--That is, "In the miracle, which I have not of thy nature, I do not acknowledge thee. When the hour of death shall come, I shall acknowledge thee as my mother, since I have it of thee that I can die."
John of Damascus Sermon 1 (676-749 ad)
In the fulness of time, as the divine apostle says, the angel Gabriel was sent to this true child of God, and saluted her in the words, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee." Beautiful is the angel's salutation to her who is greater than an angel.
Martin Luther:
Mary the Mother of God
Throughout his life Luther maintained without change the historic Christian affirmation that Mary was the Mother of God:"She is rightly called not only the mother of the man, but also the Mother of God ... It is certain that Mary is the Mother of the real and true God."1
Perpetual Virginity
Again throughout his life Luther held that Mary's perpetual virginity was an article of faith for all Christians - and interpreted Galatians 4:4 to mean that Christ was "born of a woman" alone."It is an article of faith that Mary is Mother of the Lord and still a Virgin."2
The Immaculate Conception
Yet again the Immaculate Conception was a doctrine Luther defended to his death (as confirmed by Lutheran scholars like Arthur Piepkorn). Like Augustine, Luther saw an unbreakable link between Mary's divine maternity, perpetual virginity and Immaculate Conception. Although his formulation of the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception was not clear-cut, he held that her soul was devoid of sin from the beginning:"But the other conception, namely the infusion of the soul, it is piously and suitably believed, was without any sin, so that while the soul was being infused, she would at the same time be cleansed from original sin and adorned with the gifts of God to receive the holy soul thus infused. And thus, in the very moment in which she began to live, she was without all sin..."3
Assumption
Although he did not make it an article of faith, Luther said of the doctrine of the Assumption:"There can be no doubt that the Virgin Mary is in heaven. How it happened we do not know."4
Honor to Mary
Despite his unremitting criticism of the traditional doctrines of Marian mediation and intercession, to the end Luther continued to proclaim that Mary should be honored. He made it a point to preach on her feast days."The veneration of Mary is inscribed in the very depths of the human heart."5"Is Christ only to be adored? Or is the holy Mother of God rather not to be honoured? This is the woman who crushed the Serpent's head. Hear us. For your Son denies you nothing."6 Luther made this statement in his last sermon at Wittenberg in January 1546.
John Calvin: It has been said that John Calvin belonged to the second generation of the Reformers and certainly his theology of double predestination governed his views on Marian and all other Christian doctrine . Although Calvin was not as profuse in his praise of Mary as Martin Luther he did not deny her perpetual virginity. The term he used most commonly in referring to Mary was "Holy Virgin".
"Elizabeth called Mary Mother of the Lord, because the unity of the person in the two natures of Christ was such that she could have said that the mortal man engendered in the womb of Mary was at the same time the eternal God."7"Helvidius has shown himself too ignorant, in saying that Mary had several sons, because mention is made in some passages of the brothers of Christ."8 Calvin translated "brothers" in this context to mean cousins or relatives."It cannot be denied that God in choosing and destining Mary to be the Mother of his Son, granted her the highest honor."9"To this day we cannot enjoy the blessing brought to us in Christ without thinking at the same time of that which God gave as adornment and honour to Mary, in willing her to be the mother of his only-begotten Son."10
Ulrich Zwingli:
"It was given to her what belongs to no creature, that in the flesh she should bring forth the Son of God."11"I firmly believe that Mary, according to the words of the gospel as a pure Virgin brought forth for us the Son of God and in childbirth and after childbirth forever remained a pure, intact Virgin."12 Zwingli used Exodus 4:22 to defend the doctrine of Mary's perpetual virginity."I esteem immensely the Mother of God, the ever chaste, immaculate Virgin Mary."13"Christ ... was born of a most undefiled Virgin."14"It was fitting that such a holy Son should have a holy Mother."15"The more the honor and love of Christ increases among men, so much the esteem and honor given to Mary should grow."16
I have always wanted to understand the reason why Mary is so important to Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Coptic Christians, and some Anglicans along with Christians that existed before the Protestant Reformation, and especially those Christians closest to Christ and the Apostles. After speaking with so many of these Christians, including priests, they all confirmed that they believed in one Trinitarian God yet Mary is highly esteemed. So why was Mary so important to early Christians and to unreformed Christians still today?
If you think of the Ark of the Covenant in the Old Testament (Exodus 25), God Himself gave very specific instructions on how to build theArk and what to put in it just as He did Noah's Ark. Ark Ark Israel Ark Ark
The earliest Jewish-convert Christians believed the same to be true about Mary. She herself wasn't a God; she was seen as theArk Ark Ark
If you think of the Ark of the Covenant in the Old Testament (Exodus 25), God Himself gave very specific instructions on how to build the
The earliest Jewish-convert Christians believed the same to be true about Mary. She herself wasn't a God; she was seen as the
Luke
1:26-38 (ESV)
Birth of Jesus Foretold 26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a
city of Galilee named Nazareth
35 And the angel answered
her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most
High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born[d] will
be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And
behold, your relative Elizabeth
Mary Visits Elizabeth
39 In
those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town
in Judah , 40 and
she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth Elizabeth Elizabeth
Jesus was alone with his parents when he went to the temple.
Luke
2:41-51
The Boy Jesus in the Temple
41 Now his
parents went to Jerusalem Jerusalem Jerusalem Nazareth
________________________________________________________________________
Genesis 3:10-20 (ESV)
Genesis 3:10-20 (ESV)
10 And
he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because
I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He
said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I
commanded you not to eat?” 12 The
man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the
tree, and I ate.” 13 Then
the Lord God
said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The
serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
14 The Lord God said to the
serpent,
“Because you have done this,
cursed are you above all livestock
and above all beasts of the field;
on your belly you shall go,
and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring[a] and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”
cursed are you above all livestock
and above all beasts of the field;
on your belly you shall go,
and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring[a] and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”
16 To
the woman he said,
“I will surely multiply your pain in
childbearing;
in pain you shall bring forth children.
Your desire shall be contrary to[b] your husband,
but he shall rule over you.”
in pain you shall bring forth children.
Your desire shall be contrary to[b] your husband,
but he shall rule over you.”
17 And
to Adam he said,
“Because you have listened to the
voice of your wife
and have eaten of the tree
of which I commanded you,
‘You shall not eat of it,’
cursed is the ground because of you;
in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
and you shall eat the plants of the field.
19 By the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread,
till you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken;
for you are dust,
and to dust you shall return.”
and have eaten of the tree
of which I commanded you,
‘You shall not eat of it,’
cursed is the ground because of you;
in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
and you shall eat the plants of the field.
19 By the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread,
till you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken;
for you are dust,
and to dust you shall return.”
The Perpetual Virginity of Mary
A Catholic Bible study from Dr. Brant Pitre about the "brothers" of Jesus
A Catholic Bible study from Dr. Brant Pitre about the "brothers" of Jesus
This topic is one of the most hotly contested
in Protestantism because the Bible clearly says that Jesus had brothers. The word brothers in
ancient Judiasm and early Christianity meant "brethren."
Matthew 13:55-56: "Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother
called Mary? And are not his brethren James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And
are not all of his sisters with us?"
Matthew 1:24-25: "And Joseph rising up from sleep, did as the angel of the
Lord had commanded him, and took unto him his wife. And he knew her not till
she brought forth her firstborn.
From Catholic Answers, "Abraham and Lot
are classic examples of “brother” being used for an extended relation (see
Genesis 13:8 and 14:12). Though they were actually uncle and nephew, they
called one another “brother.” Moreover, in the New Testament, Jesus told us to
call one another “brothers” (see Matthew 23:8). Obviously, this doesn't infer
that all Christians have the same physical mother.
Second, if we examine more closely the example of James, one of
these four “brothers" of the Lord mentioned in Matthew 13:55, we discover
him to actually be a cousin or some other variety of relative of Jesus rather
than a blood brother."--Catholic Answers
James and Judas are also
referred as Mary's sons. The ancient
belief was, Joseph had children from a previous marriage, and these brothers
were Jesus' half brothers. Also, because
Mary had to be undefiled as the Ark of the Covenant was, her perpetual
virginity was understood and accepted as Church Authority even into early
Protestantism by the reformers mentioned above.
According to Catholic
Answers, a greatly respected source for Catholic doctrine, here is a quote from
the article
"The perpetual virginity of Mary has always been
reconciled with the biblical references to Christ’s brethren through a proper understanding of the meaning of
the term "brethren." The understanding that the brethren of the Lord were Jesus’
stepbrothers (children of Joseph) rather than half-brothers (children of Mary) was
the most common one until the time of Jerome (fourth century). It was Jerome
who introduced the possibility that Christ’s brethren were actually his cousins,
since in Jewish idiom cousins were also referred to as "brethren." The Catholic
Church allows the faithful to hold either view, since both are compatible with the
reality of Mary’s perpetual virginity."
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