What Did the Church Fathers Believe about the Blessed Virgin Mary?

Rev. Canon Glenn E. Davis

Introduction
No subject stirs passionate emotion between members of the Roman Catholic
Church and adherents of Evangelical Protestantism then a discussion about Mary, the
Mother of Jesus. Recently, this theological controversy was brought to the forefront
again by an article featured in Newsweek magazine. This essay pointed out the vast
amount of lay support in the Roman Catholic Church for declaring Mary coRedemptrix and co-Mediatrix with the Lord Jesus Christ:
This week a large box shipped from California and
addressed to "His Holiness, John Paul II" will arrive at the
Vatican. The shipping label lists a dozen countries--from
every continent but Antarctica--plus a number, 40,383,
indicating the quantity of signatures inside. Each signature
is attached to a petition asking the pope to exercise the
power of papal infallibility to proclaim a new dogma of the
Roman Catholic faith: that the Virgin Mary is "CoRedemptrix, Mediatrix of All Graces and Advocate for the
People of God."1
The Evangelical world was aghast for it had hoped that the Roman Catholic Church was
moderating its position about Mary. Recent ecumenical dialogues with the Roman
1

Kenneth L. Woodward, Mary: A Growing Movement in the Roman Catholic Church Wants the Pope to Proclaim
a New, Controversial Dogma: That Mary is a Co-Redeemer. Will He Do It, Maybe in Time for the Millennium?
Should He? Newsweek, July 25, 1997 [article-on-line].

Catholic theologians had resulted in warm and responsive discussions; Evangelicals

looked forward to continued rapprochement. However, Evangelicals were not only
grieved that Mary would be elevated to a redeemer status, but also that the doctrine of
Papal Infallibility could be invoked in order to establish Mary as a co-Redemptrix and
co-Mediatrix with Christ. The mere mention of the concept of infallible Papal authority
renewed many old theological anxieties for Evangelicals: tensions, debates, and
antagonisms of the Reformation period were renewed. The reaction was immediate and
strong from the Billy Graham founded magazine, Christianity Today.
The possibility, however remote, of the pope's responding to
the grassroots groundswell by giving Mary titles that blur
the New Testament's clear vision of Jesus' unique role in our
salvation endangers this uncompromising achievement of
clarity [the Evangelicals and Catholics Together Joint
Statement on Salvation]. All of which prompts us to say,
Don't. Don't give to Mary that which belongs to Jesus. Do
keep on the road established at Vatican II. 2
The Roman Catholic Church already has such an official high view of Mary that many
Evangelicals feel such that a belief diminishes the centrality of Christ. The Roman
Catholic Church presents Mary as the ever-virgin, sinless handmaid, and heavenly
intercessor. Rome encourages the faithful in their devotion to Mary:
Mary is the perfect Orans (prayer), a figure of the Church.
When we pray to her, we are adhering with her to the plan
of the Father, who sends his Son to save all men. Like the
beloved disciple we welcome Jesus' mother into our homes,
2

David Neff, Let Mary Be: Why the Pope Shouldn't Give Mary that which Belongs to Her Son. Christianity
Today, Vol.41, No.14 (December 8, 1997), 14.
2

for she has become the mother of all the living. We can pray
with and to her. The prayer of the Church is sustained by the
prayer of Mary and united with it in hope.3

This statement, and others like it, upset many Evangelicals fearing that the Roman
Catholic understanding of Mary distracts from the Lord Jesus Christs finished work on
the cross, his unique mediatorial position, and his ministry of heavenly intercession.
Therefore, the question needs to be asked, What did the Fathers of the Church believe
about Mary, the Mother of Jesus? Did they lay the groundwork for present Roman
Catholic doctrine? On the other hand, did the Fathers simply affirm what modern
Evangelicals believe today? The purpose of this essay is to answer that question.
Ignatius of Antioch
Bishop Ignatius of Antioch is a good representation of the views of the Fathers
during the time known as the apostolic period. This period gets its name from the fact
that many of the leaders of the Church had personal relationships with the original
Twelve Apostles. During Ignatius journey to Rome for his trial and execution, he wrote
seven letters to churches located in Asia Minor. In one of those letters, Ignatius speaks
of Mary for purely Christological purposes. He emphasizes Jesus birth through Mary to
prove that Jesus was truly human. Ignatius would invoke Marys name in order to
prove that Jesus was God incarnate in human flesh. Marys role is simply defined as
3

Catechism of the Catholic Church, St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church web site,
(http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/2679.htm) 2679.
3

being an instrument of God for the birth of the Son of God. There is one Physician who
is possessed both of flesh and spirit; both made and not made; God existing in flesh;
true life in death; both of Mary and of God; first possible and then impossible, even
Jesus Christ our Lord.4 Ignatius is deliberately refuting the error that Jesus was a
phantom, not an apparition, but lived as a human in the flesh. If as the Bible says, Jesus
was born of a human mother, then he would have to be human. Jesus humanity was
problematic for those who believed that flesh was evil as ancient Greek Platonic thought
described. Repeatedly, Ignatius proclaims that Jesus is a descendant of David through
Mary.
Ignatius does speak of the importance of Mary in that; God placed her virginity
and the virgin birth of Jesus in a mystery hidden from the devil. These truths were
grouped with the death of Christ as being of utmost significance. However, Ignatius
does not explain why they are mysteries or why they are as important as a grouping.
Now the virginity of Mary was hidden from the prince of this world, as was also her
offspring, and the death of the Lord; three mysteries of renown, which were wrought in
silence by God. How, then, was He manifested to the world?5

Ignatius will agree, as will all the Fathers without exception, that the Biblical
account of the virgin birth of Christ is true and that it is essential to true faith in Christ.

To The Ephesians 7.2

Ibid. 19.1
4

As Origen would say at a later time, Those who believe in Jesus who was crucified in
Judea under Pontius Pilate, but did not believe that he was born of the Virgin Mary,
believe and do not believe in the same Person?6 This fact of Patristic consensus in
regards to the virgin birth will remain unchanged throughout the first six hundred
years of the Church.
Justin the Martyr
Patristic writing in the Second Century is named after its most predominant style
of discoursethe Apology, the defense of the Faith. The Apologists put forth a number
of treatises defending Christianity from its detractors and persecutors. Justin the Martyr
was the foremost of these authors and his three documents: the two Apologies and the
Dialogue with Trypho each contain references to Mary. In the first Apology, Justin defends
the uniqueness of Christ by his unusual birth. That Jesus was born without marital
relations and that the Holy Spirit conceived the child in Mary creating that uniqueness
that sets Christ apart from all others. Thus, Mary was a mother without taking away her
virginity. Justin insists that Isaiah 7:14 should be translated virgin not handmaiden.
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will
give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.7 The controversy over the correct
translation of the Hebrew word, haalmah, is still reflected today in liberal versus

Commentary on the Letter to the Galatians, PG 14, 1228.

NIV
5

conservative debates. Is haalmah to be translated: virgin or handmaiden? Compare the

Revised Standard Translation (RSV) with New International Version (NIV) quoted
above: Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a young woman shall
conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Without exception, the
Fathers affirmed, virgin to be the correct translation.
The New Eve
Justin confirms traditional Marian teaching, but also broaches a fresh theological
idea in a concept now called The Eve-Mary Parallel. Justin is the first to conclude that
Mary is the new Eve. In 1 Cor. 15:21-22, the Apostle Paul talks about Christ being the
new Adam. Therefore, Justin to draws a soteriological connection between Eve and
Mary. Eve is a virgin, but listens to Satans words and becomes defiled. Mary is a virgin,
but hears Gods words through an angel and responds in obedience. Mary righteous
choices undo the sinful work of Eves selfish pride. John Henry Newman wrote that
though this Eve-Mary parallel is a very rudimentary doctrine in Justin, the parallelism
is extremely important in Roman Catholic theological development.8
Justin states in Dialogue with Trypho:
For Eve, who was a virgin and undefiled, having conceived
the word of the serpent, brought forth disobedience and
death. But the Virgin Mary received faith and joy, when the
angel Gabriel announced the good tidings to her that the
Spirit of the Lord would come upon her. And by her has He
been born, to whom we have proved so many Scriptures
8

Luigi Gambero, Mary and the Fathers of the Church (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1999), 47.
6

refer, and by whom God destroys both the serpent and those
angels and men who are like him; but works deliverance
from death to those who repent of their wickedness and
believe upon Him.9

For the apologists, Marys obedience triumphs over the sins and failings of Eve and this
triumph is accepted as dogma during the Patristic period. Scholars deduce this early
patristic commitment from the fact that no known refutations of the Eve-Mary parallel
were written by any early church writer. It was Justins belief in his Dialogue with Trypho,
that he was simply stating the obvious: Marys obedience undid Eves sinful
disobedience. Justin was attempting to convey only what the church universally
believed. Justin was not speculative writer developing new theological concepts like an
Origen. However, the historian must be cognizant that for Justin the center of
redemption is still the person and work of Jesus. Justin is adamant that a sinner should
repent and believe in Jesus, not Mary.
Irenaeus of Lyon
Irenaeus of Lyon is the first of the great Patristic thinkers. Polycarp of Smyrna
trained Irenaeus around 150 A. D. Irenaeus later moves to Gaul and there he becomes
the first major articulator of the ancient faith. Irenaeus is tragically martyred around 193
A. D. Irenaeus thinking concerning Mary is considered groundbreaking by the Roman

Dialogue with Trypho, 100.

7

Catholic Church, In his age the theology of Our Lady was truly born.10 Irenaeus
developed a soteriology named the theory of recapitulation: all humankind was taken
up in Christ, with the result that all that was lost in Adam is regained in Christ.11 The
Book of Romans states, For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through
the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of
righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.12 The work of Christ on
our behalf accomplished two things: the conquering of sin and death and the restoring
of fallen humankind to the image of God.

Mary and Salvation

Along with the redemptive work of Christ, Irenaeus draws on Justins
application of the Mary-Eve parallel. Irenaeus goes on to say that as Eve brought failure
through her disobedience with the Serpent, then Mary brought salvation through her
obedience to the word of God brought by the angel, Gabriel, at the Annunciation.
But Eve was disobedient; for she did not obey when as yet
she was a virgin. And even as she, having indeed a husband,
Adam, but being nevertheless as yet a virgin, having become
disobedient, was made the cause of death, both to herself
and to the entire human race; so also did Mary, having a
10

Michael O Carroll, Theotokos: A Theological Encyclopedia of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Collegeville, MN: The
Liturgical Press, 1982), 189.
11

Everett Ferguson, Encyclopedia of Early Christianity (New York: Garland Publishing, 1990), 585.

12

Romans 5:17, NASB.

8

man betrothed [to her], and being nevertheless a virgin, by

yielding obedience, become the cause of salvation (emphasis
mine), both to herself and the whole human race.13

Irenaeus takes the Adam-Christ parallel and makes the same association to Eve and
Mary. As a result, Irenaeus creates a completely new way of thinking in regards to
Mary: Mary is thought of in terms as having contributed to the redemption of
humankind. The knot of Eves disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary. For
what the virgin Eve had bound fast through unbelief, this did the Virgin Mary set free
through faith.14

Advocate
Later in Irenaeus argument, he uses the Latin word advocata in reference to Mary
being the advocate of Eve.15 This use of the word advocata is the beginning of the
theological idea that the person of Mary has intercessory qualities. The use of the word
advocata is treading on dangerous ground for when Latin is translated into Greek the
word becomes Paraclete, which is a title for the Holy Spirit in the Gospel of John.
Currently, scholars do not have a Greek copy of Against Heresies to know if this would

13

Against Heresies III, 22.

14

Ibid.

15

Ibid. V. 19
9

have been Irenaeus intention. However, in later centuries, this concept of advocata
would open the door for Mary being an intercessor for the church. Before Irenaeus, this
concept of priestly intercession was not discussed in terms of Marys life and ministry.16
Mary Recapitulates
The concept of Mary being involved in the salvation history is developed even
further in Irenaeus work, Proof of Apostolic Preaching. Here, he makes a direct connection
between the work of Christ and the work of Mary by stating that they both
recapitulated the devil, Adam had to be recapitulated in Christ, so that death might be
swallowed up in immortality, and Eve [had to be recapitulated] in Mary, so that the
Virgin, having become another virgins advocate, might destroy and abolish one virgins
disobedience by the obedience of another virgin.17 In summary, Irenaeus stated, there
is one divine plan of salvation that Adam disrupted and in which Eve contributed to
their disobedience, but Christ is restoring Eden with the contribution of Mary.
Tradition without Foundation
Protestant theologians criticize this salvation development in Marian devotion for
its conclusions were drawn without the explicit, or even implicit, teaching of Scripture.
In that all-important chapter five of the Book of Romans, which discusses Adam as our
covenant head, there is no mention by Paul of Eve or Mary. During the Patristic Period,
the belief that Mary contributed to redemption was widely held in Christian antiquity.
16

Gambero, pg. 56.

17

Proof of Apostolic Preaching, 33.

10

Irenaeus writes that it is his express goal in writing is to articulate what the whole
Church believed everywhere.18 Irenaeus does not attempt to defend his statements since
they were the consensus of the church, It is difficult . . . to avoid the impression that he
cited the parallelism of Eve and Mary so matter-of-factly without arguing . . . because he
would assume that his readers would go along with it . . . .19
Origen and Eastern Mariology
Outside of heretical movements, Origen was the most controversial thinker of the
Patristic period. Brilliant yet greatly misunderstood, he was branded a heretic based
largely on the behavior of heretics that invoked his name. Increasingly, modern church
historians are looking on him with greater favor and respect.20 There is no doubt that his
thinking influenced Eastern Christianity for centuries: his theological reflection is still
the centerpiece of Eastern Orthodox thought today. He died approximately 253 A.D.
and spent the end of his life in Palestine after leaving Alexandria over a disagreement
with his bishop. Origen was a man who lived out his Christian life with incredible
courage and personal holiness.
The Four Truths
Origen affirmed four truths about the Virgin Mary. First, he declared that Mary
was indeed the Mother of God (Gk: Theotkos): a title which emphasizes Christs
18

Against Heresies, IV. 27.

19

Jaroslav Pelikan, Mary through the Centuries (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1996), 43.

20

Gerald Bray, personal interview (April 28, 1999).

11

divinity. Second, Origen said that it was essential for someone who claims to believe in
Christ to believe in the doctrine of the Virgin Birth of Jesus.21 Third, Origen affirms the
belief that Mary was an ever-virgin. Her perpetual virginity means that Mary had no
other children after Jesus, There is no child of Mary except Jesus, according to the
opinion of those who think correctly about her.22 Origens mention of Marys perpetual
virginity as a doctrinal belief may be the first, for a century earlier, Tertullian had
denied this conviction. Marys ever-virginity was the committed belief of the early
church and this conviction continues in Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches today.
Fourth, Origen accepts as true the personal purity of Mary. Origen does not state that
she was sinless, but he does affirm that she was ever growing in her spiritual life and
progressing toward perfection.23 Thus, Origens theology sets a pattern for Eastern belief
about Mary: her title will be Theotkos, express believe in the virgin birth, affirmation of
her ever-virginity and no individual sin (they do maintain that she inherited a bent to
sinning).24
Athanasius of Alexandria
Concerning Marian theology, there was a period of dormancy at the end of the
third century up to the Council of Nicea in A.D. 325. As the fiery debate over the eternal
21

Commentary on John, 32.16.

22

Ibid. 1.4.

23

Gambero, 71-78.

24

Sergius Bulgakov, The Virgin and the Saints in Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodox Theology: A Contemporary
Reader (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1995), 66-68.
12

Sonship of Christ raged between Athanasius and Arius, discussions revived concerning
the contributions of Mary in the economy of salvation. Athanasius, the great defender of
the Nicene position, advanced strongly the traditional understanding of Marys
motherhood. In turn, Athanasius affirmed the use of the title, Theotkos, for the Virgin
Mary. The title, Theotkos, is best defined as the one who gave birth to the one who is
God.25 This term Mother of God, or Bearer of God, was used by the Fathers to
declare that Jesus was human, born of a woman, and divinity, that is, the Son of God.
The intent of the title was to affirm that the person Mary bore was truly God as well as
truly man.26 The purpose of the title Mother of God was not for exalting Mary: it was
given to her for the purpose of honoring and glorying Christ. During the Arian
controversy, it is important that in mentioning Mary, the church fathers were simply
guaranteeing the doctrine of the incarnation. Jesus being God incarnate in human flesh
is human if he is born of a woman, but also God, since Mary conceived by the power of
the Holy Spirit. Athanasius said, Christ, being God became man for our sake and was
born of Mary, Mother of God, Theotkos, to free us from the devils power.27
Nestorius
The term, Theotkos, had long been used of Mary in the Eastern tradition since the
time of Origen. The term was mainly used as an expression of devotion. In 429,
25

Pelikan, 55.

26

Ferguson, 586.

27

Athanasius, On Virginity, 3.
13

Nestorius and his followers said this title contradicted the humanity of Christ. The
Nestorians preferred the term Christotkos, the bearer of Christ.28 Nestorius believed
that Jesus humanity and divinity functioned in separate compartments effectively
creating two natures and two persons in one individual. If you dismiss Jesus
humanity like that, he cannot be the Savior of humankind. Better to say he has two
natures and also two persons: the divine Christ and the human Christ lived together in
Jesus.29
Cyril of Alexandria
Nestorius orthodox antagonist was Cyril of Alexandria. Cyril affirmed that Jesus
was not indwelt or conjoined to God- he is God, the Word made flesh (John 1: 14).30
"The difference between Cyril and Nestorius can be summarized as follows: Nestorius
spoke of Jesus and God the Word, while Cyril believed that Jesus was the Word.31 The
Council of Ephesus disagreed with Nestorius and in 431 A. D.; the council declared his
teaching heretical.
The Ephesian Council made the title, Theotkos, official. The Council felt that
Nestorius made Christ contradictory in his person. They affirmed the traditional
understanding of Christ as two natures and one person. Thus, Mary was the bearer of
28

Timothy George, The Blessed Evangelical Mary, Christian History Magazine (December 2003, Vol. 47, No.
12): 34. Cross, 1365.
29

Sifting Through the Christ Controversies, Christian History Magazine (Issue 51, Vol. XV, No. 3): 21.

30

Tony Lane, Exploring Christian Thought (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1983), 46.

31

Ibid.
14

God by the power of the Holy Spirit, a child who came in human flesh. As Scripture
declares, Jesus both fully God and fully human, But when the fullness of the time
came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law.32 By declaring
Mary, Theotkos, the church catholic affirmed the hypostatic union of Jesus. For the
scripture says not that the Word united himself to the person of a man, but that he was
made flesh. That means nothing else than that he partook of flesh and blood like us. He
made our body his own, not ceasing to be God.33
Devotional Developments
The clergy East and West, and especially the laity, looked at the Blessed Virgin
Mary as the ultimate role model for Christian devotion. In antiquity, the everyday
believer was convinced that one was spiritually mature if he or she remained a virgin. It
was commonly believed that the physical and spiritual discipline of chastity exhibited
ones priorities as being in the spirit realm as opposed to the earthly realm. Mary, who
gave birth to God, remained a virgin to the end [in order to be a model for] all to come
after her.34
Ephrem the Syrian
The admiration of the Blessed Virgin Mary would increase more and more
through the decades. When deacon, Ephrem the Syrian (306-373), appears on the scene
32

Gal. 4:4, NASU.

33

Cyril of Alexandria, Letter 4.

34

Ibid., 244.
15

in the fourth century, he brings Marian devotion to new heights. His poetry becomes the
first to exhibit high praise of Mary. Ephrem is considered the first doctor of Marian
devotion and his abilities are called the harp of the Holy Spirit.35
Only you [Jesus] and your Mother
Are more beautiful than everything.
For on you, O Lord, there is no mark;
Neither is there any stain in your Mother.36

Mary is pictured as the most marvelous creature that exists besides Jesus. The
sinlessness of Jesus is declared and Mary is said to be without spiritual blemish. This
poem exalts the Son of God while honoring his mother. In Ephrem, Mary is equated
with Church and her sacraments. In Ephrems writings, Mary is viewed not just in terms
of Christology, but also viewed in terms of ecclesiology. In one of his poems, Mary has
become part of the Eucharist: one of the sacraments of the Church. Mary gave us the
refreshing bread, in place of the fatiguing bread that Eve procured for us. 37
Bishop Epiphanius
Bishop Epiphanius of Salamis (d. 403) is an unusual character: he was extremely
polemical by nature. Epiphanius was aggressive in his defense of Mary calling anyone a

35

Hilda Graef, Mary: A History of Doctrine and Devotion (London: Westminster, 1965), 57.

36

Carmina Nisibena, 27.8.

37

Hymns for the Unleavened Bread, 6:6-7.

16

heretic who did not believe in Marys ever-virginity.38 He continues to affirm the
Incarnation of Christ and Mary as the new Eve. For the first time, Epiphanius raises a
question concerning Marys death. He speculates that death did not touch her, but is
uncertain about her outcome. He also says that Mary is the woman found in Revelation
12:13-14 that was able to flee the devil and remain untouched by death:
But I dare not affirm this with absolute certainty, nor do I say
that she remained untouched by death, nor do I confirm
whether she died. The scriptures, which are above human
reason, left this question uncertain, out of respect for this
honored and admirable vessel, so that could suspect her of
carnal baseness. We do not know if she died or if she was
buried; however she did not have carnal relations. Let this
never be said!39
Epiphanius statements allow for speculation concerning Marys death, which
after many centuries would develop into to the doctrine of the Assumption of Mary. The
doctrine of the Assumption states that Mary was received body and soul straight up
into heaven without suffering the pains and corruption of death: this belief was not
made official dogma of the Roman Catholic Church until 1950.
Sixth Century A.D.
Evidence exists of a liturgical feast day in the Christian calendar celebrating the
death of Mary in the fifth century. It was not until the late sixth century, that the
doctrine of the Assumption of Mary was affirmed by a church father, Gregory of Tours.
38

Gambero, 120-122.

39

Panarion, 78:11.
17

Gregory quoting from a lost apocryphal Greek text states his belief that the apostles
witnessed Jesus taking Mary bodily into heaven after passing. It is generally agreed,
that the belief in the Assumption of Mary was unknown in the earliest church.
However, Gregory of Tours statements begin to shape Western thought.40 Devotion to
Mary increases as the centuries pass with the Church holding her up as a model for
Christian obedience, celebrating her in their songs and poetry, and speculating on her
death.
Ambrose of Milan
Ambrose of Milan (d. 397) is largely known as the bishop whose oratorical skills
led to the conversion of Augustine. However, his contributions to the Churchs theology
and practice are considerable in their own right. Ambrose is the first of the Fathers to
make Mary a type of the Church. This new Mary-Church parallel is the concept that
everything that is enacted in the Church was first brought forth in Mary.
Rightly is she [Mary] betrothed, yet a virgin, because she is
the type of the Church, which is immaculate yet married.
The virgin [Church] has conceived us by the Spirit; the
virgin brings us forth without pain. Therefore perhaps is the
holy Mary married to the one [Joseph], but filled with
another [Holy Spirit], because the individual Churches, too,
are filled by the Spirit and his grace, but are externally joined
to a mortal priest.41

40

F. L. Cross, ed., The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1983), 98-99.

41

Exposition in Luke, 2:7.

18

Ambroses interpretation will open up a completely new understanding of the Virgin

Mary. While giving birth to Christ she also gives birth to Christians. Ambrose says that
Mary is physically and morally pure. God would not have chosen her as Mother of
Jesus if she had not been pure. She not only gave birth to Christ, but also according to
Ambrose, she gave birth to the Church. However, Mary is simply a vessel of salvation
not to be confused with Christs redemptive work.42
The Fourth and Fifth Centuries
With the exception of Ambrose, the fifth and sixth century fathers; Augustine,
Gregory of Nyssa, Gregory of Nazianzus and John Chrysostom, continued the same
consensus opinion in regards to Mary as the early founders. That opinion being the
belief that Mary guarantees the humanity of Christ, that Mary is pure, she is the
perpetual virgin, and the New Eve. This essay focuses on novel theological thinking in
regards to Mary, the vast amount of discussion about Mary in the writings of the
Fathers focused on her in terms of Christology. That is to say, that Mary was talked
about in terms of her relationship to Christ as his mother for the primary purpose of
defending the doctrine of the incarnation. Until Ambrose and in some respect with
Ephrem, the Fathers did not think of Mary as being a picture of the Church.
Low or High View?

42

Graef, 88.

19

In summary: The Fathers did not hold to an Evangelical, or low view of Mary. A
low view would simply see her as a person who should be honored for her obedience,
but not exalted in her stature--in other words, a role model.
However, it is also my conclusion that the Fathers did not hold to theological
convictions held currently held by the Roman Catholic Church regarding an
Immaculate Conception or an Assumption into heaven. In the first five hundred years
of the church, there is no evidence for a belief in the Assumption of Mary. No
documentation supports that doctrine. Only speculation existed about the nature of her
death, but the Fathers drew no conclusions about the manner of her passing.
There is evidence to show that the Fathers were moving in the direction of the
Doctrine of the Immaculate Conception. During the Patristic period, there was much
discussion about Marys purity and holiness especially regarding the effect of original
sin on her soul. There is without a doubt a firm belief in her purity in regards to
individual sin, but some discussion existed as to whether she inherited original sin.
The early church did maintain a high view of Mary with liturgical feast days
celebrated in her honor. The most well known was called the Commemoration of
Mary and it was held the Sunday before Christmas, today called Rose Sunday, the
third Sunday in Advent.43 The laity in the ancient Church seemed to be the prime

43

Cross, 883.
20

movers in the exaltation of Mary with theologians trying to catch up. The laitys
devotion generated numerous feast days and celebrations in her honor.

Conclusion
In conclusion, the Fathers left their convictions regarding Blessed Virgin Mary
open to misinterpretation by not defining terms and by not clarifying their theological
ideas. The intense theological debates over the nature and divinity of Christ forced the
church to be specific in their terminology about the person of Jesus. However, these
types of theological debates did not manifest concerning Marys nature. The only
theological dispute concerning Mary that captured the Fathers attention was the
Theotkos controversy and that debate was not about her as much as it was about Jesus
Christ.
This lack of clarity allowed for later medieval developments. These
developments are the root of the controversy between Protestants and Roman Catholics.
The Church Fathers discussion about Mary being the New Eve created the possibility
that she was co-Redemptrix. Their focus on her ever-virginity created speculation about
her sinlessness, thus the development of the doctrine of Immaculate Conception. The
creation of the Mary-Church parallel led some toward a belief in her as a co-Mediator
with Christ.

21

The Fathers did not explicitly state any of these doctrines: their lack of clarity left
themselves open to misinterpretation. It must be stressed, that the Fathers first and
main focus was appropriate belief about Jesus Christ, not Mary. Only where someones
view of Mary affected their view of Christ were the Fathers gravely concerned.
Works Cited

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