Thehistory ofCatholic Mariology tracestheological developments and views regardingMary from theearly Church to the 21st century.Mariology is a mainlyCatholicecclesiological study withintheology, which centers on the relation ofMary, the Mother of God, and the Church. Theologically, it not only deals with her life but with herveneration in life andprayer, in art, music, and architecture, fromancient Christianity to modern times.
Throughout history, Catholics have continued to build churches to honor the Blessed Virgin. Today, many Catholic churches dedicated to the Blessed Virgin exist on all continents and, in a sense, their evolving architecture tells the unfolding story of the development of Catholic Mariology. Throughout Catholic history, the veneration of theBlessed Virgin Mary has led to the creation of numerous items ofRoman Catholic Marian art. Today, these items may be viewed from an artistic perspective, but also they are part of the fabric ofCatholic Mariology.
"Many centuries were necessary to arrive at the explicit definition of the revealed truths concerning Mary," saidPope John Paul II in 1995.[1] The importance of Mary and of Marian theology can be seen in the Church after the third century. The New Testament Gospels, composed during the late 1st century, contain the first references to the life of Mary; the New Testament Epistles, composed earlier, make no mention of her by name. There are, however, references to Mary in the Epistles, most notably inGalatians.[2][3] In the 2nd century, St.Irenaeus of Lyons called Mary the "second Eve" because through Mary and her willing acceptance of God's choice, God undid the harm that was done through Eve's choice to eat the forbidden fruit. The earliest recorded prayer to Mary is thesub tuum praesidium (3rd or 4th century) and the earliest depictions of her are from thePriscilla catacombs in Rome (early 3rd century).
Hugo Rahner's 20th-century discovery and reconstruction ofSaint Ambrose's 4th-century view of Mary as theMother of the Church was adopted at theSecond Vatican Council. This shows the influence of early traditions and views on Mary in modern times.[4][5][6] This view was emphasized by PopeJohn Paul II in 1997, and today Mary is viewed as the Mother of the Church by many Catholics, and also as the Queen of Heaven.[7]
In the 5th century, theThird Ecumenical Council debated the question of whether Mary should be referred to asTheotokos orChristotokos.[8] Theotokos means "God-bearer" or "Mother of God"; its use implies that Jesus, to whom Mary gave birth, is truly God and man in one person.Nestorians preferred the title Christotokos meaning "Christ-bearer" or "Mother of the Messiah" not because they denied Jesus' divinity, but because they believed that God the Son orLogos existed before time and before Mary, and that Mary was mother only of Jesus as a human, so calling her "Mother of God" was confusing and potentially heretical. Both sides agreed that Jesus took divinity from God the Father and humanity from his mother. The majority at the council agreed with the Pope that denying Mary the titleTheotokos would either imply that Jesus was not divine, or that Jesus had two separate personhoods, one of whom was son of Mary and the other not. Ultimately, the council affirmed the use of the titleTheotokos and by doing so affirmed Jesus'undivided divinity and humanity.
Thus, while the debate was over the proper title for Mary, it was primarily aChristological question about the nature of Jesus Christ, a question which would return at theFourth Ecumenical Council. Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Lutheran and Anglican theological teaching affirms the titleMother of God, while other Christian denominations give no such title to her.
The Middle Ages saw a growth and development of Mariology. Belief in theAssumption of Mary became widespread across the Christian world from the 6th century onward, and is celebrated on 15 August in both the East and the West.[9] The Medieval period brought major champions of Marian devotion to the fore, includingEphraim the Syrian andJohn Damascene.
TheDogma of theImmaculate Conception developed within the Catholic Church over time. The Conception of Mary was celebrated as a liturgical feast in England from the 9th century, and the doctrine of her "holy" or "immaculate" conception was first formulated in a tract byEadmer, companion and biographer ofAnselm, Archbishop ofCanterbury.[10] TheNormans suppressed the Anglo-Saxon celebration, but it lived on in the popular mind.
The majority of Western Marian writers during this period belonged to the monastic tradition, particularly theBenedictines. The twelfth and thirteenth centuries saw an extraordinary growth of the cult of the Virgin in western Europe, in part inspired by the writings of theologians such as Bernard of Clairvaux (1090–1153).[11] One of the most influential churchmen of his time, in his "Sermon on the Sunday in the Octave of the Assumption" he described Mary's participation in redemption.[12] Bernard'sPraises on the Virgin Mother was a small but complete treatise on Mariology.[13]Pope Pius XII's 1953 encyclicalDoctor Mellifluus, issued in commemoration of the eighth centenary of Bernard's death, quotes extensively from Bernard's sermon on Mary as "Our Lady, Star of the Sea".[14]
Western types of the Virgin's image, such as the twelfth-century “Throne of Wisdom”, in which the Christ Child is presented frontally as the sum of divine wisdom, seem to have originated in Byzantium.[11] This was much used inEarly Netherlandish painting in works like theLucca Madonna byJan van Eyck.
Theologically, one major controversy of the age was theImmaculate Conception. It was rejected byBernard of Clairvaux,Alexander of Hales, andBonaventure (who, teaching at Paris, called it "this foreign doctrine", indicating its association with England), and byThomas Aquinas who expressed questions about the subject, but said that he would accept the determination of the Church. Aquinas and Bonaventure, for example, believed that Mary was completely free from sin, but that she was not given this grace at the instant of her conception.Anthony of Padua (1195–1231) supported Mary's freedom from sin and herImmaculate Conception.[15][16] His many sermons on the Virgin Mary shaped the Mariological approach of many Franciscans who followed his approach for centuries after his death.[17]
OxfordFranciscansWilliam of Ware and especiallyJohn Duns Scotus defended the doctrine. Scotus proposed a solution to the theological problem of reconciling the doctrine with that of the universal redemption in Christ, by arguing that Mary's immaculate conception did not remove her from redemption by Christ. Rather it was the result of a more perfect redemption given to her on account of her special role in history. Furthermore, Scotus said that Mary was redeemedin anticipation of Christ's death on the cross.[18] Scotus' defense of the immaculist thesis was summed up by one of his followers aspotuit, decuit ergo fecit – God could do it, it was fitting that He did it, and so He did it. Gradually the idea that Mary had been cleansed oforiginal sin at the very moment of her conception began to predominate, particularly afterDuns Scotus dealt with the major objection to Mary's sinlessness from conception, that being her need for redemption.[19] The very divine act, in making Mary sinless at the first instant of her conception was, he argued, the most perfect form of redemption possible.
By the end of the Middle Ages, Marian feasts were firmly established in the calendar of the liturgical year.Pope Clement IV (1265–1268) created a poem on the seven joys of Mary, which in its form is considered an early version of the Franciscanrosary[20]
Beginning in the 13th century, theRenaissance period witnessed a dramatic growth inMarian art, by masters such asBotticelli,Leonardo da Vinci andRaphael.[21] Some was specifically produced to decorate the Marian churches built in this period.
Paintings of theMadonna and Child were enormously popular in 15th-century Italy.[22] Major Italian artists with Marian motifs include:Fra Angelico,Donatello,Sandro Botticelli,Masaccio,Filippo Lippi,Piero di CosimoPaolo UccelloAntonello da MessinaAndrea Mantegna,Piero della Francesca andCarlo Crivelli.
Dutch and German artists with Marian paintings include:Jean Bellegambe,Hieronymus Bosch,Petrus Christus,Gerard David,Hubert van Eyck,Geertgen tot Sint Jans,Quentin Matsys,Rogier van der Weyden,Hans Baldung andAlbrecht Dürer.Albrecht Altdorfer'sNativity of the Virgin symbolized the analogy between Mary and the Church.[23]
French and Spanish artists with Marian paintings include:Jean Fouquet,Jean Clouet,François Clouet,Barthélemy d'Eyck,Jean Hey,Bartolomé Bermejo,Ayne Bru,Juan de Flandes,Jaume Huguet, andPaolo da San Leocadio.
Francis of Assisi is credited with setting up the first knownpresepio or crèche (Nativity scene).[24] The influence of the Franciscans gave rise to a more affective spirituality. PopeSixtus IV, a Franciscan, greatly increased the prominence given to Mary, introducing thePresentation of Mary (1472) and extending theFeast of the Visitation, for the whole church (1475), and introducing theFeast of the Immaculate Conception, observed by the Franciscans since 1263 but strenuously opposed by the Dominicans and still highly-controversial in the fifteenth century.[25] Around the time of theFall of Constantinople in 1453 many Orthodox monks fled to the West, bringing with them traditions of iconography. Depictions of the Madonna and Child can be traced to the EasternTheotokos. In the Western tradition, depictions of the Madonna were greatly diversified by Renaissance masters such asDuccio, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Giovanni Bellini, Caravaggio and Rubens. The early Renaissance saw an increased emphasis on Christ crucified and therefore Mary as the Sorrowful Mother, an object of compassionate devotion.[26] Artists such asTitian depicted Mary as theMater Dolorosa.
With theProtestant Reformation, Roman Catholic Mariology came under attack as being sacrilegious and superstitious.[27] Protestant leaders likeMartin Luther andJohn Calvin, while personally adhering to Marian beliefs likevirgin birth and sinlessness, consideredCatholic veneration of Mary as competition to the divine role of Jesus Christ.
As a reflection of this theological opposition, Protestant reformers destroyed much religious art and Marian statues and paintings in churches in northern Europe and England. Some of the Protestant reformers, in particularAndreas Karlstadt,Huldrych Zwingli andJohn Calvin, encouraged the removal of religious images by invoking theDecalogue's prohibition of idolatry and the manufacture of graven images of God. Major iconoclastic riots took place inZürich (in 1523),Copenhagen (1530),Münster (1534),Geneva (1535),Augsburg (1537), andScotland (1559). Protestant iconoclasm swept through theSeventeen Provinces (now the Netherlands and Belgium and parts of Northern France) in the summer of 1566. In the middle of the 16th century, theCouncil of Trent confirmed the Catholic tradition of paintings and artworks in churches. This resulted in a great development of Marian art and Mariology during theBaroque Period.
At the same time, the Catholic world was engaged in ongoingOttoman Wars in Europe againstTurkey which were fought under the auspices of theVirgin Mary. The victory atBattle of Lepanto (1571) was accredited to her "and signified the beginning of a strong resurgence of Marian devotions, focusing especially on Mary, the Queen of Heaven and Earth and her powerful role as mediator of many graces".[28] TheColloquium Marianum, an elite group, and theSodality of Our Lady based their activities on a virtuous life, free ofcardinal sins.
The baroque literature on Mary experienced unforeseen growth with over 500 pages of Mariological writings during the 17th century alone.[29] The JesuitFrancisco Suárez (1548-1617) was the first theologian who used theThomist method on Mariology and is considered the father of systematic Mariology.[18] Other well-known contributors to baroque Mariology areLawrence of Brindisi,Robert Bellarmine, andFrancis of Sales. After 1650, theImmaculate Conception is the subject of over 300 publications fromJesuit authors alone.[30]
This popularity was at times accompanied with Marian excesses and alleged revelations of the Virgin Mary to individuals likeMaría de Ágreda.[31] Many of the baroque authors defended Marianspirituality and Mariology. In France, the often anti-MarianJansenists were combated byJohn Eudes andLouis de Montfort.[32]
Baroque Mariology was supported by several popes during the period:Popes Paul V andGregory XV ruled in 1617 and 1622 that it is inadmissible to state that the virgin was conceived non-immaculate.Alexander VII declared in 1661 that the soul of Mary was free fromoriginal sin.Pope Clement XI ordered the feast of theImmaculata for the whole Church in 1708. The feast of theRosary was introduced in 1716 and the feast of the Seven Sorrows in 1727. TheAngelus prayer was strongly supported byPope Benedict XIII in 1724 and byPope Benedict XIV in 1742.[33]
Popular Marian piety was more colorful and varied than ever before: Numerous Marianpilgrimages,Marian Salvedevotions, newlitanies, Marian theatre plays, Marianhymns, Marianprocessions. Marianfraternities, today mostly defunct, had millions of members.[34] Lasting impressions from the baroqueMariology are in the field ofclassical music, painting and art, architecture, and in the numerous Marianshrines from the baroque period in Spain, France, Italy, Austria andBavaria as also in some South American cities.
During theAge of Enlightenment, the emphasis onscientific progress andrationalism put Catholictheology and Mariology on the defensive. The Church continued to stress thevirginity and special graces, but deemphasized Mariancults.[35] During this period, Marian theology was even discontinued in some seminaries (for example: inSalzburg Austria in the year 1782[36]). Some theologians proposed the abolition of all Marian feast days altogether, except those with biblical foundations and the feast of the Assumption.[37]
Nonetheless, in this period a number of significantMarian churches were built, often laden with Marian symbols, and popular Marian devotions continued in many areas. An example isSanta Maria della Salute in Venice, built to thank the Virgin Mary for the city's deliverance from theplague. The church is full of Marian symbolism: the great dome represents her crown, and the eight sides, the eight points on her symbolic star.
ManyBenedictines such asCelestino Sfondrati (died 1696) andJesuits,[38] supported by pious faithful and theirmovements and societies, fought against the anti-Marian trends. Increasingsecularization led to the forced closing of mostmonasteries andconvents, and Marianpilgrimages were either discontinued or greatly reduced in number. Some Catholics criticized the practice of theRosary as not Jesus-oriented and too mechanical.[39] In some places, priests forbade the praying of the Rosary during Mass.[40] The highly conservative rural Bavarian dioceses of Passau outlawed Marian prayer books and related articles in 1785.[39]
During this time, Mariologists looked toThe Glories of Mary and other Mariological writings ofAlphonsus Liguori (1696–1787), an Italian, whose culture was less affected by the Enlightenment. "Overall, Catholic Mariology during the Enlightenment lost its high level of development and sophistication, but the basics were kept, on which the 19th century was able to build."[41]
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Mariology in the 19th century was dominated by discussions about the dogmatic definition of theImmaculate Conception and theFirst Vatican Council. In 1854,Pope Pius IX, with the support of the overwhelming majority of Roman Catholic bishops whom he had consulted between 1851 and 1853, proclaimed the dogma of theImmaculate Conception, which had been a traditional belief among the faithful for centuries.[42]
Eight years earlier, in 1846, the Pope had granted the unanimous wish of the bishops from the United States, and declared the Immaculata the patron of the US.[43] During theFirst Vatican Council, some 108 council fathers requested adding the words "Immaculate Virgin" to theHail Mary prayer and to add the Immaculata to theLitany of Loreto. Some fathers requested the dogma of the Immaculate Conception to be included in theCreed of the Church.[44]
Many French Catholics supported making dogma both Papalinfallibility and theassumption of Mary in the forthcoming ecumenical council.[45] During theFirst Vatican Council, nine Mariological petitions favored a possible Assumption dogma. It was strongly opposed by some council fathers, especially those from Germany. On 8 May, a majority of the fathers voted to reject making the Assumption a dogma, a position shared byPope Pius IX. The concept ofCo-Redemptrix was also discussed but left open. In its support, Council fathers highlighted the divine motherhood of Mary and calledher the mother of all graces.[46]
"Rosary Pope" is a title given toPope Leo XIII (1878–1903) because he issued a record eleven encyclicals on the Rosary, instituted the Catholic custom of daily Rosary prayer during the month of October, and in 1883 created the Feast ofQueen of the Holy Rosary.[47]
John Henry Newman, wrote of the Eve-Mary parallel in support of Mary's original state of grace (Immaculate Conception), her part in redemption, her eschatological fulfilment and her intercession.[48]
Popular opinion remained firmly behind the celebration of Mary's immaculate conception. The doctrine itself had been endorsed by the Council of Basel (1431–1449), and by the end of the 15th century was widely professed and taught in many theological faculties. The Council of Basel was later held not to have been a true General (or Ecumenical) Council with authority to proclaim dogma. Such was the influence of the Dominicans, and the weight of the arguments of Thomas Aquinas (who had been canonised in 1323 and declared "Doctor Angelicus" of the Church in 1567) that the Council of Trent (1545–63) – which might have been expected to affirm the doctrine – instead declined to take a position. It simply reaffirmed the constitutions ofSixtus IV, which had threatened with excommunication anyone on either side of the controversy who accused the others of heresy.
But it was not until 1854 thatPope Pius IX, with the support of the overwhelming majority of Roman Catholic bishops, whom he had consulted between 1851 and 1853, proclaimed the doctrine in accordance with the conditions ofpapal infallibility that would be defined in 1870 by theFirst Vatican Council.
In 1904, in the first year of his pontificate,Pope Pius X celebrated the previous century's proclamation of the dogma ofImmaculate Conception with theencyclicalAd diem illum. In 1950, thedogma of the Assumption was defined byPope Pius XII. TheSecond Vatican Council spoke of Mary asMother of the Church.Pope Pius XI presided over a Mariological congress in 1931.[49]
Mariology in the 20th century reflected an increased membership inRoman Catholic Marian Movements and Societies. At the popular level, the 20th century witnessed growth in the number of lay Marian devotional organizations such as freeRosary distribution groups. The number of 20th century pilgrims visitingMarian churches set new records. In South America alone, two major Marian basilicas, theBasilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida in Brazil and the newBasilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe onTepeyac hill, were constructed and jointly recorded over 10 million visitors per year.
Prior to Vatican II, the French Mariological Society held a three-year series of Marian studies on the theme of Mary in relation to the Church.[50]
Mariological issues were included in the discussions at theSecond Vatican Council (1962–1965), although the Council indicated that it had not addressed all Marian issues. The Council members had in depth discussions regarding the question of whether to treat Mary within the Constitution of the Church or outside it in a separate document.[51] The final decision, by a vote of 1114–1074, resulted in the treatment of Marian issues within the Church Constitution, as chapter eight ofLumen gentium.[51] This chapter provides a "pastoral summary" of Catholic doctrines on Mary but does not claim to be complete.[52]
At the conclusion of theVatican II Council in December 1965, Catholics were presented with a multitude of changes. Some authors such asJohn W. O'Malley have commented that these issues would forever alter Catholic practices and views, including those surrounding the Virgin Mary. These changes reflected the council's desire to make the Church more ecumenical and less isolated as it increasingly had become in the past century.[53] One of the roadblocks towards finding common ground was the complaint by other faiths regarding the Church's dogmas on the Virgin Mary, and especially the fervor of the Catholic laity to preserve Mary at the center of their devotions.[53][54][55]
The preparations for the council included an independent schema"About the Blessed Virgin Mary, mother of God and Mother of the People".[52] Some observers interpreted the renunciation of this document on Mary as minimalism, others interpreted her inclusion as a chapter into the Church document as underlining her role for the Church.[52] With the inclusion of Marian issues within the Constitution of the Church rather than in a separate document, at Vatican II thecontextual view of Mary was emphasized, namely that Mary belongs "within the Church":[56]
Calling Mary "our mother in the order of grace",Lumen gentium referred to Mary as a model for the Church and stated that:[57]
By reason of the gift and role of divine maternity, by which she is united with her Son, the Redeemer, and with His singular graces and functions, the Blessed Virgin is also intimately united with the Church. As St. Ambrose taught, the Mother of God is a type of the Church in the order of faith, charity and perfect union with Christ.[58]
The Marian chapter has five parts which link Mary to the salvation mysteries which continue in the Church, which Christ has founded as his mystical body. Her role in relation to her son is a subordinate one. Highlighted are her personality and fullness of grace. The second part describes her role in salvation history. Her role as a mediator is detailed, as Mary is considered to secure our salvation through her many intercessions after her assumption into heaven. The Council refused to adopt the title mediator of all graces and emphasized that Christ is the one mediator.[59]Pope Paul VI declared MaryMother of the Church during the Vatican Council.
Following Vatican II, the perception that Marian devotions had decreased was expressed by several authors. Other authors have indicated that the continued strength of devotion to Mary within Catholicism following Vatican II has been manifested in multiple forms worldwide.[60] Examples of this are the increase in Marian pilgrimages at major Marian shrines and the construction of major new Marian Basilicas since Vatican II.[60]
At the end of the 20th century, two of the top three most visited Catholic shrines in the world were Marian, with theBasilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, built between 1974 and 1976, being the most visited Catholic shrine in the world.[61] In 1968, shortly after Vatican II, theBasilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida in Brazil used to receive about four million pilgrims per year, but the number has since doubled to over eight million pilgrims per year, indicating the significant increase in Marian pilgrimages since Vatican II.[60][62][63]
The perceived impact of concessions to ecumenism made at Vatican II did not impact the fundamental loyalties to Mary among Catholics and their attachment to Marian veneration.[56] A 1998 survey among young adult Catholics in the United States provided the following results:
Papal extensions and enhancement to the Mariology of Vatican II continued shortly thereafter, with PopePaul VI issuing the Apostolic ExhortationMarialis Cultus (to Honor Mary) in 1974, which took four years to prepare.[51][64][65]Marialis Cultus provided four separate guidelines for the renewal of Marian veneration, the last two of which were new in Papal teachings. The four elements were:biblical,liturgical,ecumenical andanthropological.[51][64]
Marian devotions were the hallmark of the pontificate ofPope John Paul II and he reoriented the Catholic Church towards the renewal of Marian veneration.[66][4] In March 1987 he went further than Paul VI in extending the Catholic views on Mary beyond Vatican II by issuing the encyclicalRedemptoris Mater.[51][67] Rather than being just a new presentation of the Marian views of Vatican II,Redemptoris Mater was in many aspects a re-reading, re-interpretation and further extension of the teachings of Vatican II.[51][68]
In 1988 inMulieris Dignitatem Pope John Paul II stated that the Second Vatican Council confirmed that: "unless one looks to the Mother of God, it is impossible to understand the mystery of the Church".[69][70] In 2002 in the Apostolic letterRosarium Virginis Mariae he emphasized the importance of theRosary as a key devotion for all Catholics and added the Luminous Mysteries to the Rosary.[66][71] By 2005, when he died, he had inspired a worldwide renewal of Marian devotions, that was reflected upon on the occasion of his death within non-Catholic media such asU.S. News & World Report.[56]
PopeBenedict XVI continued the program of redirection of the Catholic Church towards a Marian focus and stated: "Let us carry on and imitate Mary, a deeply Eucharistic soul, and our lives will become a Magnificat".[4] In 2008Benedict composed a prayer on Mary as the Mother of all Christians:[72]
Benedict journeyed to Marian shrines such asLourdes andFatima to support his message.[74][75]
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