Anglican Marian theology is the summation of the doctrines and beliefs ofAnglicanism concerningMary, the mother of Jesus. As Anglicans believe that Jesus was both human andGod the Son, the second Person of theTrinity, within theAnglican Communion andContinuing Anglican movement, Mary is accorded honour[1] as thetheotokos, aKoiné Greek term that means "God-bearer" or "one who gives birth to God".
Anglicans ofevangelical orlow church tradition tend to avoid honouring Mary. Other Anglicans respect and honour Mary because of the special religious significance that she has withinChristianity as the mother ofJesus Christ. This honour and respect is termedveneration.
Mary always held aplace of honour within the English Church,[2] but many of the doctrines surrounding her have been called into question over the centuries, most as the result of theReformation. WhileProtestantism generally is based upon interpretation ofscripture by a variety of 16th century reformers, who mostly rejected the practice of speaking directly to Mary and other saints (except in certain hymns,[3] e.g.Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones, canticles,[4] e.g. theBenedicite, andPsalms, e.g.Psalm 148), certain Anglican traditions, especially after theOxford Movement, have allowed for Mary and thesaints to be addressed.
In the 12th-century legends surroundingKing Lucius, theapostlesFagan andDuvian were said to have erected theSt Mary's atGlastonbury as the oldest church inBritain in the mid-2nd century.[5] Later accounts pushed its origin still farther back and credited its foundation to a visit byJoseph of Arimathea in AD 65.[citation needed] (There are some debatable rumours that elements may have beenpious forgeries.)[citation needed]
TheBritish church generally preferred to dedicateparish churches tolocal saints credited with founding thellan and introducing Christianity to the area. Replacing these native foundations with more generic dedications toSt Peter,St Paul, and the Virgin Mary was a common aspect of theSaxon andNorman invasions, in some cases leading to oddities like the village nearCardiff still known asSt Fagans despite having had a parish church dedicated to St Mary, the Blessed Virgin, since the 12th century. By theHigh Middle Ages, Marian piety was so widespread throughout the country that England had become known as theDowry of Mary. England was the first country to celebrate theFeast of the Assumption, in 1060.[citation needed]
Many of the great English saints were devoted to Mary and wrote prayers about her. The Carmelite SaintSimon Stock is said to have received theBrown Scapular from her in the city of Cambridge on Sunday, July 16, 1251. SaintEdmund of Canterbury wrote many prayers addressed to her. SaintRichard of Chichester and SaintThomas Becket were also especially devoted to Mary, but the English saint best known for his devotion was SaintAnselm of Canterbury, who wrote many prayers and books about and dedicated to "the spotless Ever-Virgin Mother of Christ".
One aspect of theEnglish Reformation was a widespread reaction against Mary as amediatrix alongside Christ, or sometimes even in his place. Such exaggerated devotions, in part inspired by presentations of Christ as an inaccessible Judge as well as Redeemer, were criticized byErasmus andThomas More and rejected by the Church of England. Together with a new emphasis on Scripture as the fundamental standard of faith, there was a renewed devotion by the Reformers to the belief that Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God the Father and humanity. This rejected any overt devotion to Mary and diminished her place in the life of the Church.
The English Reformers' positive teaching about Mary concentrated on her role in theIncarnation. It is summed up in their acceptance of her as the Mother of God, because this was seen to be both scriptural and traditional. As did theEarly Church, almost all prominent Protestant reformers likeMartin Luther andJohn Calvin affirmed their belief in theperpetual virginity of Mary,[6] English Reformers such asHugh Latimer,Thomas Cranmer, andJohn Jewel too believed in the dogma.[citation needed] They neither affirmed nor denied the possibility of Mary having been preserved by grace from participation inoriginal sin. TheBook of Common Prayer in the Christmascollect and preface refers to Mary as "a pure Virgin".[7][failed verification]
From 1561, the calendar of the Church of England contained five feasts associated with Mary:The Conception of Mary,Nativity of Mary,Annunciation,Visitation, andPurification. There was, however, no longer a feast of theAssumption (Dormition) [August 15]: not only was it not found in theBible, but was also seen as exalting Mary to a level above Christ. Scottish and Canadian revisions of the Prayer Book restored August 15 as theFalling Asleep of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Despite the lack of official devotion to Mary, starting in the 16th century, reverence for her continued[citation needed] in the use of theMagnificat[failed verification] inEvening Prayer, and the naming and dedication of churches andLady Chapels. In the 17th century writers such asLancelot Andrewes,Jeremy Taylor,Thomas Traherne andThomas Ken took from catholic tradition a fuller appreciation of the place of Mary in the prayers of the Church.[citation needed] Andrewes in hisPreces Privatae[failed verification] borrowed from Eastern liturgies to deepen his Marian devotion.[citation needed]
The Cambridge theologianJohn Pearson, who was madeBishop of Chester in 1672, in his celebrated bookAn Exposition of the Creed affirmed both the Immaculate Conception and the perpetual virginity of Mary, writing, "We believe the Mother of our Lord to have been not only before and after his Nativity, but also for ever, the most immaculate and blessed Virgin." Pearson explicated the basis for a proper Marian devotion:
If Elizabeth cried out with so loud a voice, 'Blessed art thou among women,' when Christ was but newly conceived in Mary's womb, what expressions of honour and admiration can we think sufficient now that Christ is in heaven and that Mother with Him! Far be it from any Christian to derogate from that special privlilege granted her which is incommunicable to any other. We cannot bear too reverent a regard unto the Mother of our Lord, so long as we give her not that worship which is due unto the Lord Himself. Let us keep the language of the Primitive Church: Let her be honoured and esteemed, let him be worshiped and adored.[8]
This re-appropriation can be traced into the next century, and into theOxford Movement of the 19th century.
In 1922 the creation of a new statue ofOur Lady of Walsingham under the aegis of FatherHope Patten, reignited Anglican interest in a revival of the pre-Reformation pilgrimage. From the early 1930s Walsingham became a centre of Anglican as well as Catholic Marian pilgrimage. This developed into theAnglican Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham in 1938.
Mary has a new prominence in Anglicanism through the liturgical renewals of the 20th century. In most[citation needed] Anglican prayer books, Mary is again mentioned by name in the liturgical prayers. Further, August 15 has come to be widely celebrated[9] as a feast or festival in honour ofSaint Mary the Virgin with Scripture readings, collect, and proper preface. Other ancient feasts associated with Mary have also been renewed, and liturgical resources offered for use on these festivals. Marian devotions such as theRosary,Angelus, andRegina Coeli are most commonly associated with theAnglo-Catholic andHigh Churchchurchmanships within Anglicanism.
An Anglo-Catholic manual,Saint Augustine's Prayer Book: A Book of Devotion for members of the Episcopal Church, first published in 1947, includes a section containing devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary. This includes the Rosary, the four seasonalMarian antiphons, theMemorare, and litanies of theBlessed Virgin andOur Lady of Sorrows. A Revised Edition was published in 1967, and the book remains in print with Holy Cross Publications.The Anglo-Catholic Prayer book, a classic, was published in an entirely new edition in 2000, and it also includes a section of prayers to the Blessed Virgin, including to herImmaculate Conception and Assumption.
Anglican theologianHugh Montefiore, former Bishop of Birmingham, while denying the immaculate conception and the bodily assumption of Mary into heaven, says "Christians rightly honour and venerate her as one of the great saints of God. God had signally honoured her by choosing her to be the mother of Jesus."[10]
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Some of the most famous chapels dedicated to Mary have beenLady chapels. Since the end of the 6th century Lady Chapels have existed in most Englishcathedrals, where they often form part of theapse. Traditionally, a Lady chapel is the largest chapel of a cathedral. Generally, the chapel was built east of thehigh altar and formed a projection from the main building.
The earliest Lady Chapel of certain historicity was that in theAnglo-Saxon cathedral atCanterbury. Unusually, at Ely the Lady Chapel is an almost separate building to the north of theChoir. The Lady Chapels atNorwich Wells Cathedral andPeterborough (in a similar position to Ely's) cathedrals were destroyed during the English Reformation.
Probably the most famous Lady-chapel was the Chapel of Our Lady of the Pew, built byHenry III in 1220 atWestminster Abbey. The Abbey also containsHenry VII's Lady Chapel.
To encourage ecumenical cooperation despite differences over other matters, the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches issued a joint statement, "Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ" (also known as the Seattle Statement) on the role of the Virgin Mary in Christianity. The document was released May 16, 2005 inSeattle,Washington, byAlexander Brunett, the local CatholicArchbishop, andPeter Carnley, Anglican Archbishop ofPerth, Western Australia, co-chairmen of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC).[11]
Much has been made of the difference between theMariology of Anglicans and that of Roman Catholics. Because Anglicanism does not have an official view about these doctrines,[citation needed] it can be difficult to say with precision what Anglicans believe. The description here attempts to sketch out the areas where Anglicans are in agreement that there is no official binding doctrine.[citation needed]
Roman Catholic Mariology contends that a veneration (hyperdulia) should be given to Mary that is higher than thedulia given to the other saints. Eastern Orthodox theology and practice endorses very similar views. Worship (latria) is properly given only to God. Anglicans agree that God alone is to be worshipped, additionally Mary is affirmed as the greatest of all the saints, and she should be venerated as such.[12][failed verification]
Anglicanism also does not accept the doctrines of theAssumption or theImmaculate Conception as binding, though some Anglicans consider these to be pious devotions.[13] For example, the formerBishop of Chester,John Pearson, called Mary "a most pure immaculate Virgin".[14] Even so, they are not held to the particular forms used by the Roman Catholic Church to define them. Many[citation needed] agree with theEastern Orthodox rejection of theImmaculate Conception, while agreeing that Mary was without actual sin during her life. Many also are more in agreement with theDormition of Mary as understood by the Orthodox.[citation needed]
Various names are used for the observance of 15 August in official Anglican liturgical calendars, but Anglo-Catholics will generally prefer to follow the broader Catholic tradition of calling this the feast of the Assumption. It is thus named in theAnglican Missal,[15]Saint Augustine's Prayer Book,[16] andA Manual of Catholic Devotion[17] published byThe Church Union.
TheSociety of Mary, an Anglican devotional society, asks that members keep a Rule of life which includes a pledge to "take part in the Mass on the principal Feasts of Our Lady".[18]
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