Mariology Term Paper

Introduction:

Mary, the Mother of Jesus, is an extremely important figure in the Catholic Faith. The Catholic faithful offer many devotions to her requesting her intercession and they venerate her with many titles of praise. Among these titles are; “Ark of the New Covenant”, “Daughter of Zion”, “Holy Virgin”, “Immaculate Conception”, “Assumpta”, “Mother of the Church”, and “Mother of God”. Four of these titles refer to the four dogmas of the Catholic Church which concern Mary. These Marian dogmas are; the Divine Motherhood, the Immaculate Conception, the Perpetual Virginity and the Assumption. The following paper will define, explain, compare, contrast and defend three of these dogmas, namely, the Divine Motherhood, the Immaculate Conception, and the Perpetual Virginity. The history, the ecumenical potential and the significance to the Catholic Faithful of these dogmas will also be discussed. Finally, because “[e]very Marian doctrine is simply a consequence of the fundamental Christological affirmations” this paper will show how each of these dogmas builds upon, and does not detract from, the glory of Jesus Christ.

Divine Motherhood / Theotokos:

The term “Theotokos” is a transliteration of the Greek term “Θεοτόκος” which means “God-Bearer.” This is the term used to refer to the teaching that Mary is the Mother of God.

History and Explanation:

This teaching, though derived from New Testament truths, is not explicitly sated therein. Rather, it is logically inferred from a proper understanding of Christology, specifically the incarnation and the hypostatic union, and of motherhood. If Mary is the mother of the person Jesus, and Jesus is not only human but also God, then Mary must be the Mother of God. Clearly, any misunderstanding of this dogma would probably flow form a mistaken notion of the nature of Jesus or of motherhood. The clarification of these truths played an important role in the development of this dogma, which is explained below....