Earliest Images and Initial Understandings of the Virgin Mary in Christian Theology - Essay Example

 Earliest Images and Initial Understandings of the Virgin Mary in Christian Theology Introduction Mary referred often to as the Virgin Mary or St. Mary, was first identified as the mother of Jesus Christ in the New Testament, in the gospels of Luke and Matthew. Here she is described as the ‘Virgin Lady’ and is portrayed as betrothed to Joseph [Matt, 1:18]. Her conception of Jesus is by the Holy Spirit, while she was still waiting to be formally married to Joseph, according to the Jewish marriage rituals of formal home taking. Orthodox and Roman Catholics believe that Jesus was conceived without the original sin, thus Mary is represented as sinless, and has been venerated throughout the ages. As Twomey tells us “Catholic and orthodox Christianity have made of Mary, the mother of Jesus, a figure of immense veneration and an exemplar for Christians. She is the ‘Virgin Mother’, the ‘Mother of God’, ‘ever virgin’, ‘immaculate’, ‘assumed into heaven’. In addition she has achieved immense cultural importance: in feasts…” (Twomey, 48). Such devotional images of Mary are seen, not only in the Christian religion. She is present in Judaism, as the girl of Galilee and Mary of Nazareth. In Koran, Muhammad speaks reverently of her as the virgin mother of the prophet Jesus. Thus the image of Mary transcends all religious boundaries and appears as the benevolent spirit, loving until the end, and the forth bringer of God’s own child. This article will present a detailed discussion on the earliest images that are found in art, literature, or apocryphal and scriptural texts that speak of Virgin Mary in Christianity. It will also conceptualize how the earliest Christians came to their initial understandings of Mary, who was in their daily faith experiences and her place in the emerging theology of Christianity.  Body Earliest images that are found in, literature or apocryphal and scriptural texts that speak of Virgin Mary in Christianity: Most of the early Christian literatures that we come across are theological, pedagogic or pietistic in nature. However, some are of the imaginative narrative kind too, and those that tell interesting stories with religious aims and are known as the apocryphal gospels, first seen in the second century. Certain offshoots of these apocryphal gospels known as the ‘proto-gospels’ give us Jesus’ background, right from the birth of his mother, Mary. These proto gospels were written in the second century and it is in these that the first pictures of Mary emerge (in the early Christian apocryphal scriptures “Protevangelium of James”). This beautifully narrated scripture marks the beginning of the gospel and as  Esler tell us, “ it begins in fact at a chronological starting point prior even to that of Luke’s gospel, with a story of Mary’s parents that leads to her birth, and ends shortly after the birth of Jesus” (Esler, 792). Here ‘James’ refers to Jesus’ brother, Joseph’s son from his first marriage, who was already an adult during this time, thus presenting, presumably, a correct account of the events that unfolded. Here we find Mary, a blessing from the Holy Spirit, being born to a wealthy but childless couple, Joachim and Anna, in Jerusalem. At the tender age of three, Mary leaves her parents to stay at a temple; a beautiful picture of this ‘presentation ceremony’ has been depicted in Giotto’s painting seen in the Arena Chapel in Padua. At the onset of puberty at the age of 12, Mary, as the apocryphal texts say, is instructed to be given in marriage to a widower, who would be in reality, only her guardian. Here Joseph is chosen to be her guardian and protector, while Mary is still instructed to remain a virgin. At the age of 16, however Mary is pregnant and she tells Joseph of her conception by the Holy Spirit, after which they both have to undergo tests by the Chief Priest as a proof of their sanctity, that Joseph did not defile the virgin placed under his care. One of the most powerful images created in the minds of all Christians is seen after this in the ‘Protevangelium’. As Elser describes it, “the Protevangelium depicts Joseph seating the heavily pregnant Mary on a donkey for the journey. Another such contribution is its location of the birth of Jesus in a cave” ( Elser, 794). After this, there is the birth of Jesus, halfway through Bethlehem and the visit of the three magi. The New Testament however carries very little account of Mary, as Jesus’ mother. Her presence is only fleetingly mentioned and As Tavard frames it “the mother and the ‘brothers’ of Jesus appear as actors in the story only to the extent that their presence throws light on some aspect of his personality or of his ministry” (Tavard, 3). Even St. Paul’s letters, the oldest book in Christian religion, does not contain any direct references to Mary. He does however refer to Christ’s birth in an oblique manner, stating that Christ was God’s son and “who was born of the seed of David” (Rom, 1:3-4) and in his letter to the Galatians he mentions of Mary, using a Semitic idiom, “but when the designated time had come, God sent forth his Son born of woman, born under the Law” (Gal, 4:3-4). In the gospel of Mark, acclaimed to be the oldest of the four gospels, there is reference to Mary as the mother of Jesus and a part of his family, only once in verse 3:31 – 34. Mark in his gospels obliquely refer to Mary “as the mother of James the younger and Joses” and as Ehrman remarks “it is possible that this is none other than the mother of Jesus, who is earlier said in Mark 6:3 to have two other sons named James and Joses” (Ehrman,148). Mary is again given prominence in John’s gospels who speaks of her love and faith in her son. Here we see Mary in front of Christ during the crucifixion when he speaks to her. Newsom and Ringe frame the scenario as described in John’s gospel, “Jesus speaks parallel sentences to his mother and the beloved disciple. To his mother he says, “Woman, here is your son” [19:26]; to the disciple, “here is your mother” [19:27}” (Newsom and Ringe, 388). Here, according to the authors, Mary as Jesus’ mother, who has seen his birth and beginning, represents the “continuation of Jesus’ earthly ministry” (Ringe and Newsom, 388). The synoptic gospels, part of the New Testament refers fleetingly of Mary, where she is mentioned as a part of the family of Jesus, and her faith in her son. Again, in the Infancy Narratives we find the mention of Mary in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. As Marthaler would let us know, “Mary figures prominently in these accounts, which are told with an eye on the Old Testament in order to emphasize that they are the fulfillment of Israel’s hope and to situate them in the context of the covenant” ( Marthaler, 124). Matthew and Luke following the footsteps of ‘Protevangelium’ give us more or less the same account of the conditions leading up to the birth of Jesus. The Annunciation of Mary by the archangel Gabriel is given special importance in the gospels of Luke and Matthew. This is done to show that the child Jesus was indeed conceived under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and that Mary responded and behaved as per the customs of Galilee. Later there are mentions of Mary’s presence during the first miracle performed by Jesus when he turned water into wine, and also during his crucifixion. In fact, the picture of Mary holding her dead son is a famous artwork known as ‘pieta’ or pity. In Acts 1:26 we again see Mary with her sons gathered after ascension during the election of Matthias. This is the last time we see mention of Mary in any biblical accounts. There are no biblical accounts of her death, however according to Sacred Tradition, and as per the beliefs of the Eastern Orthodox Church and the eastern and western churches of Catholicism; Mary was honored with ‘corporeal assumption’ or taken directly to heaven. General belief is that Mary died some years later after the ascension of Christ, surrounded by the apostles. When her tomb was later reopened by the apostles and she was not seen in the tomb, it was taken that Mary had been assumed, or taken directly, into heaven. Mary as role model in history and in the understanding of Christians in their daily religion through the ages: We find devotion of Mary appearing in certain sections of the gospels of Luke and Matthew in the New Testament. Later Justin and Iranaeus compared Mary to Eve and developed a parallel between the two figures. Mary became a cult model from the times of two well know church fathers, Athanasius (ca. 297- 373) and Ambrose (ca. 339-97). In the west, Augustine spoke highly of Mary in his theological discussions while in the east the fifth century saw the start of the Feast of Mary which was also seen in the west by the start of the seventh century. From here, Mary starts to develop as an extremely popular cult figure and takes the stature of the Mother Goddess. Here Bromiley and Fahlbusch tell us “the council of Ephesus (431) was an important spur to devotion to Mary with its support for the title theotokos, “God-bearer,” for Mary. In the period that followed, increasing stress fell on Mary’s transcendent role in the present as heavenly lady, queen, and intercessor”(Bromiley and Fahlbusch, 439). During the middle ages, Mary was revered by the Christians as ‘Mother of Sorrows’ and ‘Mother of Mercy’. The changes in the Catholic religion and the counter changes placed Mary in an even higher position. In the 17th century, we find Francis de Sales and John Eudes, who made famous the concept of devotion to the heart of Mary. Alphonsus Liguori in the eighteenth century glorified Mary and made her popular in his famous writing “The Glories of Mary” (1750). Romanticism further increased the importance of Mary and in 1854, the concept of the Immaculate Conception was raised by Pius IX (1846-78) to a dogmatic level, thus raising glorification of Mary to an even higher level. After this, we find reports of Mary’s sightings at Lourdes (1858) and in 1917 the appearance of Fatima, turned her cult devotion and following, into almost hysteria. As Cairns sums it up “the veneration of Mary, the mother of Jesus, developed rapidly by 590 and led to the adoption of the doctrines of her Immaculate Conception in 1854 and her miraculous assumption to heaven in 1950. The false interpretation of Scripture and the mass of miracles associated with Mary in the apocryphal gospels created great reverence for her. The Nestorian and other Christological controversies of the fourth century resulted in the acceptance of her as the “Mother of God” and entitled her to special honors in the liturgy”( Cairns, 153). Mary was given perpetual virginity by Clement, Tertullian and Jerome, while Augustine proposed that the mother of Christ was sinless, owing to her conception by the Holy Spirit. Monasticism with its strict moral values on virginity prescribed veneration for Mary, thus allowing the Roman Catholic Church to uplift Mary from the already honored position of being Christ’s mother, to giving her the status of a cult goddess of the ‘Virgin Mary’ or ‘Mother Mary’. In Protestant churches however, the role of Mary is limited, as it is not compatible with the original Reformation Principles. As Eppehimer frames it, “a number of Protestants feel that veneration of Mary, mother of Jesus, comes close to violating the spirit of the first and second commandments” (Eppehimer, 62). However, in recent times, Protestants have come to the understanding that praying to Mary is altogether not illegal, though they do not accept the blind devotion that goes with it amongst the Roman Catholics. Earliest images of Mary that are found in art: Representations of ‘Madonna’ alone or with her child, is the pictorial manifestation of Mary and her infant Jesus. These are seen right from the times of the Early Christian Church and are found in Roman catacombs. A very popular symbol representing the Virgin Mary in Christian mind and art is that as described by Fergusson “The virgin of the Immaculate Conception and the queen of heaven is crowned with twelve stars (Revelation 12:1). One star is the symbol of the virgin in her title “Stella Maris,” star of the sea. A star on the forehead is one of the attributes given to St. Dominic while a star on the breast is an attribute of St. Nicholas of Tolentino…..the sun and moon are used as attributes of the virgin Mary, referring to the ‘woman clothed in the sun, and the moon under her feet(revelation 12:1)”( Fergusson, 44-45). Another very important representation of Mary through art is the scene depicting her annunciation. As Jameson tells us, “the subject called annunciation is one of the most frequent and most important, as it is one of the most beautiful, in the whole range of Christian art…in the early representations of the annunciation it is treated as religious mystery, and with a solemn simplicity and purity of feeling…but form the beginning of the fourteenth century we perceive a change of feeling, as well as a change of style: the veneration paid to Mary demanded another treatment. She becomes…the superior being: she is the “Regina Angelorum…” (Jameson, 119-121). Another dominant art that was very popular in the church architecture is the “Virgin in Majesty” where Mary is enthroned. Sometimes she is also shown to be sharing her throne with her son, Jesus. Another popular art theme representing Mary depicts her holding her boy child, Jesus in her arms- ‘Hodegetria’ and ‘Eleusa’. In medieval devotional art paintings, Mary is often shown to be standing with her mother Anne and other surrounding saints, or, is often also shown to be surrounded by her followers and wearing the all-encompassing cloak, to protect them. Other famous representations of Mary include that of her holding the body of her son- ‘Pieta’, as intercessor- the ‘Deesis’, her immaculate heart and also the occasion of her immaculate conception, her assumption and also as the ‘Mother of Sorrows’ where she is shown with swords in her heart. Modern Marian art depicts her miraculous appearances at the Lourdes and as Fatima. Music in the form of prayers has been composed in her name, including songs and many operatic arias. The most well known prayer being, “Hail Mary, full of grace. The lord is with thee….” Literary representation of Mary is also quite common starting from the 2nd century ‘Protevangelium’ to Liguori’s ‘Glories of Mary’in the eighteenth century. Conclusion Theologically this devotion to Mary starts with the ‘choice of the Heaven,’ and also her willingness, to become the mother of Jesus Christ. All that we read about her from Luke’s and Matthew’s gospels, we understand that she lived her life as a perfect Christian, never deviating from the path of righteousness and kindliness. It is through literature we read and know about her, and it is in art that we see and feel the emotions of this ‘timeless mother,’ from deep love to intense pain, as she first holds her new born son in her arms, to her in ‘Pieta’ where we find the same hands holding the body of her crucified son. Works cited Cairns, E. Christianity Through the Centuries: A History of the Christian Church. Michigan: Zondervan, 1996. Print. Ehrman, B. Truth and fiction in The Da Vinci code: a historian reveals what we really know about Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and Constantine. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. Print. Eppehimer, T. Protestantism, Volume 10. New York: Marshall Cavendish, 2006. Print. Fahlbusch, E, and Bromiley, G. The Encyclopedia of Christianity, Volume 3. Leiden : Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2003. Print. Ferguson, G. Signs and symbols in Christian art: with illustrations from paintings of the Renaissance. New York: Oxford University Press, 1966. Print. Jameson, A. Sacred and legendary art, Volume 1. London: Longman, Brown, Green, Longmans, & Roberts, 1857. Digitized on Mar 1, 2007. Print. Marthaler, B. The Creed: The Apostolic Faith in Contemporary Theology. New London: Twenty- Third Publications, 1993. Print. Newsom, C and Ringe, S. Women's Bible commentary. Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 1998. Print. Tavard, G. The thousand faces of the Virgin Mary. Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 1996. Print. Twomey, L. Women in contemporary culture: roles and identities in France and Spain. Oregon: Intellect Books, 2000. Print. Read More