Sinlessness of Mary

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A fresco of The Marriage of the Virgin
Part of a series of articles on
Mariology
Vierge en oraison (Il Sassoferrato).jpg
General perspective
Specific views
Prayers and devotions
Ecumenical
P christianity.svg Christianity portal
  • v
  • t

The sinlessness of Mary refers to the doctrine in which Mary, mother of Jesus chose not to sin.[1][2] It is upheld by the Eastern Orthodox Church, as well as by high church Lutherans.[3][2]

Early Church[]

By the 4th century the sinlessness of Mary was a common belief.[4] Augustine in the 5th century upheld that Mary had no personal sin, but Augustine did not clearly affirm that she was free from original sin.[5] Ambrose also held similar views as Augustine concerning the sinlessness of Mary.[6] However, many Greek Fathers denied the sinlesness of Mary, this includes John Chrysostom,[7][8] Origen,[9][8] Basil, and Cyril of Alexandria.[8] J.N.D. Kelly also argued that Tertullian and Hilary of Poitiers believed that Mary had imperfections.[8]

Eastern Orthodoxy[]

The Eastern Orthodox Churches teach that while Mary "inherited the same fallen nature, prone to sin" as with other humans, "she did not consent to sin through her free will."[1] Due to being conceived in ancestral sin, Mary still needed "to be delivered by our Savior, her Son" according to Eastern Orthodox teaching.[1]

Oriental Orthodoxy[]

The concept of original sin and the Sinlessness of Mary in Oriental Orthodox Churches is the same as that of what is believed by Eastern Orthodox, however, The Ethiopian Orthodox Church does believe that Mary did not contract original sin, even if it is not dogmatically defined in the Church.

Lutheranism[]

Further information: Lutheran Mariology

Martin Luther taught the lifelong sinlessness of Mary, a doctrine inherited by those of the high church Lutheran tradition.[2] The Smalcald Articles, a Lutheran confession of faith, declare "that the Son became man in this manner: he was conceived by the Holy Spirit, without the cooperation of man, and was born of the pure, holy, and ever-virgin Mary."[10] Lutheran writer Kristofer Carlson in explicating the Book of Concord, writes that "When Lutherans confess Mary as pure & holy, it is a reference to the chastity and sinlessness of Mary."[11]

Comparison with Roman Catholic dogma[]

Further information: Catholic Mariology

The Catholic Church teaches the Immaculate Conception, that Mary was conceived without original sin.[12] Kenneth Baker writes that:

Two special factors rendered Mary impeccable or unable to sin. The first was her constant awareness of God, living always in His presence, and the second was her reception of special and extraordinary graces. These special graces made it possible for Mary to maintain a perfect harmony in her mind, will and emotions and to recognize always what was the right thing to do and then to do it.[12]

The encyclical Mystici corporis Christi from Pope Pius XII (1943) holds that Mary was also sinless personally, "free from all sin, original or personal".[13]

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that by the grace of God "Mary remained free of every personal sin her whole life long."[14]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c Pavlatos, Timothy (18 July 2013). "The Sinlessness of Mary the Mother of God". St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Divozzo, R. (2019). Mary for Protestants. Wipf and Stock Publishers. ISBN 978-1-5326-7585-0.
  3. ^ "Sinlessness of Mary - Questions & Answers". Orthodox Church in America. Retrieved 21 January 2020. I can say, in short, that the Orthodox Church believes that Mary, as a human being, could indeed have sinned, but chose not to.
  4. ^ Shoemaker 2016, p. 119.
  5. ^ Haffner, Paul (2004). The Mystery of Mary. Gracewing Publishing. ISBN 978-0-85244-650-8.
  6. ^ Kreitzer, Assistant Professor of History Beth; Kreitzer, Beth (2004). Reforming Mary: Changing Images of the Virgin Mary in Lutheran Sermons of the Sixteenth Century. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-516654-5.
  7. ^ Siker, Jeffrey S. (2015-08-31). Jesus, Sin, and Perfection in Early Christianity. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-316-40466-9.
  8. ^ a b c d White, James (1998). Mary--Another Redeemer?. Bethany House Publishers.
  9. ^ Longenecker, Dwight; Gustafson, David (2003). Mary: A Catholic Evangelical Debate. Gracewing Publishing. ISBN 978-0-85244-582-2.
  10. ^ Chapman, Mark E. (1997) "A Lutheran Response to the Theme of the Virgin Mary as Mother of God, Icon of the Church and Spiritual Mother of Intercession," Marian Studies: Vol. 48, Article 12. Page 4.
  11. ^ Carlson, Kristofer J. (2014). Why Mary Matters: Protestants and the Virgin Mary. Dormition Press.
  12. ^ a b Baker, Kenneth (2016). Fundamentals of Catholicism, Vol. 2. Ignatius Press. ISBN 978-1-68149-732-7.
  13. ^ Encyclical Mystici Corporis, 110 Archived March 17, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ "Catechism of the Catholic Church - IntraText". www.vatican.va. Retrieved 2021-07-12.
Retrieved from ""