The Virgin Mary in the Doctrine of the Church
The Virgin Mary in the Doctrine of the Church (1)
Her Image as Revealed by Divine Inspiration in the Holy Bible
In this series of articles, which we will publish successively, we shall not speak about our holy Mother the Virgin from the perspective of her many spiritual virtues, nor about the history of this great saint and her numerous miracles. Rather, we shall speak about the Virgin Mary from a doctrinal and theological point of view.
Elements of This Study
We shall speak about the greatness of the Virgin Mary and her position in the Holy Bible, as well as the prophecies, references, and symbols concerning her.
We shall also speak about the titles of the Virgin Mary, their theological meanings, and the biblical evidence supporting them.
Moreover, we shall discuss our Church’s doctrine concerning the Virgin, and the points of disagreement with other Churches—especially those who deny her honor, her intercession, or her perpetual virginity—proving everything we say through the divine revelation, as well as what is written about her in the Agpeya (Book of Hours), the Liturgy, the Psali (Hymns), and other Church books.
The Greatness of the Virgin Mary
The greatness of the Virgin Mary was proclaimed by the Holy Ecumenical Council of Ephesus, which convened in 431 AD in the presence of two hundred bishops from all over the world. The Council formulated the introduction to the Creed, which says:
“We magnify you, O Mother of the True Light, and we glorify you, O holy Virgin, Theotokos (Mother of God), for you have borne for us the Savior of the world; He came and saved our souls.”
On what basis did the Ecumenical Council place this introduction?
This is what we shall now explain.
The Virgin is the blessed saint who shall be called blessed throughout all generations, as she herself said in her hymn:
“For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.” (Luke 1:48)
The Church calls the Virgin the Queen, as referred to in the Psalm:
“At Your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir.” (Psalm 45:9)
Therefore, many artists depict the Virgin Mary wearing a crown upon her head and standing at the right hand of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The veneration of the Virgin appears clearly in the greeting of the Archangel Gabriel to her:
“Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women.” (Luke 1:28)
Her being blessed among all women with a special blessing was not only testified to by the angel, but also by Saint Elizabeth, who cried out with a loud voice and said to her:
“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” (Luke 1:42)
In the presence of such greatness, Saint Elizabeth humbled herself and said with deep unworthiness:
“But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Luke 1:43)
One of the most evident proofs of the Virgin’s greatness and her favor with God is that, upon her greeting Elizabeth, the latter was filled with the Holy Spirit, and her unborn child leaped with joy in her womb. The Holy Scripture says:
“And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.” (Luke 1:41)
What an astonishing greatness—that merely her greeting caused another to be filled with the Holy Spirit!
Which of the saints ever caused such a thing simply by a word of greeting? Yet Elizabeth herself testifies:
“For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.”
By the greeting of Mary, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and also received the gift of prophecy and revelation, for she recognized that Mary was the Mother of her Lord, and that Mary believed that what was spoken to her by the Lord would be fulfilled. She even discerned that her child’s movement was one of joy—joy because of the Blessed One carried in the Virgin’s womb:
“Blessed is the fruit of your womb.” (Luke 1:41–45)
The Greatness of the Virgin in God’s Choice
The greatness of the Virgin Mary is revealed in that the Lord chose her from among all the women of the world.
She was the only human being for whom God waited thousands of years until He found her worthy of that supreme honor—the Divine Incarnation. The Archangel Gabriel expressed this honor, saying:
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35)
The Virgin Surpasses All Women
For this reason, the divine revelation says:
“Many daughters have done well, but you excel them all.” (Proverbs 31:29)
From this verse, the Church took the well-known hymn:
“Many women have obtained honor, but none has attained like you.”
This holy Virgin was in God’s mind and plan from the very beginning.
In the promise of salvation made to our first parents, God said:
“The seed of the woman shall crush the serpent’s head.” (Genesis 3:15)
This woman is the Virgin Mary, and her seed is Christ, who crushed the serpent’s head upon the Cross.
