19
votes
Accepted
What is the earliest known instance of a petition directed to Mary?
Sub Tuum Praesidium
The earliest known, extant petition prayer to Mary the Θεοτόκος (Theotokos), or Dei Genetrix (the Greek and Latin, respectively, for 'God-bearer' or 'Birthgiver-of-God') is found ...
- 8,235
18
votes
How could Jesus be descended from the royal line of David if he was born of the Virgin Birth?
The Old Testament has two distinct methods of claiming kingship. One is by descent from David, and the other is by prophetic or divine appointment. Where did David himself get his kingship? It was by ...
- 431
16
votes
How many different people in the New Testament are called or claim to be "Brothers" or "Sisters" of Jesus?
Matthew 13:35-36 answers:
Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us?
The ...
- 28.7k
15
votes
Accepted
What is the biblical basis for the belief that Mary is the mother of God?
Short answer
There is no usage of the title "Mother of God" in the Bible. The title was used for Mary as early as AD 250-280 and was made official church teaching at the Council of Ephesus in 431. ...
- 6,327
14
votes
Accepted
How does one reconcile the sinlessness of Mary with her sin offering in Luke 2:24?
There are two facets to the answer, one regarding the nature of the sin offering itself, and one regarding Mary’s motivations for making the offering.
In summary, in Israel, so-called “sin” offerings ...
- 13.2k
13
votes
What Protestant arguments exist for the perpetual virginity of Mary?
Protestant arguments for the doctrine can be divided up into 3 categories.
The Bible allows for it
The bible does not indicate Mary had other children after Jesus.
When Matthew 13:55 (as well as ...
- 1,239
12
votes
Do Protestants accept the similarity between Mary and the Ark of the Covenant?
If you look hard enough you can always find similarities. The correspondences between Mary and the Ark of the Covenant remind me a lot of Islamic arguments that Muhammad was the prophet Moses ...
- 19.7k
11
votes
Accepted
In the Angelus, which is theologically correct, "conceived of" or "conceived by"?
The Angelus is composed of three versicle-response prayers, alternating with Hail Marys. The phrase in question is from the beginning. In Latin:
V: Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariae.
R: Et concepit ...
- 18.4k
10
votes
Which church father first taught the perpetual virginity of Mary?
As with many doctrines in the first few hundred years of the church, they tended not to be explicitly defined until heretics arose forcing the church to define doctrine.
This is why history is ...
- 1,239
10
votes
Accepted
What is the basis for saying that Aquinas accepted the Immaculate Conception?
St. Thomas's views on the Immaculate Conception went through three phases.cf. also ch. 2, art. 2, § "St. Thomas and the Immaculate Conception" of Mother of the Saviour and Our Interior Life by Fr. ...
- 37.8k
10
votes
Perpetual virginity of Mary: why did Mary see "not knowing man" as an obstacle to the conception of Jesus?
ειπεν δε μαριαμ προς τον αγγελον πως εσται τουτο -επει- ανδρα ου γινωσκω
Luke 1:34 - TR (Stephens 1550, Beza 1598, Elzevir 1624 and Scrivener 1894 are all identical.)
Then said Mary unto the angel, ...
- 22.8k
10
votes
Is Mary's human soul pre-existent in eternity?
In 1661, Pope Alexander VII released the Bull "Sollicitudo omnium eccl.," which reads in part:
The devotion to the most blessed Virgin Mary is indeed of long standing among the faithful of Christ ...
- 42.3k
9
votes
Accepted
Was the dogma of the Immaculate Conception formulated in response to someone challenging Mary's ability to bear a perfect Son?
It's important to distinguish between three different, but related, beliefs:
Belief in the sinlessness of Mary (that is, that she never actually committed a sin)
Belief in the sanctification of Mary (...
- 18.4k
9
votes
Accepted
Why is Mary's perpetual virginity a Catholic dogma?
I believe the O.P.'s question can be interpreted as, “Why is belief in Mary’s perpetual virginity considered so important that the Church makes it an excommunicable offense (heresy) to deny it?”
The ...
- 13.2k
9
votes
How many different people in the New Testament are called or claim to be "Brothers" or "Sisters" of Jesus?
TLDR: No one seems to specifically claim to be a blood sibling of Jesus in the New Testament. However, 4 siblings are named by other people in the Gospels, and two are possibly corroborated by the ...
8
votes
Accepted
How would Catholics respond to the theory that Mary was a surrogate mother that had no DNA in common with Jesus?
The Catholic Church certainly teaches that Christ is the actual physical offspring of Mary; that is, that he is genetically descended from Mary:
The Holy Spirit, “the Lord, the giver of Life,” is ...
- 18.4k
8
votes
Accepted
Why is Mary's mantle blue?
The blue mantle of Mary seems to have originated around the year 500 AD and is of Byzantine origin. Most sources seem to point to this date as the Byzantine origin of the color blue of Mary's mantle.
...
- 65.3k
8
votes
Accepted
What is the "Magnificat"?
The Magnificat (also known as the Canticle of Mary) is the section of scripture found in Luke 1:46-55, in which Mary the mother of Jesus praises the Lord.
The term "Magnificat" comes from the Latin ...
- 463
8
votes
Perpetual virginity of Mary: why did Mary see "not knowing man" as an obstacle to the conception of Jesus?
When one way of interpreting a passage is absurd, that shows we aren't to interpret it that way. Obviously she didn't think the angel was just telling her she'd conceive a baby with Joseph or else she ...
- 19.7k
7
votes
According to Catholicism, what does 'come upon thee' and 'overshadow thee' mean?
The phrases you point out indicate to the Catholic Church that the Holy Spirit was responsible for Jesus' conception:
The Annunciation to Mary inaugurates "the fullness of time," the time of the ...
- 18.4k
7
votes
From where did Mary get the attribution of "Full of Grace"?
"Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you," is an appropriate translation of the Greek at Luke 1:28, which reads
και εισελθων ο αγγελος προς αυτην ειπεν χαιρε κεχαριτωμενη ο κυριος μετα σου ...
- 96
7
votes
Where does the Catholic tradition that Mary did not have pain giving birth to Jesus come from?
Extensive biblical and traditional material advocating for Mary's painless childbirth can be found from "The Virginity of Our Lady in Partu". Many Protestants reject this teaching, but most are ...
- 639
7
votes
Do Protestants accept the similarity between Mary and the Ark of the Covenant?
I think it is an overstatement to say that the word is only used by Mary and the Ark in the entire Scripture.
The same verb is used in the accounts of the transfiguration (Matt. 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:...
- 833
7
votes
Where did the "theology" behind the Cherry tree carol come from?
The Cherry Tree Carol is thought to date to the 16th or 17th century. The history of its development is murky, but it may be traced to a 15th century Coventry play1 and beyond that to the Gospel of ...
- 42.3k
7
votes
Accepted
Are Catholics permitted to honour Mary as a priest?
St. Alphonsus di Liguori used to pray: "Nos cum prole pia benedicat Virgo Maria." (May the Virgin Mary bless us with her pious offspring [Jesus].) Thus it seems she has the ability to bless, yet this ...
- 37.8k
7
votes
Accepted
In accordance to LDS doctrine, would Mary & Joseph need to be sealed (by proxy) in the temple?
Mary and Joseph must be sealed by proper authority (a Melchizedek priesthood holder with the authorization to perform the sealing) in order to receive the blessings of the sealing ordinance, including ...
- 472
7
votes
Accepted
What is the origin of the Orthodox belief that Sts. Joseph and Mary were betrothed but not married?
To understand the difference in position, we need to understand Jewish marriage customs at the time of Mary and Joseph, and the ambiguity it already carries by considering betrothal as legally married ...
- 496
7
votes
Accepted
Virgin Mary in Old Testament?
Yes, there are references to Mary in the Old Testament—vastly less than those to the Christ, Jesus, who is the entire focus of the Bible, but nonetheless, there are references.
I will be answering ...
- 8,235
7
votes
How do Protestants explain Zechariah 12:10-14, used by Roman Catholics to prove Mary's perpetual virginity?
This is a very weak argument for the perpetual virginity of Mary. This verse uses a simile to say that Israel's mourning for their God-Messiah will be like that of parents who have lost their only ...
- 19.7k
7
votes
Accepted
How do Protestants explain Zechariah 12:10-14, used by Roman Catholics to prove Mary's perpetual virginity?
The sense of Zech 12:10 "only" is an expression of one of a kind.
Here is another use as regards Abraham and Isaac.
And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get ...
- 12.8k
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