Mariology

This is the Christian theological study of Mary, mother of Jesus. Mariology looks to relate doctrine/dogma about Mary to other doctrines of faith, for example, concerning Jesus & ideas about redemption, intercession, & grace. Christian Marisolgy seeks to place the role of the historical Mary in the context of scripture, tradition, & the teachings of the Church of Mary.

In social history terms, Mariology may be broadly defined as the study of devotion to & thinking about Mary throughout the history of Christianity. There exists a range of Christian and non-Christian views from the veneration of Mary in Roman Catholicism to accusations of idolatry. The idolatry “accusation” includes certain Protestant objections to Marian devotion.

As a field of theology, the most significant developments in Mariology (& the founding of specific centers devoted to its study) in the more recent centuries have taken place within the Catholic Church.

Eastern Orthodox concepts & versions of Mary are integral to the rite as a whole, & are mostly expressed in liturgy. The veneration of Mary is said to permeate, in a way, the entire life of the Church as a dimension of dogma as well as piety, of Christology as well as of Ecclesiology.

While similar to the Roman Catholic view, barring some minor differences, the Orthodox don’t see a need for a separate academic discipline of Mariology. As the Mother of God is seen as the self-evident peak of God’s human creation.

Eastern Orthodoxy calls Mary “The Theotokos,” “God-bearer.” The virginal motherhood of Mary is at the center of Orthodox Mariology. The title Ever Virgin is often used. Virginal motherhood is also known as the perpetual virginity of Mary. The Orthodox approach of Mariology underscores the sublime holiness of Mary, her share in redemption, & her role as a mediator of grace.

Eastern Orthodox mariological thought goes back as far as St. John Damascene (a.k.a. our boy, John of Damascus). In the 8th century, John of Damascus wrote on the meditative role of Mary & on the Dormition of the Mother of God. In the 14th century, Orthodox Mariology began to flourish among Byzantine theologians.

They believed in a cosmic view of Mariology, putting Mary & Jesus together at the center of the cosmos & see them as the goal of world history. More recently, Eastern Orthodox Mariology achieved a renewal among 20th-century theologians in Russia, for whom Mary is the heart of the Church & the center of creation. Eastern Orthodox Mariology doesn’t hold to the belief of the Immaculate Conception of…Mary.

Protestant views on Mary vary significantly from 1 denomination to another. Generally, they focus on various interpretations of Mary in the Bible, the Apostles’ Creed (which professes the Virgin Birth), & the Ecumenical Council of Ephesus in 431, which called Mary, the Mother of God.

Most Protestants don’t venerate Mary like Catholics or Eastern Orthodox do. Martin Luther’s, John Calvin’s, & Karl Barth’s views on Mary have contributed to modern Protestant views.

Anglican Marian theology varies. The Anglican Church formally celebrates 6 Marian feasts: Annunciation (Mar. 25), Visitation (May 31), Day of St. Mary (Assumption or Dormition, Aug. 15), Nativity of Mary (Sept. 8), Our Lady of Walsingham (Oct. 15), & Mary’s Conception (Dec. 8).

The Oriental Orthodox Churches regard Mary as the highest of saints & the Theotokos. It celebrates various Marian feast days.

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Ivna Žic: Zieht die gewaltige Stille mich immer. Ein Archiv für Charlotte von Kirschbaum und Nelly Barth. Regie: Mirja Biel. Stadttheater #Ingolstadt, Premiere: 07.03.2026. – Das dürfte interessant werden.

https://theater.ingolstadt.de/programm/premieren-wiederaufnahmen/premieren-wiederaufnahmen-detailseite/2680.html

https://www.br.de/mediathek/podcast/nachtstudio/geliebte-eines-theologen-und-frau-im-hintergrund/2116009

#Theater #IvnaŽic #MirjaBiel #CharlotteVonKirschbaum #NellyBarth #KarlBarth

Mariology

This is the Christian theological study of the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus. Mariology looks to relate doctrine/dogma about Mary to other doctrine of the faith, like those concerning Jesus & notions about redemption, intercession, & grace.

Christian Mariology looks to place the role of the historic Mary in the context of Scripture, tradition, & the teachings of the Church of Mary. In terms of social history, Mariology may be broadly defined as the study of devotion to & thinking about Mary throughout the history of Christianity.

There’s a variety of Christian, & non-Christian, views on Mary as a figure ranging from the focus on the veneration of Mary in Roman Catholic Mariology to criticism of “mariolatry” as a form of idolatry.

As a field of theology, the most substantial developments in Mariology, & the founding of specific centers devoted to its study. In recent centuries, it’s taken place within the Roman Catholic Mariology.

The Eastern Orthodox ideas, & veneration, of Mary are integral to the rite as a whole (theotokos). They’re mostly expressed in liturgy. The veneration of Mary is said to permeate, in a way, the entire life of the Church as a “dimension” of dogma, as well as piety, of Christology as well as of Ecclesiology.

While similar to the Roman Catholic view, barring some minor differences, the Orthodox don’t see a need for a separate academic discipline of Mariology, as the Mother of God is seen as the self-evident apogee of God’s human creation. Apogee is the highest point in the development of something.

A significant number of Marian publications were written in the 20th century. Theologians Raimondo Spiazzi & Gabriel Roschini produced 2,500 & 900 publications respectively.

Over the centuries, Roman Catholic Mariology has been shaped by various forces ranging from sensus fidelium to Marian apparitions to the writing of saints to reflection by theologians & papal encyclicals. Encyclicals are papal letters sent to all bishops of the Roman Catholic Church.

Eastern Orthodox theology calls Mary “the Theotokos” or the God bearer. The virginal motherhood of Mary is at the center of Orthodox Mariology. The title of Ever Virgin is/was given to Mary. The Orthodox Mariology approach emphasizes the sublime holiness of Mary, her share in redemption, & her role as a mediator of grace.

Eastern Orthodox mariological thought goes back as far as St. John Damascene, who in the 8th century, wrote on the mediative role of Mary & one the Dormition of the Mother of God. Dormition is from the Latin “dormine” meaning to sleep. This is in reference to the death & subsequent assumption into Heaven to Mary, the mother of Jesus, in Eastern Christianity & some other churches.

In the 14th century, Orthodox Mariology began to flourish among Byzantine theologians who held a cosmic view of Mariology. This puts Jesus & Mary together at the center of the cosmos & saw them as the goal of world history.

More recently, the Eastern Orthodox Mariology achieved a renewal among 20th century theologians in Russia. Mary is the heart of the Church & the center of creation. Unlike the Catholic approach, Eastern Orthodox Mariology doesn’t support the Immaculate Conception Mary. Before the 20th century, Eastern Orthodox Mariology was almost entirely liturgical. It didn’t have any systematic presentation similar to Roman Catholic Mariology.

Protestant views on Mary differ between different denominations. Focus is generally on interpretations of Mary in the Bible, the Apostles’ Creed (which professes the Virgin Birth), & the Ecumenical Council of Ephesus in 431, which called Mary the Mother of God. Some early Protestants created Marian art & allowed limited forms of Marian veneration. Most Protestants today don’t share the veneration of Mary as practiced by Roman Catholics & Eastern Orthodox. Martin Luther, John Calvin, & Karl Barth’s views on Mary, & others have contributed to modern Protestant views.

Anglican Marian theology varies greatly from the Anglo-Catholic, which are very close to Roman Catholic views. The Anglican Church formally celebrates 6 Marian feast days: the Annunciation (March 25), Visitation (May 31), Day of Mary/Assumption or dormition (August 15), Nativity of Mary (September 8), Our Lady of Walsingham (October 15), & Mary’s Conception (December 8). Anglicans, with some other Protestants, teach the Marian dogmas of divine maternity & the virgin birth of Jesus. Even though there’s no systematic agreed upon Mariology among diverse parts of the Anglican Communion. The role of Mary as a mediator is accepted by some groups of modern Anglican theology.

Lutheran Mariology is informed by the Augsburg Confession & honors Mary as “the most blessed Mother of God, the most blessed Virgin Mary, & the Mother of Christ.” The Lutheran Churches, asserts the doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary.

The Oriental Orthodox Churches regard Mary as the highest of saints & the Theotokos. They also celebrated a variety of Marian feast days.

In the Islamic perception of the Virgin Mary (known as Maryam in Arabic), she’s an extremely pious & chaste woman who miraculously gave birth, while still a virgin, to the prophet Jesus (called Isa in Arabic). Mary is the only woman named specifically in the Quran. The 19th chapter of the Quran, which is named after her, begins with 2 narrations of a “miraculous birth.”

The First Council of Ephesus, in 431, formally approved devotion to Mary as the Theotokos. Its use implies that Jesus, whom Mary gave birth to, is God. Nestorians preferred Christotokos, meaning “Christ-bearer” or “Mother of the Messiah”, not because they denied Jesus’ divinity. But because they believed that since God the Son, or Logos, existed before time & before Mary. Jesus took divinity from God the Father & humanity from His mom. So calling her “Mother of God” was confusing & perhaps heretical. Others at the council believed that denying the Theotokos title would carry with it the implication that Jesus wasn’t divine.

The Council of Ephesus also approved the creation of icons having the images of the Virgin & child. Devotion to Mary was already widespread before this point. This is reflected in the fresco depictions of Mother & child win the Roman catacombs.

Mary, as the 1st Christian saint & Mother of Jesus, was deemed to be a compassionate mediator between suffering mankind & her son, Jesus, who’s seen as a king & judge.

In the East, devotion to Mary blossomed in the 6th century under official patronage & imperial promotion of the Court of Constantinople. The popularity of Mary as an individual object of devotion only became in the 5th century with the appearance of apocryphal versions of her life, interest in her relics, & the 1st churches dedicated in her name. Like St. Maria Maggiore in Rome.

Since the writing of the apocryphal Protoevangelium of James, various beliefs have circulated concerning Mary’s own conception. This led, eventually, to the Roman Catholic Church dogma. It was formally established in the 19th century of Mary’s Immaculate Conception. This exempts her from original sin. This story goes: When Mary’s mom got pregnant with her, it was an Immaculate Conception. So when Mary was born, she was free from original sin. After Mary was born, she was sent to the Temple to live, so she wouldn’t get corrupted by the world. So Mary could be pure to have Jesus.

Roman Catholic & Eastern Orthodox teaching also extends to the end of Mary’s life ending with the Assumption of Mary. This was formally established as dogma in 1950 & the Dormition of the Mother of God respectively.

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#19thCentury #20thCentury #431 #5thCentury #6thCentury #8thCentury #Anglican #AnglicanCommunion #Apocryphal #Apogee #ApostlesCreed #Arabic #Assumption #AssumptionOfMary #AugsburgConfession #August15 #bible #Bishops #Byzantine #ChristBearer #Christian #Christianity #Christotokos #Churches #CourtOfConstantinople #December8 #Dogma #Dormition #EasternOrthodox #Ecclesiology #EcumenicalCouncilOfEphesus #Encyclical #EverVirgin #FirstCouncilOfEphesus #GabrielRoschini #GodBearer #Idolatry #ImmaculateConception #Isa #Islam #Jesus #JohnCalvin #KarlBarth #King #Liturgy #Logos #Lutheran #March25 #Mariology #MartinLuther #MarySImmaculateConception #Maryam #May31 #MotherOfGod #MotherOfTheMessiah #Nativity #Nestorians #October15 #OrientalOrthodoxChurch #OriginalSin #Papal #PerpetualVirginityOfMary #Prophet #Protestant #Quran #RaimondoSpiazzi #relics #RomanCatholicChurch #Rome #Russia #Saint #Saints #SensusFidelium #September8 #StJohnDamascene #TheAnnunciation #TheProtoevangeliumOfJames #Theolgians #Theotokos #Veneration #VirginBirth #VirginMary #Walsingham

I did not expect to see Ars Technica quoting Karl Barth .

https://arstechnica.com/culture/2025/04/resist-eggheads-universities-are-not-as-weak-as-they-have-chosen-to-be/
#Barth #KarlBarth #theology #universities #arsTechnica

"Barth said the incarnation of Christ is necessary for us to have any relationship with God. T F Torrance went further and said the incarnation of Christ is necessary for physics to work."

#theology #barth #karlbarth #tftorrance #jesus

Die Feier von Christi Himmelfahrt, die oft wörtlich als der Aufstieg Jesu Christi in den Himmel betrachtet wird, bietet eine reiche Metapher für das tiefergehende theologische Verständnis der Beziehung zwischen der sichtbaren Welt und der transzendenten Realität Gottes. Diese Perspektive lädt zu einer Reflexion darüber ein, wie die Ereignisse im Leben Jesu nicht nur historische Fakten, sondern auch spirituelle Wahrheiten vermitteln, die unsere Vorstellung von Existenz und Realität herausfordern.

Die Himmelfahrt als Rückkehr und Offenbarung

In der christlichen Tradition markiert die Himmelfahrt nicht nur den Abschluss von Jesu irdischem Dienst, sondern auch seine Rückkehr in die himmlische Sphäre, von der er ursprünglich gekommen ist. Dieses Ereignis unterstreicht die christologische Ansicht, dass Jesus sowohl vollständig göttlich als auch vollständig menschlich ist. Karl Barth betrachtet die Himmelfahrt als einen Akt, der die Permanenz von Jesu Menschlichkeit in der göttlichen Trinität betont. Dieses Ereignis bestätigt somit nicht nur die Menschwerdung, sondern auch die unaufhebbare Menschlichkeit innerhalb der göttlichen Natur.

Das Unsichtbare sichtbar machen

Dietrich Bonhoeffer sprach oft von der „vorletzten“ und „letzten“ Dinge. Für ihn zeigt die Himmelfahrt, dass unser gegenwärtiges Leben und unsere Leiden im Licht der ewigen Hoffnung gesehen werden müssen, die in Christus offenbart wird. Bonhoeffer betont, dass der Glaube uns befähigt, in der sichtbaren Welt das Wirken der unsichtbaren Hand Gottes zu erkennen. Er erklärt, dass durch den Tod und die Auferstehung Christi die Tore zur Ewigkeit geöffnet sind. Die Himmelfahrt erweitert diese Vision, indem sie zeigt, dass Jesus nicht nur ein historisches Ereignis war, sondern eine fortwährende, gegenwärtige Realität in der göttlichen Dimension.

Die metaphorische Bedeutung der Himmelfahrt

In der modernen theologischen Diskussion wird die Himmelfahrt oft metaphorisch gedeutet. Diese Interpretation versteht das Ereignis als symbolisch für die Überwindung der materiellen Beschränkungen und die Eröffnung eines Zugangs zu einer höheren Wirklichkeit. Moderne theologische Strömungen unterstützen die Ansicht, dass das Göttliche nicht ausschließlich in historischen oder materiellen Phänomenen verankert ist, sondern auch eine tiefere, spirituelle Dimension besitzt, die unsere alltägliche Wahrnehmung transzendiert.

Die existenzialistische Interpretation von Rudolf Bultmann

Rudolf Bultmann, bekannt für seine existenzialistische Theologie, bietet eine besonders provokative Sicht auf Christi Himmelfahrt. Bultmann argumentierte, dass das Neue Testament, einschließlich der Erzählungen über Christi Himmelfahrt, entmythologisiert werden müsse, um seine wahre Botschaft zu enthüllen. Für ihn repräsentiert die Himmelfahrt weniger ein historisches Ereignis als vielmehr eine tiefgreifende existenzielle Wahrheit über den Menschen und seine Beziehung zu Gott. Bultmann würde sagen, dass die Himmelfahrt symbolisch für die Überwindung der Weltlichkeit und die Erhebung in die authentische Existenz steht, die durch den Glauben erreicht wird. Dies bedeutet, sich von weltlichen Bindungen zu lösen und in eine neue Art des Seins einzutreten, die durch Jesus Christus ermöglicht wird.

Hans Küng und die universale Perspektive

Hans Küng, ein anderer moderner Theologe, nimmt eine universellere und inklusivere Haltung ein, die die Bedeutung von Christi Himmelfahrt für die heutige pluralistische und interreligiöse Welt betont. Küng würde argumentieren, dass die Himmelfahrt Christi eine Botschaft des Hoffens und der ultimativen Versöhnung darstellt, die über konfessionelle Grenzen hinausgeht. Für Küng ist die Himmelfahrt ein Zeichen dafür, dass Gott in allen Kulturen und Religionen gegenwärtig ist und dass die spirituelle Wahrheit, die Jesus verkörpert, eine universelle Dimension hat. Dies öffnet einen Dialog über gemeinsame ethische Werte und die Vision einer globalen Verantwortungsgemeinschaft, die durch das Beispiel Christi inspiriert ist.

Integration moderner und traditioneller Ansichten

Die Ansätze von Bultmann und Küng ergänzen die traditionellen Interpretationen von Christi Himmelfahrt, indem sie moderne theologische Überlegungen und Probleme einführen. Während Bultmann uns auffordert, die metaphysischen Aspekte des Neuen Testaments neu zu interpretieren und in einen zeitgenössischen Kontext zu setzen, ermutigt Küng uns, die universellen Botschaften der christlichen Tradition neu zu bewerten und sie als Brücke für interreligiösen und interkulturellen Austausch zu nutzen.

Durch diese verschiedenen Perspektiven wird deutlich, dass Christi Himmelfahrt sowohl eine tiefe persönliche Transformation als auch eine universelle, kulturelle Herausforderung darstellen kann. Sie fordert die Gläubigen auf, nicht nur die spirituellen, sondern auch die sozialen und kulturellen Dimensionen ihres Glaubens zu reflektieren und aktiv zu gestalten. Diese fortlaufende Relevanz von Christi Himmelfahrt zeigt, dass sie mehr als nur ein historisches Ereignis ist; sie ist eine fortwährende Inspiration, die dazu anregt, sowohl das eigene Leben als auch die Welt umfassend zu transformieren.

Einladung zum tieferen Nachdenken

Christi Himmelfahrt fordert uns auf, über die offensichtliche Realität hinaus zu denken und die Existenz einer spirituellen Dimension anzuerkennen, die unser materielles Leben durchdringt und erhebt. Diese Lehre lädt die Gläubigen ein, in ihrem täglichen Leben nach Zeichen dieser höheren Wirklichkeit Ausschau zu halten und durch ihren Glauben eine tiefere Verbindung mit dem Göttlichen zu pflegen. In dieser Hinsicht bietet die Himmelfahrt nicht nur einen historischen Rückblick, sondern auch eine fortlaufende Inspiration für alle, die nach einem tieferen Verständnis der Präsenz Gottes in der Welt streben.

Durch das Erkennen und Feiern der metaphorischen Bedeutung von Christi Himmelfahrt können wir eine Brücke schlagen zwischen unserem irdischen Dasein und der göttlichen Wahrheit, die jenseits unserer sichtbaren Welt liegt.

https://god.fish/2024/05/09/christi-himmelfahrt-ein-metaphorisches-fenster-zu-einer-verborgenen-welt/

#ChristiHimmelfahrt #christlicheFeiertage #DietrichBonhoeffer #GöttlichePräsenz #Gott #HansKüng #Jesus #JesusCasa #KarlBarth #RudolfBultmann #spirituelleDimension #theologischeMetapher #VatertagTheologie

I love the #BBC #podcast In Our Time. Listening to an episode on #KarlBarth.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001t2zf

http://open.live.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/6/redir/version/2.0/mediaset/audio-nondrm-download/proto/http/vpid/p0gxpkw3.mp3

In this episode of Wipf & Stock's podcast, Luminaries, host Zechariah Mickel and I discuss eco-theology, #MartinLuther including the Nazi's vile misuse of his teachings, modern Lutheran theology, #KarlBarth and #DeitrichBonhoeffer, and doing theology from the margins.

https://wipfandstock.com/blog/2023/05/02/luminaries-h-paul-santmire-eco-theology-bonhoeffer-and-barth-and-doing-theology-from-the-margins/

#atheism for #lent, day 27: #resist

http://courtcan.com/2023/03/20/atheism-for-lent-day-27/

#KarlBarth
#DeathOfGod
#theology
#fascism