Mary Mother Of God Term Paper
Mary, Mother of God When did Christianity truly begin? The answer to this question is often thought to be the day that Jesus Christ was born. The fact of the matter is that Christianity essentially began the day the Blessed Virgin Mary was born. This young woman was the first human being to be born without original sin. She was chosen to be the vessel that linked the two Covenants. Without Mary, a messiah would not have been born. It would be impossible to imagine a sacred history without her. She became the criterion against which new theological conceptions must be measured. Mary 's significance is of utmost value when assessing feminist theology, which puts forward demands for fundamental changes in religious life. “She is in a way, a ‘microhistory of salvation’, since God’s ways converge in her, and again in the exemplary response to God’s economy of salvation can be found” (Haffner 4). Without her there would be no Christianity.
Although her presence in Scripture is not necessarily frequent, the citations that do include her are of great significance. Scripture does not give an account of Mary 's birth; however it is known that she was a teenager at the time of Jesus’ birth. This indicates her date of birth to be around 14-16 B.C. Mary was born into a devout Jewish family in Galilee at the time that it was a part of the ancient Roman Empire (Hopler 1). She was born to Saint Joachim and Saint Anne. Catholic tradition teaches that angels separately visited to inform them that Anne was expecting Mary (Hopler 1). Contrary to popular belief, the Immaculate Conception does not refer to the birth of baby Jesus; it refers to Mary’s birth. God had willed that Mary would be chosen to be the mother of Jesus before she was even born. When she was conceived, she was miraculously free of the taint of original sin that has affected every other person in history except Jesus Christ (Hopler 1). Thus, Mary was the only living human being to be born without “original sin.”
Although her presence in Scripture is not necessarily frequent, the citations that do include her are of great significance. Scripture does not give an account of Mary 's birth; however it is known that she was a teenager at the time of Jesus’ birth. This indicates her date of birth to be around 14-16 B.C. Mary was born into a devout Jewish family in Galilee at the time that it was a part of the ancient Roman Empire (Hopler 1). She was born to Saint Joachim and Saint Anne. Catholic tradition teaches that angels separately visited to inform them that Anne was expecting Mary (Hopler 1). Contrary to popular belief, the Immaculate Conception does not refer to the birth of baby Jesus; it refers to Mary’s birth. God had willed that Mary would be chosen to be the mother of Jesus before she was even born. When she was conceived, she was miraculously free of the taint of original sin that has affected every other person in history except Jesus Christ (Hopler 1). Thus, Mary was the only living human being to be born without “original sin.”
Cited: Haffner, Paul. "Mary, Mother of God." The Beginnings of Christianity. 2nd ed. N.p.: Millstream, 2013. 1-33. Print. Hopler, Whitney. "Who Was Saint Mary? (The Virgin Mary)." About.com Angels & Miracles. About.com, n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2013. <http://angels.about.com/od/MiraclesReligiousTexts/p/Who-Was-Saint-Mary-The-Virgin-Mary.htm>. "Mary: Mother of God." Catholic.com. Catholic Answers, n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2013. Senior, Donald, and John J. Collins, eds. The Catholic Study Bible. 2nd ed. N.p.: Oxford UP, 2006. Print.