Mary in Church Tradition
Overview
Reading or hearing the Bible, it is possible to get a sense of who Mary was. But the Bible is not a thorough, definitive biography of Mary; it tells the stories most important to 1st-century Christians. Since the 1st century, Christians have tried to understand Mary, especially as she is a model for loving God. The art tradition has both followed theological reflection on Mary and encouraged fresh thinking about her.
A writing that dates from the mid-2nd century tells the story of Mary’s birth and presentation in the Temple. It is called the Protoevangelium of James or Infancy Gospel of James. Whether the stories are true or not, the Infancy Gospel of James became quite popular and the stories of Mary’s birth and Mary’s presentation in the Temple became part of Church tradition. This attention to Mary’s birth led to her being understood as spotless, which later developed into the idea that she was conceived without the stain of Original Sin. In other words, when Anne conceived Mary, it was an Immaculate Conception. Paralleled with the understanding of Jesus as the New Adam, making a choice for God’s will instead of against it, Mary was understood as the New Eve. Often, artworks whose principle theme is some other aspect of Mary’s identity will include her stepping on the head of a serpent.
At the Council of Ephesus in 431, Mary was declared to be the Theotokos, which literally means “God-bearer” or “the one who gives birth to God.” But reflection on Mary did not end there. One question was whether she died a normal human death. Christian thinkers determined that she died normally but was taken up into Heaven after 3 days (Assumption). The period of 3 days is referred to as the Dormition. These stories beg the question, is Mary’s presence in Heaven different from that of any other human being who is there? The answer, based on Scripture references such as the Woman of the Apocalypse, is that Mary is Queen of Heaven. This led to artists imagining the Coronation of Mary in Heaven.
Throughout Christian history, Mary has been understood as symbolic of many virtues, has appeared to many Christians, and has been depicted in such moving artworks that they become emblematic of her. Usually artworks referring to one of these aspects of Mary will bear a title that begins with either “The Virgin of,” “Our Lady of,” “Madonna of,” “Notre Dame de,” or “Nuestra Señora de.”
For a deeper dive into artworks in these traditions, see these linked subtopics:
- Mary’s Birth and Presentation in the Temple
- Theotokos / Mother of God /Madonna & Child
- Dormition and Assumption
- Coronation of Mary / Queen of Heaven
- Immaculate Conception / Woman of the Apocalypse
- Immaculate Heart of Mary
- The Virgin of . . . Our Lady of . . . Madonna of . . . Notre Dame de . . . or Nuestra Señora de . . .
