Book Recommendations on Mary

[HeraldOfTheHolyOne]

Hi all. I have a big favor to ask.

I'm going to be working on a capstone project for my undergraduate degree (I'm studying Theology & Biblical languages) and I decided to write on the subject of Mary. I'm a confessional Presbyterian (PCA), and I haven't seen any contemporary treatments of Mariology from a Reformed perspective. I think its unfortunate that the Reformed/Protestant churches of today are not articulating a biblical doctrine of Mary. At least I'm not seeing it.

Mary has been a key figure in the history of the Church and has been the subject of much inspiration and even devotion. I want to know more about the details of why that is (Mary as theotokos, prayers to Mary, etc.). I want to look specifically at what the Roman Catholic Church officially teaches (i.e. Councils, Papal pronouncements, etc.) about Mary today. I will probably narrow down my point of contention to either the Immaculate Conception, the Assumption, or the doctrines of Mary as Co-Redemptrix & Mediatrix (Are the last two official? I'm hearing conflicting reports.). I also want to look at what the Protestant Reformers (Luther, Calvin, Knox, Cranmer, etc.) have said about Mary, and what the Church fathers have said about her. Lastly and most importantly, I want to look at all the biblical passages on Mary, seek what the Scriptures teach about her holistically, to the end of articulating a Reformed Mariology.

My goal for this study is to
1) Learn more about what God's Word teaches
2) Fairly present Roman Catholic teaching on Mary and refute problematic doctrines
3) Articulate a Reformed doctrine of Mary

On to the favor. I'm looking for some good, academic books on the Church fathers' views on Mary, Roman Catholic perspectives, and Protestant perspectives. Unfortunately I will probably not be able to give a full treatment of Eastern Orthodox teaching on Mary as I want to look specifically at Roman doctrines of Mary. I would greatly appreciate your help, thank you!

 

[EvangelCatholic]

Hi all. I have a big favor to ask.

I'm going to be working on a capstone project for my undergraduate degree (I'm studying Theology & Biblical languages) and I decided to write on the subject of Mary. I'm a confessional Presbyterian (PCA), and I haven't seen any contemporary treatments of Mariology from a Reformed perspective. I think its unfortunate that the Reformed/Protestant churches of today are not articulating a biblical doctrine of Mary. At least I'm not seeing it.

Mary has been a key figure in the history of the Church and has been the subject of much inspiration and even devotion. I want to know more about the details of why that is (Mary as theotokos, prayers to Mary, etc.). I want to look specifically at what the Roman Catholic Church officially teaches (i.e. Councils, Papal pronouncements, etc.) about Mary today. I will probably narrow down my point of contention to either the Immaculate Conception, the Assumption, or the doctrines of Mary as Co-Redemptrix & Mediatrix (Are the last two official? I'm hearing conflicting reports.). I also want to look at what the Protestant Reformers (Luther, Calvin, Knox, Cranmer, etc.) have said about Mary, and what the Church fathers have said about her. Lastly and most importantly, I want to look at all the biblical passages on Mary, seek what the Scriptures teach about her holistically, to the end of articulating a Reformed Mariology.

My goal for this study is to
1) Learn more about what God's Word teaches
2) Fairly present Roman Catholic teaching on Mary and refute problematic doctrines
3) Articulate a Reformed doctrine of Mary

On to the favor. I'm looking for some good, academic books on the Church fathers' views on Mary, Roman Catholic perspectives, and Protestant perspectives. Unfortunately I will probably not be able to give a full treatment of Eastern Orthodox teaching on Mary as I want to look specifically at Roman doctrines of Mary. I would greatly appreciate your help, thank you!

You might be interested in the 'American Magnificant' written by a Lutheran priest. It includes Reformed and Wesleyan points of view about the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Here's an article written by the Presbyterian pastor of an ecumenical Lutheran-Presbyterian parish in Wisconsin.

Excerpts taken from "Living Lutheran".

By Neddy Astudillo

As a Presbyterian pastor, working for an ecumenical (ELCA and Presbyterian) Latino ministry, the Virgin of Guadalupe was a new experience for me. As a Venezuelan, I was aware of other stories of apparitions attributed to the Virgin Mary. But I did not learn about Guadalupe’s until I started my work in Beloit, Wis., at Parroquia San José, a joint ELCA – Presbyterian congregation where most members are Mexican immigrants.
Although stories of apparitions, theophanies, dreams and visions are not foreign to Latino popular religiosity nor to our Judeo Christian tradition (in Scripture, God speaks through angels, dreams, ravens, rainbow, whirlwind, clouds, burning bush, etc.), seminary didn’t teach me how to incorporate these into the life of a reformed worshiping community. That is something I had to learn in situ.

After a year of being the pastor of San José, I realized that many of our members either had shrines dedicated to the Virgin at home or carried small images of her in their pockets, wallets and cars. I began to realize that unintentionally our church was not fully embracing Latinos’ spirituality. We started talking about it and inquiring about the story of the Virgin of Guadalupe – she appeared in 1531 to an indigenous man, one of the earliest converts to Christianity in that region, a seeker of truth, history says. Knowing that not everyone was in agreement to have an image of the Virgin at church, much less in the sanctuary, we started looking at our own tradition. Does Lutheranism have a space for Mary?

Going through our Presbyterian genealogy was not as easy. Presbyterians had moved away from anything that looked “Catholic,” but Martin Luther was very devoted to Mary and considered her the mother of the church. Why then weren’t we even talking about Mary outside of the Christmas season? We looked at our common Scripture – Moses and Elijah appearing to Jesus at a very important moment in his ministry. Was this different? Yes? No? Why?

After months of conversation, it was clear that our church did have space for the Virgin of Guadalupe. Our faith in Jesus Christ was not requiring us to abandon our Latino culture and spiritual experiences. Christ was embracing us regardless, and the Virgin of Guadalupe was pointing us to Christ. No one needs to believe in the Virgin of Guadalupe to be saved. In our church, some venerate her, some do not. She is a symbol of our spiritual diversity, respect and inclusivity, but Christ is our unifying force and is who determines our salvation.

When we look at history and the result of the apparition, as historian Virgilio Elizondo shares in his book “Galilean Journey, The Mexican-American Promise,” we see that the miracle that happened in 1531 was not Mary’s appearance but rather what happened to the defeated and slaughtered indigenous peoples – those whose land and way of life had been stolen. Through the Virgin of Guadalupe, God spoke tenderly and directly to them, the downtrodden, in a way that they and the church hierarchy could also understand. This experience returned a strength and a desire to live and struggle for life to all indigenous people and Latin Americans up to this day.


Neddy Astudillo is the pastor of Parroquia San José, an ecumenical — ELCA and Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) — Latino ministry in Beloit, Wis.

 

[EvangelCatholic]

You might be interested in the 'American Magnificat' written by a Lutheran priest. It includes Reformed and Wesleyan points of view about the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Here's an article written by the Presbyterian pastor of an ecumenical Lutheran-Presbyterian parish in Wisconsin.

Excerpts taken from "Living Lutheran".

American Magnificat: Protestants on Mary of Guadalupe
Maxwell E. Johnson

 

[Wigglesworth]

Father Gary Coulter has an online list of recommended books for seminarians and priests. Click on "Marian" for Catholic titles on the subject.

Perhaps the most likely to help you is Jaroslav Pelikan's Mary Through the Centuries.