My big beef with the apostolic churches

[tall73]

In recent years I have found myself attracted more and more to the arguments of the apostolic churches.

However, there is one major teaching that still makes it hard for me to ever consider joining myself to an apostolic church. That teaching is veneration of saints, Mary, etc.

Now I know this topic has been worked over before. And I think I may have even had a thread on it before. But my wife and I were talking tonight on our evening walk and both said that if we could find evidence of veneration in the earliest centuries it would go a long ways toward helping us resolve our differences with the apostolic churches.

So here is my question for the apostolic church adherents: What original source materials refer to veneration in the first three centuries?

Please cite specific references so that I can look them up in their original context.

I have read some of the church fathers, but I have not read them nearly as much some of the good folks on this board, I am sure.

And without a doubt Scripture references would be the most valuable. But I am not aware of any strong arguments from Scripture regarding veneration.

Thanks for any help you can give.

 

[BrendanMark]

In the Western tradition, St Augustine is probably a good place to start.

From Celebrate the Martyrs | St. Augustine of Hippo | Veneration, not worship -Welcome to The Crossroads Initiative:

We, the Christian community, assemble to celebrate the memory of the martyrs with ritual solemnity because we want to be inspired to follow their example, share in their merits, and be helped by their prayers. Yet we erect no altars to any of the martyrs, even in the martyrs’ burial chapels themselves.

No bishop, when celebrating at an altar where these holy bodies rest, has ever said, “Peter, we make this offering to you”, or “Paul, to you”, or “Cyprian, to you”. No, what is offered is offered always to God, who crowned the martyrs. We offer in the chapels where the bodies of those he crowned rest, so the memories that cling to those places will stir our emotions and encourage us to greater love both for the martyrs whom we can imitate and for God whose grace enables us to do so.

 

[Sphinx777]

In Christianity, veneration (Latin veneratio, Greek δουλια dulia), or veneration of saints, is a special act of honoring a saint: a dead person who has been identified as singular in the traditions of the religion. It is practiced by the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and some members of the Anglican Communion and Lutheran Church. Veneration is often shown outwardly by respectfully bowing or making the sign of the cross before a saint's icon, relics, or statue. These items may also be kissed.

In Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglo Catholic theology, veneration is a type of honor distinct from the adoration due to God alone. According to Deacon Dr. Mark Miravelle, of Franciscan University of Steubenville, the English word "worship" has been associated with both veneration and adoration:

Adoration, which is known as latria in classical theology, is the worship and homage that is rightly offered to God alone. It is the acknowledgement of excellence and perfection of an uncreated, divine person. It is the worship of the Creator that God alone deserves. Veneration, known as dulia in classical theology, is the honor due to the excellence of a created person. This refers to the excellence exhibited by the created being who likewise deserves recognition and honor. We see a general example of veneration in events like the awarding of academic awards for excellence in school, or the awarding of the Olympic medals for excellence in sports. There is nothing contrary to the proper adoration of God when we offer the appropriate honor and recognition that created persons deserve based on achievement in excellence. Here a further clarification should be made regarding the use of the term "worship" in relation to the categories of adoration and veneration. Some schools of theology use the term "worship" to introduce both adoration and veneration. They would distinguish between "worship of adoration" and "worship of veneration." The word "worship" (in the same way the theological term "cult" is traditionally used) in these classical definitions was not at all synonymous with adoration, but could be used to introduce either adoration or veneration. Hence Catholic writers will sometimes use the term "worship" not to indicate adoration, but only the worship of veneration given to Mary and the saints.

Church theologians have long adopted the terms latria for the type of worship due to God alone, and dulia for the veneration given to saints and icons. Catholic theology also includes the term hyperdulia for the type of veneration specifically paid to Mary, mother of Jesus, in Catholic tradition. This distinction is spelled out in the dogmatic conclusions of the Seventh Ecumenical Council (787), which also decreed that iconoclasm (forbidding icons and their veneration) is a heresy that amounts to a denial of the incarnation of Jesus.

Now, the Roman Catholic tradition has a well established philosophy for the veneration of the Virgin Mary via the field of Mariology with Pontifical schools such as the Marianum specifically devoted to this task.

In Hebrew the word for honoring a person such as a king or prophet is שׁחה, which is the same word for worship of God. Examples of such worship of or honoring men are demonstrated in 1 Kings 1:23 where the Prophet Nathan bowed (שָׁחָה&#8206 to King David:

And they told the king saying, "Behold, Nathan the prophet." And he came in before the king and he prostrated himself unto the king upon his face, to the ground.

This word is also used in Genesis 23:7, 27:29, 33:3, 2 Kings 2:15, 1 Samuel 25:41 to refer to honoring men by bowing to them or falling prostrate.

Possible veneration of an angel, which is identified as the Archangel Michael in rabbinical commentary, can be found in Joshua 5:14:

And he said, "Nay, but as captain of the host of the LORD have I now come." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said unto him, "What saith my lord unto his servant?" (21st Century KJV)

In Protestantism, as well as other monotheistic religions such as Islam and Judaism, veneration is sometimes considered to amount to the heresy of idolatry, and the related practice of canonization amounts to the heresy of apotheosis. Protestant theology usually denies that any real distinction between veneration and worship can be made, and claims that the practice of veneration distracts the Christian soul from its true object, the worship of God. In his Institutes of the Christian Religion, John Calvin writes that "(t)he distinction of what is called dulia and latria was invented for the very purpose of permitting divine honours to be paid to angels and dead men with apparent impunity." Likewise, Islam also condemns any veneration of icons. The Hindu honoring of icons and murtis, often seen as idolatry, may also be looked upon as a kind of veneration.

In the tradition of Green Christianity (or Creation-centered theology) animals, plants, and other parts of nature may be said to be venerated simply by taking good care of them, thereby showing honor and respect for God who made them. Creation, being regarded as an icon of the Creator, is a valid object of veneration.

Philologically, to venerate derives from the Latin verb, venerare, meaning to regard with reverence and respect. This word derives from the same root as the name Venus, the goddess of love of the ancient Roman pantheon.

 

[Trento]

In recent years I have found myself attracted more and more to the arguments of the apostolic churches.

However, there is one major teaching that still makes it hard for me to ever consider joining myself to an apostolic church. That teaching is veneration of saints, Mary, etc.

Now I know this topic has been worked over before. And I think I may have even had a thread on it before. But my wife and I were talking tonight on our evening walk and both said that if we could find evidence of veneration in the earliest centuries it would go a long ways toward helping us resolve our differences with the apostolic churches.

So here is my question for the apostolic church adherents: What original source materials refer to veneration in the first three centuries?

Please cite specific references so that I can look them up in their original context.

I have read some of the church fathers, but I have not read them nearly as much some of the good folks on this board, I am sure.

And without a doubt Scripture references would be the most valuable. But I am not aware of any strong arguments from Scripture regarding veneration.

Thanks for any help you can give.

The same 5th-century Church whose judgment we are prepared to rely on unreservedly when it comes to thecanon of Scripture which was finally developed at that time by the same Fathers already exhibited quite explicitly the Catholic doctrine and practice of Praying to Mary and the saints .

If these Fathers believed that these doctrines did not come from the Apostles they would have surly faught against the practice? If St. Athanasius and Basil the Great could fight for the full divinity of the Holy Spirit,against Arianism, Donatism ect: then certainly they would have commented on the error of the intercession and invocation of the saints. It was practiced by the defenders and promoters of the Nicene Creed: the Fathers who had suffered, struggled, and died for the doctrine of the Trinity, the full divinity of Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
It should be obvious and logical for anyone studying the History of the early Church that these men honored and prayed to the saints.
Why suppose that the Holy Spirit should have guaranteed an accurate discernment of the canon to this 5th century Church, while withholding from it the grace to discern and correct all these other "abuses" and "corruptions"?


Only may that power come upon us which strengthens weakness, through the prayers of him[i.e. St. Paul] who made his own strength perfect in bodily weakness"
Gregory of Nyssa,Against Eunomius,1:1(A.D. 380),in NPNF2,V:36


"He voluntarily undertook all the toil of the journey; he moderated the energy of the faithful on the spot; he persuaded opponents by his arguments; in the presence of priests and deacons, and of many others who fear the Lord, he took up the relics with all becoming reverence, and has aided the brethren in their preservation. These relics do you receive with a joy equivalent to the distress with which their custodians have parted with them and sent them to you. Let none dispute; let none doubt. Here you have that unconquered athlete. These bones, which shared in the conflict with the blessed soul, are known to the Lord. These bones He will crown, together with that soul, in the righteous day of His requital, as it is written, 'we must stand before the judgment seat of Christ, that each may give an account of the deeds he has done in the body.' One coffin held that honoured corpse. None other lay by his side. The burial was a noble one; the honours of a martyr were paid him. Christians who had welcomed him as a guest and then with their own hands laid him in the grave, have now disinterred him. They have wept as men bereaved of a father and a champion. But they have sent him to you, for they put your joy before their own consolation. Pious were the hands that gave; scrupulously careful were the hands that received. There has been no room for deceit; no room for guile. I bear witness to this. Let the untainted truth be accepted by you."
Basil,To Ambrose bishop of Milan,Epistle 197(A.D. 375),in NPNF2,VIII:235


Then we commemorate also those who have fallen asleep before us, first Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs, that at their prayers and intercessions God would receive our petition. Then on behalf also of the Holy Fathers and Bishops who have fallen asleep before us, and in a word of all who in past years have fallen asleep among us, believing that it will be a very great benefit to the souls, for whom the supplication is put up, while that holy and most awful sacrifice is set forth."
Cyril of Jerusalem,Catechetical Lectures,23:9(A.D. 350),in NPNF2,VII:154


"Nor is that kind of title to glories in the case of Celerinus, our beloved, an unfamiliar and novel thing. He is advancing in the footsteps of his kindred; he rivals his parents and relations in equal honours of divine condescension. His grandmother, Celerina, was some time since crowned with martyrdom. Moreover, his paternal and maternal uncles, Laurentius and Egnatius, who themselves also were once warring in the camps of the world, but were true and spiritual soldiers of God, casting down the devil by the confession of Christ, merited palms and crowns from the Lord by their illustrious passion. We always offer sacrifices for them, as you remember, as often as we celebrate the passions and days of the martyrs in the annual commemoration. Nor could he, therefore, be degenerate and inferior whom this family dignity and a generous nobility provoked, by domestic examples of virtue and faith. But if in a worldly family it is a matter of heraldry and of praise to be a patrician, of bow much greater praise and honour is it to become of noble rank in the celestial heraldry! I cannot tell whom I should call more blessed,--whether those ancestors, for a posterity so illustrious, or him, for an origin so glorious. So equally between them does the divine condescension flow, and pass to and fro, that, just as the dignity of their offspring brightens their crown, so the sublimity of his ancestry illuminates his glory."
Cyprian,To Clergy and People,Epistle 33(39):3(A.D. 250),in ANF,V:313

 

[PassthePeace1]

I have got another link somewhere, that is of a tombstone from the 2nd century I believe, where the person is asking for prayers for the repose of his soul from anybody that reads the inscription. I'm looking but I can't find it right now...

Below is some pics of inscriptions from an early church that is being excavated. You might find it helpful.


Nazareth: Archaeological Excavations

Another helpful thing in your search, is to look into the full teaching of the Communion of Saints. It's a little deeper than venaration of saints, but goes into how we view the Mystical Body of Christ as a whole, and not separated from each other by death.

CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Communion of Saints

 

[DD2008]

What makes a church apostolic is adhearing to the apostles teaching as recorded under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in scripture.

2 Peter 1:15-21 ESV
15 And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things. 16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 2:19-20 ESV
19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,

 

[MrPolo]

An important early source on the veneration of martyrs is the Martyrdom of Polycarp (c. 135 AD), which explains:

...it is neither possible for us ever to forsake Christ...nor to worship any other. For we worship him indeed, as being the Son of God. However, as for the martyrs, as disciples and followers of the Lord, we worthily love them on account of their extraordinary affections towards their own King.​

The Martyrdom of Polycarp (chs. 18-19)also mentions that the relics of the martyrs were treated "as precious stones" and that the church celebrated the martyr's day of death as their "birthday into heaven."

Similarly, around 250 AD St. Cyprian wrote:

Take note of their days on which they depart, so that we may celebrate their commemoration among the memorials of the martyrs... There are celebrated here by us oblations and sacrifices for their commemorations.​

The Apostolic Constitutions (compiled c. 390 AD) instructs: "Now, concerning the martyrs, we say to you that they are to be held in all honor with you." (taken from ReligionFacts.com)​

More from same site, different page:

Relics in the Bible

Although the veneration of relics was not explicitly practiced in the Christian Bible, supporters of the practice have seen support for honoring relics of the saints in the following passages:

Once while some Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a band of raiders; so they threw the main's body into Elisha's tomb. When the body touched Elisha's bones, the man came to life and stood up on his feet. (2 Kings 13:21, NIV)

Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding to 12 years came up behind him [Jesus] and touched the edge of his cloak. She said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed." Jesus turned and saw her. "Take heart, daughter," he said, "your faith has healed you." And the woman was healed from that moment. (Matthew 9:20-22, NIV)

As evening approached, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. (Mark 15:43, NIV)

People brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by... and all of them were healed. (Acts 5:15-16, NIV)

God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them. (Acts 19:11-12, NIV)

For Catholic and Orthodox Christians, these passages confirm their belief that God chooses to work miracles through material items associated with saints.

Relics in the Early Church

The Protestant church historian Adolf Harnack wrote of the veneration of relics in the early church:

No church doctor of repute restricted it. All of them rather, even the Cappadocians, countenanced it. The numerous miracles which were wrought by bones and relics seemed to confirm their worship. The Church therefore would not give up the practice, although a violent attack was made upon it by a few cultured heathens and besides by the Manichaeans. (History of Dogma, IV, 313).​

The earliest surviving mention of relic veneration after the New Testament occurs in a work called The Martyrdom of Polycarp, dated to about 150 AD. In this account of the death of the leader who was believed to have known the Apostle John, his admirers in Smyrna wrote:

We took up his bones, which are more valuable than precious stones and finer than refined gold, and laid them in a suitable place, where the Lord will permit us to gather ourselves together, as we are able, in gladness and joy and to celebrate the birthday of his martyrdom.​

Some examples of bowing before a beloved peer in Scripture I know of:

Numbers 22:31 Then the Lord opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown.

Genesis 18:1-5 The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. 2 Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground. 3 He said, "If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by. 4 Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. 5 Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant." "Very well," they answered, "do as you say."

Joshua 5:13-15 Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, "Are you for us or for our enemies?" "Neither," he replied, "but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come." Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, "What message does my Lord have for his servant?" The commander of the LORD's army replied, "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so.

2 Samuel 9:6-8 6 When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor. David said, "Mephibosheth!" "Your servant," he replied. 7 "Don't be afraid," David said to him, "for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table." 8 Mephibosheth bowed down and said, "What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?"​

 

[E.C.]

In recent years I have found myself attracted more and more to the arguments of the apostolic churches.

However, there is one major teaching that still makes it hard for me to ever consider joining myself to an apostolic church. That teaching is veneration of saints, Mary, etc.

Now I know this topic has been worked over before. And I think I may have even had a thread on it before. But my wife and I were talking tonight on our evening walk and both said that if we could find evidence of veneration in the earliest centuries it would go a long ways toward helping us resolve our differences with the apostolic churches.

So here is my question for the apostolic church adherents: What original source materials refer to veneration in the first three centuries?

Please cite specific references so that I can look them up in their original context.

I have read some of the church fathers, but I have not read them nearly as much some of the good folks on this board, I am sure.

And without a doubt Scripture references would be the most valuable. But I am not aware of any strong arguments from Scripture regarding veneration.

Thanks for any help you can give.

The earliest 'instance' (for lack of a better word) that comes to immediate recollection at 1:03AM is...

St. Ignatius of Antioch. He was the bishop of Antioch after St. Peter and was martyred at the Colosseum in Rome. Afterward, the local Christians in the area recovered his relics and laid them on an altar in the catacombs and prayed for his prayers.

St. Luke the Apostle wrote the first icons of the Mother of God.

I have not read Eusebius' "History of the Church", but it would not surprise me if he mentioned St. Ignatius. His book was written in the... 6th(maybe 5th?) century and covers the history of Christianity from about Pentecost to the ending of the persecutions from the Roman Empire.


tall73, some links that I have tend to tie veneration of saints in with veneration of icons and/or relics. Since you are asking only for the saints, do you mind if I post the links that are tied in with icons and/or relics?

 

[Montalban]

In recent years I have found myself attracted more and more to the arguments of the apostolic churches.

However, there is one major teaching that still makes it hard for me to ever consider joining myself to an apostolic church. That teaching is veneration of saints, Mary, etc.

Veneration means to highly honour. I don't know of any other woman on earth who nursed and nurtured Jesus. I think that's pretty special.

 

[Tyndale]

Veneration means to highly honour.

To some it might, but to others it is worship.

The Catholic Dictionary says,

“VENERATION. The word commonly used to express in English that worship given to saints either directly or through images or relics....”

“WORSHIP. Adoration and reverence paid to God...also for the honor paid to the saints...veneration.”



Catholic Dictionary, Addis and Arnold, 423 says,

“2nd Council of Nicaea’s [decision to] use the word ‘proskunei” of the veneration due to images”

‘proskunei', This Greek word can be found in Acts 10:25, 26.

“AND AS PETER WAS COMING IN, CORNELIUS MET HIM, AND FELL DOWN AT HIS FEET, AND WORSHIPPED [proskunei] HIM. BUT PETER TOOK HIM UP, SAYING, STAND UP; I MYSELF ALSO AM A MAN.”

 

[Montalban]

ven⋅er⋅ate [ven-uh-reyt]
–verb (used with object), -at⋅ed, -at⋅ing. to regard or treat with reverence; revere.
Venerating Definition | Definition of Venerating at Dictionary.com

Luke 1:28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”

Luke 1:48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed

The Orthodox understanding can be read on-line here.

 

[tall73]

The earliest 'instance' (for lack of a better word) that comes to immediate recollection at 1:03AM is...

St. Ignatius of Antioch. He was the bishop of Antioch after St. Peter and was martyred at the Colosseum in Rome. Afterward, the local Christians in the area recovered his relics and laid them on an altar in the catacombs and prayed for his prayers.

St. Luke the Apostle wrote the first icons of the Mother of God.

I have not read Eusebius' "History of the Church", but it would not surprise me if he mentioned St. Ignatius. His book was written in the... 6th(maybe 5th?) century and covers the history of Christianity from about Pentecost to the ending of the persecutions from the Roman Empire.


tall73, some links that I have tend to tie veneration of saints in with veneration of icons and/or relics. Since you are asking only for the saints, do you mind if I post the links that are tied in with icons and/or relics?

That would be fine, they are related concepts in my mind in any case.

 

[LittleLambofJesus]

Veneration means to highly honour. I don't know of any other woman on earth who nursed and nurtured Jesus. I think that's pretty special.

Then according to that definition, would that also apply to the RCC's Pope?

Is Catholicism the same Church that the Apostles set up - Christian Forums
Is Catholicism the same Church that the Apostles set up

 

[Sophia7]

Veneration means to highly honour. I don't know of any other woman on earth who nursed and nurtured Jesus. I think that's pretty special.

One big problem that I have with that is this text:

Luke 11:27 While Jesus was saying these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed."
28 But He said, "On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it."
​

That seems to me to directly contradict the idea that Mary should be given special honor as the mother of Jesus.

 

[Tyndale]

One big problem that I have with that is this text:

Luke 11:27 While Jesus was saying these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed."
28 But He said, "On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it."
​

That seems to me to directly contradict the idea that Mary should be given special honor as the mother of Jesus.

I think you're right Sophia. I always thought the mother of Christ is blessed among woman, but this verse over-rules this.

It gives us freedom

 

[Trento]

I have got another link somewhere, that is of a tombstone from the 2nd century I believe, where the person is asking for prayers for the repose of his soul from anybody that reads the inscription. I'm looking but I can't find it right now...

This is right out of the Catacombs.

Requests for intercession of saints is as old as Chrisitanity itself.
Whil in Rome I came upon a wall of hundreds of inscriptions asking the martyred Peter and Paul to pray for them. It was very moving.

Photo: Catacomb of St. Sabastiano: Fragments of a wall plaster from the triclia with
numerous graffiti that ask for the prayers of the martryed appostles, Peter and Paul.

 

[wiselife]

One big problem that I have with that is this text:

Luke 11:27 While Jesus was saying these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed."
28 But He said, "On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it."
​

That seems to me to directly contradict the idea that Mary should be given special honor as the mother of Jesus.

And a special honor for receiving the word of God and keeping it. The BV Mary said yes to the Holy Spirit, and with that "yes", Jesus came to the world.

 

[Sophia7]

An important early source on the veneration of martyrs is the Martyrdom of Polycarp (c. 135 AD), which explains:

...it is neither possible for us ever to forsake Christ...nor to worship any other. For we worship him indeed, as being the Son of God. However, as for the martyrs, as disciples and followers of the Lord, we worthily love them on account of their extraordinary affections towards their own King.​

The Martyrdom of Polycarp (chs. 18-19)also mentions that the relics of the martyrs were treated "as precious stones" and that the church celebrated the martyr's day of death as their "birthday into heaven."

Similarly, around 250 AD St. Cyprian wrote:

Take note of their days on which they depart, so that we may celebrate their commemoration among the memorials of the martyrs... There are celebrated here by us oblations and sacrifices for their commemorations.​

The Apostolic Constitutions (compiled c. 390 AD) instructs: "Now, concerning the martyrs, we say to you that they are to be held in all honor with you." (taken from ReligionFacts.com)​

I've read the Martyrdom of Polycarp and Martyrdom of Ignatius and several of the earliest church fathers. I can definitely see the concepts of communion of the saints and veneration of--or at least very high regard for--the martyrs in them. Perhaps veneration of Mary was an outgrowth of those concepts, but I haven't seen any early evidence, preferably from the first couple of centuries, of that practice.

I do see it in the spurious epistles of Ignatius, for example, such as in the First Epistle to St. John:

Ignatius, and the brethren who are with him, to John the holy presbyter.

We are deeply grieved at your delay in strengthening us by your addresses and consolations. If your absence be prolonged, it will disappoint many of us. Hasten then to come, for we believe that it is expedient. There are also many of our women here, who are desirous to see Mary [the mother] of Jesus, and wish day by day to run off from us to you, that they may meet with her, and touch those breasts of hers which nourished the Lord Jesus, and may inquire of her respecting some rather secret matters. But Salome also, [the daughter of Anna,] whom you love, who stayed with her five months at Jerusalem, and some other well-known persons, relate that she is full of all graces and all virtues, after the manner of a virgin, fruitful in virtue and grace. And, as they report, she is cheerful in persecutions and afflictions, free from murmuring in the midst of penury and want, grateful to those that injure her, and rejoices when exposed to troubles: she sympathizes with the wretched and the afflicted as sharing in their afflictions, and is not slow to come to their assistance. Moreover, she shines forth gloriously as contending in the fight of faith against the pernicious conflicts of vicious principles or conduct. She is the lady of our new religion and repentance, and the handmaid among the faithful of all works of piety. She is indeed devoted to the humble, and she humbles herself more devotedly than the devoted, and is wonderfully magnified by all, while at the same time she suffers detraction from the Scribes and Pharisees. Besides these points, many relate to us numerous other things regarding her. We do not, however, go so far as to believe all in every particular; nor do we mention such to you. But, as we are informed by those who are worthy of credit, there is in Mary the mother of Jesus an angelic purity of nature allied with the nature of humanity. And such reports as these have greatly excited our emotions, and urge us eagerly to desire a sight of this (if it be lawful so to speak) heavenly prodigy and most sacred marvel. But do you in haste comply with this our desire; and fare well. Amen.
​

However, that letter wasn't actually written by Ignatius, and newadvent.org dates the collection in which it was included at the late fourth century. We are looking for earlier evidence--evidence that would show that Mary was venerated from the very beginning of the Christian era, if, indeed, such a practice was taught by the apostles and passed on to the earliest believers.

 

[Trento]

And a special honor for receiving the word of God and keeping it. The BV Mary said yes to the Holy Spirit, and with that "yes", Jesus came to the world.

Luke 11:27 While Jesus was saying these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed."
28 But He said, "On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it."
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The original Greek translation is not "on the contrary " but Rather.

The Gospels also tell us that Mary is blessed BECAUSE she listened and believed to the word of God. It is PRECISELY because of Luke 11:27ff that we venerate Mary, not because she bore and nursed Jesus, but most especially because she listened to God and said yes to him

 

[Sophia7]

And a special honor for receiving the word of God and keeping it. The BV Mary said yes to the Holy Spirit, and with that "yes", Jesus came to the world.

Are you relating verse 28 only to Mary's obedience? That doesn't make any sense to me and doesn't fit the context. I believe that Jesus was referring to everyone who receives and observes the word of God as blessed:

Luke 11:27 While Jesus was saying these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed."
28 But He said, "On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it."
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He wasn't giving His mother any special honor or singling her out from other people but was, in fact, discouraging people from doing that. There is a contrast in those verses, not a double honor to Mary, above others, for bearing Christ and for obeying God's word. Verse 28 applies to all believers, not just Mary.