Welp, it looks like it might be time to bring up HH Pope Theodosius of Alexandria again (thank you! I love doing this at any and every opportunity), and his famous
homily on the Dormition of the Theotokos. You guys might remember from last time (or just...y'know...knowing your faith and history) that HH was the last Pope of Alexandria to be recognized by both OO and EO in Egypt, despite being significantly post-Chalcedon (though that recognition only lasted a little while before he was replaced by a different leader for the Chalcedonians). So hopefully it is okay that I post this here, seeing as it reflects a bit of what was preached in Egypt at the time, in the very last months before the schism was most sadly finalized (it is noteworthy in this context, I think, that the website I took it from is apparently an EO website). Besides, I think last time I referenced him I only summarized what HH had said. Here's an actual quote from the sermon, as presented at the above link:
Now Mary the holy Virgin was dwelling in a separate place in Jerusalem, having many virgins in subjection to her, teaching them the purity and the fear of the Lord. We also, the apostles Peter and John, were continuing with her, fulfilling her command and her evangelic laws, whilst she was pilot to us all, like a wise captain. And it came to pass on a day, even the twentieth of Tobi, that we went in unto her again according to custom, being blessed by her. We saw her amazed; and we said to her, What aileth thee to-day, O thou mother of Life, seeing that thy face is thus sad? She answered and said to us, It happened tome this night that when I had ceased making my little office, I slumbered for a little while; and I saw a beautiful youth about thirty years of age, ten thousand times brighter than the sun. I saw you also standing at his right hand, with garments in your hands, stretching them out to me. The young man answered and said to me, O thou woman, doest thou know Me who I am? When I perceived that it was my Son, I said to Him, My Lord, art Thou Jesus my Son and the Son of God in truth? He said to me, I am. I answered and said to Him, My Lord, what is the appointment of these garments, which are in the hands of Thy disciples, stretching them out to me? He said to me, This is the appointment of thy shroud, when thou goest from the body. When He had said these things to me, He hid Himself from me.
Therefore I fear, O my sons, because of those paths, for they are very narrow. I heard Him many times teaching the sons of men, telling them to repent, saying, There is a river of fire set in the path, tossing its waves exceedingly, and its waves are higher than any mountain. All flesh must needs cross over it, whether righteous or sinners. Can I, my sons, be delivered from this?
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In other words, the common tradition of the EO and OO -- and I suspect ultimately the Latins, if other early sources also found at the above website like the homilies of Melito of Sardis (d. 180 AD) are taken as evidence of the original Latin stance -- is that the Theotokos most certainly died, while not being guilty of personal sinfulness as the rest of us are. (I have heard of certain EO who apparently claimed that she may have committed some minor sin of pride or something, but I think that was just their own speculation, and anyway does not detract from the main point that St. Mary did die because she is a flesh-and-blood person, and as she said herself in the above dialogue as preserved in HH Pope Theodosius concerning death, "all flesh must cross over it, whether righteous or sinners." As implied by her question. and confirmed by the fact of her dormition, she was not exempt from this.
