The Orthodox understanding of Mary

[Cary.Melvin]

What is the Orthodox understanding of Mary's role in Salvation history? How does it effect the Orthodox understanding of the nature of Jesus (with relation to His humanity and divinity)?

Do Orthodox believe Mary is the Mother of God?

Do Orthodox believe in Mary's virginal conception and is Ever-virgin?

Do Orthodox believe that God made Mary immaculate from conception (Without orginal sin)?

Do Orthodox believe in the bodily Assumption of Mary, body and soul into Heaven (Like Elijah was)?

Thanks

 

[Reader Nilus]

What is the Orthodox understanding of Mary's role in Salvation history? How does it effect the Orthodox understanding of the nature of Jesus (with relation to His humanity and divinity)?

Do Orthodox believe Mary is the Mother of God?

Do Orthodox believe in Mary's virginal conception and is Ever-virgin?

Do Orthodox believe that God made Mary immaculate from conception (Without orginal sin)?

Do Orthodox believe in the bodily Assumption of Mary, body and soul into Heaven (Like Elijah was)?

Thanks

Do Orthodox believe Mary is the Mother of God?
Yes
Do Orthodox believe in Mary's virginal conception and is Ever-virgin?
Yes
Do Orthodox believe that God made Mary immaculate from conception (Without orginal sin)?
No, not in the Roman Catholic meaning. Orthodox believe all infants are born immaculately. The RC doctrine challenges the Incarnation itself, by divorcing the The Blessed Theotokos from the rest of humanity.
Do Orthodox believe in the bodily Assumption of Mary, body and soul into Heaven (Like Elijah was)?
It is a pious held belief, but not dogma. Orthodox are not enforced to believe that, and it is not part of the Gospel Kerygma.
Jeff the Finn

 

[MariaRegina]

We do celebrate the Falling Asleep of the Theotokos on August 15.

In our Holy Services which date back from ancient times, the Church reads that the Theotokos died, was buried, and then on the third day, when the Apostles went to see her body (for the benefit of poor Thomas) her body was not there and the Apostles were told that her body had been taken into heaven in anticipation of the General Resurrection. So we do believe that she is in heaven, body and soul.

Just before her death,according to the Holy Church Services, the angels gathered the Apostles from the 4 corners of the earth, to be with her. All the Apostles were present at her death except the Apostle Thomas, who was a cousin of the Theotokos.

P.s. The Latin Catholics do not mandate belief that the Ever Virgin Mary died. Therefore, some Latin Catholics believe that she willingly died as did Her Innocent Son, our God. Other Latin Catholics believe that she was assumed body and soul into heaven without experiencing death. However, this goes against Church apostolic tradition.

 

[BjBarnett]

In our Holy Services which date back from ancient times, the Church reads that the Theotokos died, was buried, and then on the third day, when the Apostles went to see her body (for the benefit of poor Thomas) her body was not there and the Apostles were told that her body had been taken into heaven in anticipation of the General Resurrection. So we do believe that she is in heaven, body and soul.

Just before her death,according to the Holy Church Services, the angels gathered the Apostles from the 4 corners of the earth, to be with her. All the Apostles were present at her death except the Apostle Thomas, who was a cousin of the Theotokos.

wow thats really interesting ive never heard that before

 

[katherine2001]

It's also my understanding that the Theotokos definitely died.

 

[Matrona]

It's also my understanding that the Theotokos definitely died.

Yes, the difference between the Assumption (RC) and the Dormition is that the Assumption implies that Mary didn't die, She was simply bodily assumed into heaven. I saw a sculptural depiction of the Assumption in Chartres Cathedral (the Assumption Day is the Cathedral's feast day) and it appeared that it was depicting people were reaching towards the sky with awe as they watched Her being assumed into heaven--it almost reminded me of fanciful depictions of the "rapture" of protestant belief.

However, the Orthodox believe the Theotokos did actually, definitely die (dormition), since not being divorced from the rest of humanity, She still bore the consequence of sin having been brought into the world, despite having been sinless Herself. Her body was laid to rest in a tomb. The Apostles, now with Thomas, went to Her tomb on the third day, and found that Her body was no longer there. It is said to have been confirmed by a later vision of the Theotokos that Her body had been assumed into heaven along with Her soul.

 

[Matthias]

Interesting...