Celebrating Mary, the Mother of God
This week many Christians will celebrate the role of Mary as the “God-bearer” or theotokos. Doctrinal beliefs concerning her nature and place within popular piety, vary greatly between Protestants, Roman Catholics, and Orthodox. However, all Christian traditions highly esteem her special place within the narrative of salvation history. The Council of Ephesus in 431 AD helped define Mary’s connection to the confession of Christ’s nature set forth in the Nicene Creed.
Feasts
- August 15 – Dormition of the Theotokos (Eastern Orthodox)
- August 15 – Assumption of the Virgin Mary (Roman Catholic)
- August 15 – Mary, Mother of Our Lord (Lutheran)
- August 15 – St. Mary the Virgin (Anglican)
Resources
- Mary, Mother of God – essays from various traditions
- The Real Mary – by Scot McKnight (Protestant)
- Hail, Holy Queen – by Scott Hahn (Roman Catholic)
- Mary, the Birthgiver of God – by John Maximovitch (Eastern Orthodox)