Posted on 04/10/2024 7:03:34 PM PDT by Roman_War_Criminal
Actually it won’t “wipe out the Marian dogmas”
These beliefs aren’t from the 1800s. They were CONFIRMED in the 1800s but were held earlier — Mary is prefigured in the book of Genesis, she participates with Jesus in the Gospels, and she is observed fighting Satan in the book of Revelation. From the very first pages of the Bible to its last book, Mary’s role in salvation history is astonishing.
In Genesis, there is a stunning prophecy. God said, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise him on the heel” (Gen. 3:15).
This passage is called the Protoevangelium, meaning “first gospel.” It is here we find the first announcement of the Messiah. There is a battle between the serpent and the woman, and we find prophesied the final victory of a descendant of the woman over Satan.
Who eventually crushed the head of the serpent? This can only be Jesus, who crushed the head of Satan at the cross of Calvary. Fittingly, the site of Calvary where Jesus defeated Satan means “skull place,” reminiscent of crushing Satan’s head. Because Jesus is the seed or offspring of the woman, who must the woman be? The Blessed Virgin Mary. She is prefigured right here in the beginning of Genesis.
In John’s account of the crucifixion, Mary stood near the cross as Jesus said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother” (John 19:26-27). Mary was not John’s biological mother, yet John is called Mary’s son, and Mary John’s mother!
One cannot read the early Church Fathers without noticing their deep honor for the Virgin Mary. Athanasius of Alexandria (A.D. 295-373), St. Ambrose of Milan (338-397), St. Jerome (347-419), St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430) (depicted at right), and Pope Leo the Great all believed in the perpetual virginity of Mary.
Cyril of Jerusalem (315-386) believed Mary was the Mother of God and called her that. He explains, “The Father bears witness from heaven to his Son. The Holy Spirit bears witness, coming down in the form of a dove. The archangel Gabriel bears witness, bringing the good tidings to Mary. The Virgin Mother of God bears witness” (Catechetical Lectures, 10:19). For Cyril, Mary is without question the Mother of God. Similarly, Justin Martyr (105-165), Irenaeus (140-202), and Origen (185-253) believed in the Immaculate Conception of Mary.
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