Marian Symbols of Faith – Dogmatic Foundation (Doctrina Pontificia IV, nn. 1-7)
Doctrina Pontificia IV: Documentos Marianos (PAMI/BAC, 1954) opens with the Symbols of Faith that constitute the dogmatic foundation of Christian Mariology. The first seven documents of the corpus are Marian formulas of faith of the early Church, which affirm Mary’s virginal motherhood as a universal article of faith.
| Collection | Doctrina Pontificia IV: Documentos Marianos (PAMI/BAC, 1954) |
| Entries | nn. 1-7 |
| Period | 4th-5th century |
| Topic | Mary’s virginal motherhood as an article of faith |
The Seven Marian Symbols
1. Ancient Western Formula
The most ancient formula of the West already affirms: “natus est de Spiritu Sancto ex Maria Virgine”, he was born of the Holy Spirit, of the Virgin Mary. This Marian clause is inseparable from the mysterium Christi: Mary’s virginity is the guarantee of the divinity of the incarnate Word.
2. Later Western Formula (Apostolicum)
The Apostolic Symbol, in its definitive form, proclaims: “qui conceptus est de Spiritu Sancto, natus ex Maria Virgine”, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary. This is the most widespread Christian formula in the world.
3-4. Eastern Formulas
The Eastern formulas, parallel to the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Symbol, likewise affirm the incarnation of the Word of God “ex Maria Virgine”, guaranteeing the universality of the Marian confession in the united Church.
5. “Fides Damasi” Formula
Attributed to Pope Damasus I (366-384), this formula develops the Marian clause with theological precision: Mary is Virgin, true Mother, not merely a passive instrument, “veram matrem”.
6. “Libellus in modum symboli” Formula
This document, of uncertain origin (probably Gallic, 5th century), affirms the twofold truth: Mary Mother of God (Theotokos) and ever Virgin (semper Virgo), anticipating the great debates of Ephesus.
7. “Quicumque” Formula (Athanasian Symbol)
The Athanasian Symbol (Quicumque vult salvus esse), probably of the 5th century, affirms: “perfectus homo ex anima rationali et humana carne subsistens, aequalis Patri secundum divinitatem, minor Patre secundum humanitatem, qui licet Deus sit et homo, non duo tamen sed unus est Christus, unus autem, non conversione divinitatis in carnem, sed assumptione humanitatis in Deum”. The humanity assumed was taken from Mary the Virgin.
Dogmatic Significance
These seven symbols show that faith in Mary the Virgin Mother is not a late popular devotion, but a universal article of faith from the first centuries. The Marian clause in the creeds is the foundation on which all ecclesial Mariology rises: Mary is inseparable from the mystery of the incarnation.
Further reading
Explore Mariology, Lumen Gentium, chap. VIII, Ineffabilis Deus (Pius IX, 1854), and the Postgraduate Program in Mariology.
Postgraduate Program in Mariology
Would you like to deepen your formation in Mariology? Discover the Postgraduate Program in Mariology of Locus Mariologicus, an academic formation that unites theological rigor, spiritual life, and the living tradition of the Church.
Would you like to study Mariology seriously?
This article grows out of the works in the Locus Mariologicus library. The Postgraduate Program in Mariology takes you to the same source, with academic guidance: Scripture, the Fathers of the Church, and the Magisterium, from the first dogma to contemporary questions.
Responses