Patristic Mariological Dictionary: Mary in the Fathers of the Church

Patristic Mariological dictionary: a glossary of the main terms concerning Mary in the Fathers of the Church.

Patristic Mariological dictionary: introduction

The patristic Mariological dictionary gathers the main terms, concepts, and titles with which the Fathers of the Church, in the first seven centuries of the Christian era, expressed the mystery of Mary. This glossary of the patristic Mariological dictionary helps the scholar and the devotee to enter into the thought of the Fathers and to rediscover the depth of the Marian tradition of Christian origins.

Patristic theology is the development of Christian thought about God and the mystery of salvation in the writings of the Fathers of the Church. It is distinguished from biblical theology by its conscious reflection of the philosophical outlook and religious thought of the Hellenistic world, and from Scholastic theology by its positive approach to Scripture and Tradition, without rigorous systematization. The patristic Mariological dictionary is, therefore, the gateway to the Mariology of Christian origins.

I. The Fathers of the Church and Mariology

In keeping with the biblical approach, patristic theology is concerned principally with one event: man’s encounter with Christ, the Son of God, who suffered under Pontius Pilate, died, and rose from the dead. This was the essential concern of Christian thought. The doctors of the Church were led to use contemporary philosophy, religious concepts, and cultural patterns to defend and clarify their message.

Thus, patristic theology is an amalgam of Judeo-Christian, Hellenistic, and some Eastern thought, adapted to the singular facts set forth in the Old and New Testaments about God and decreed by Christ in His own life and in the life of the Church, His Mystical Body. In this context, the patristic Mariological dictionary gathers the expressions with which this tradition recognized Mary as Mother of God, New Eve, and model of the Church.

II. Eusebius of Caesarea and the use of the term theology

It was EUSEBIUS OF CAESAREA, the great historian of the Church, who in the fourth century attested the legitimacy of the word theology for Christian use. He described the Evangelist SAINT JOHN as “the Theologian,” because in his Gospel he is concerned principally with the divinity of Christ, and he announced the purpose of the history of the Church as a demonstration of the “theology and economy of salvation according to Christ.” From this foundation, the patristic Mariological dictionary develops the terms proper to Mariology.

III. Core terms of the patristic Mariological dictionary

The patristic Mariological dictionary gathers expressions such as Theotokos (Mother of God), a Marian title defined at the Council of Ephesus in 431; Aeiparthenos (Ever-Virgin); New Eve, a parallel developed by Justin, Irenaeus, and Tertullian; Panagia (All-Holy); and Mother of the Church, already present in Ambrose. Each term in the patristic Mariological dictionary opens a window onto the faith of the Church of the first centuries.

Fathers such as Irenaeus of Lyons, Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Origen, Athanasius, the Cappadocians, Ambrose, Augustine, Cyril of Alexandria, Cyril of Jerusalem, Ephrem the Syrian, and John Damascene are the richest sources of the patristic Mariological dictionary. Their writings form the substratum of Byzantine, Latin, and Syriac Mariology, and they remain an obligatory reference in contemporary Mariology.

IV. The present-day importance of the patristic Mariological dictionary

Today the patristic Mariological dictionary is an indispensable tool for Mariological research, for preaching, and for catechesis. It makes it possible to recover the freshness of the Marian faith of Christian origins and to avoid anachronistic readings of ancient texts. To explore the patristic theology of Mary more deeply, consult John Paul II’s encyclical Redemptoris Mater, a point of reference for the patristic tradition on Mary in the history of salvation.

Deepen your studies: explore the Mariology portal, Marian Theology, Marian apparitions, and the Postgraduate Program in Mariology at Locus Mariologicus.

V. How to consult the patristic Mariological dictionary

To consult the patristic Mariological dictionary profitably, it is advisable to start from the original Greek or Latin term, identify the Father of the Church who first used it, and compare his interpretation with the later Magisterium. This method of the patristic Mariological dictionary ensures fidelity to the sources and openness to dogmatic development. Explore biblical Mariology more deeply as well, so as to integrate the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the tradition of the Fathers into a single view of Mary, Mother of God and of the Church.