I have been interested in the Eastern
Orthodox Church tradition for some time, and I value much of the worshipful and
humble attitude toward God and to life, which I meet there. I fully thrive in
the grandeur of God, of the positive outlook on lived Christian life, of the
depth of the Incarnation. I treasure the
prayers and the liturgy of John Chrysostom and St. Basil. I have a small blue
pocket prayer book and I pull it up in different occasions. It is a small
treasure. The only things I omit are the references to Mary, the mother of
Jesus Christ.
Theotokos means
God-bearer, and since Jesus is God, the Son, in the Trinity, she is referred to
as the ‘Mother of God’. Personally I
have an issue with this glide: from being the earthly mother of Jesus Christ to
be called the Mother of God. In the triune understanding of the Christian God,
there is God, the Father, God, the Son and God, the Holy Spirit. They are one.
And lady Mary is not ‘mother’ to the complete concept. She is not in any sense
a ‘mother’ to God, the Father. Neither is she in any sense mother in relations
to God as Father.
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| Theotokos of the Seven Arrows |
In his
explanation to the Orthodox understanding of Mary, Theotokos, St. John
Maximovitch, the late archbishop of Shanghai and San Fransisco, asserts in his
book ”The Orthodox Veneration of the
Mother of God” that she is an active intercessor for the Christians, that
she is a comforter, one who bestows grace and mercy on people. She was chosen
at an early age for her task, and according to tradition lived a pure life. The
Orthodox teaching admits that she as born in the same state as all humans:
fallen away from God, but that she was brought up by God-fearing parents and
led an immaculate life. In connection with this, the bishop also stresses the
importance of Mary being a virgin for life; not only at the conception of
Jesus, but that she never married, but dedicated her life to God. She had no
other children.
In contrast, the
Roman Catholic Church teaches that Mary was born sinless, without the ability
to sin: her immaculate conception. Both traditions see the ever-virginity of
Mary as a dogma. This focus on continuing virginity baffles me. Not only is it
counter to clear passages in the New Testament where there is a clear reference
to Jesus’ siblings, but I also see no point in further childlessness as
saintly. To have many children is a sign of honour, a great blessing, a
treasure. Barrenness is a curse. She is no less venerated for her role as the
mother of Jesus because of further children.
Mary is no co-redemptress
in the Orthodox Church tradition, as she has become in many Roman Catholic
circles. Only Jesus is the Saviour. Still,
when it comes to the veneration, the prayers and supplications made to her, for
instance in the service Akathist, the practice has become one of worship. She
is titled the Queen of Heaven, Defender of our souls, one who has delivered the
faithful from dangers, and has invincible powers…the unwedded Bride…
One of our
friends who prays in the Syrian Orthodox church, explained the attitude to Mary
and the saints as follows: If I asked you to pray for me, would you do it? And
we would say: Yes. In the same way he would ask the saints that had gone before
us to pray for him, for they are also alive, and in heaven. I see the reasoning,
but my main issue with this is: We do not interact with the dead. The only one
we can pray to is the One who rose from the dead: Jesus. And he teaches us to
pray to God. There is no precedence in the New Testament for addressing the
dead. This is a later tradition which does not have Christian roots.
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| Icon of Mother and Child |
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