This study aims to examine biblical, historical, and theological meanings of Maria, mother of Jesus Christ. This study may be regarded as an attempt to evaluate theological influences of the biblical teaching on Maria to the church from early churches...
This study aims to examine biblical, historical, and theological meanings of Maria, mother of Jesus Christ. This study may be regarded as an attempt to evaluate theological influences of the biblical teaching on Maria to the church from early churches to modern churches considering the environment of the times, and to re-establish the position of Maria in the modern church.
The important reasons to contemplate Maria are as follows: The first is to criticize the concept of Ave Maria that can be seenin the Catholic tradition, and the second is to evaluate the real meanings of the image of Maria that give effects to the restoration of the faminity from the traditional, male-centered view of God, and the third is to restore the real meaning of the family in the Bible.
To achieve the goals, I illuminated the image of Maria exposed in the Bible, and approached this issue from the viewpoint of historical theology. This method will identify the range of variation among the images of Maria interpreted again by the Bible and the environments of the times. Lastly, I examined the theological meaning of the image of Maria, and attempted to understand the image in the modern church.
The Catholic has tried to inculcate the reverence and affection for Mariaas the inheritance of faith that has been taught in the tradition for a long time. They also insist that various ways to reverence Maria will strengthen the faith on Jesus Christ, not degrading or impairing him. But these ways and intentions should be examined thoroughly whether they are proper in the viewpoint of the teachings of Jesus Christ in the Bible and the apostolic proven tradition in the church.
The Protestant has emphasized the importance of the redemption through Jesus Christ and one and only God's grace since the Reformation. In the viewpoint of the Protestant, the concept of sanctification is very important. But seriously, the inordinate insistence and research on the concept have gone to the level of suggesting the antinominalism. The enthusiasm of the faith seemed to be disconnected from the real life. Furthermore, the faminity of the whole society was weakened due to the influence of the patriarchal system, which is criticized as the serious violation of human rights even in the church.
Considering such circumstances, I think that the study on the image of Maria is very important. If we investigate the image of Maria revealed in the Bible, we can see the images of Maria, including the symbol of universal blessings to achieve our deliverance, the model of motherly tenderness and delicacy, and the symbol of faith as one of pioneering members of the early church and one of Jesus' disciples. In addition, the images of Maria provide clues to understand extended meanings of the family suggested by Jesus Christ. To approach the essence of the image of Maria, it is required to study, and give efforts to understand, the biblical grounds of it, political intentions, and the effects of alien religious groups.
Recently, the Catholic and the Protestant perform actively theological, biblical, and doctrinal investigations on the image of Maria, and we can see even progressive and fresh attempts to narrow the gap between both groups. These attempts are expected to establish the wholesome position of Maria in the church and to provide the footings for the communication between the Catholic and the Protestant.