Fact Check: Mary

Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is a central figure of Christianity, venerated under many titles such as Virgin, Lady or Queen, many of them mentioned in the Litany of Loreto. The Eastern and Oriental Orthodox, Church of the East, Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches believe that Mary, as Mother of Jesus, is the Mother of God. Other Protestant views on Mary vary, with some holding her to have considerably lesser status.

The New Testament describes Mary as a young virgin who was chosen by God to conceive Jesus through the Holy Spirit. After giving birth to Jesus in Bethlehem, she raised him in the city of Nazareth in Galilee, and was in Jerusalem at his crucifixion and with the apostles after his ascension. Although her later life is not accounted in the Bible, Catholic and Eastern Christian traditions believe that her body was raised into heaven at the end of her earthly life, which is known in Western Christianity as the Assumption of Mary and in Eastern Christianity as the Dormition of the Mother of God.

Mary has been venerated since early Christianity, and is considered by millions to be the holiest and the foremost of the saints. There is a certain diversity in the Mariology and devotional practices of major Christian traditions. The Catholic Church holds distinctive Marian dogmas, namely her Immaculate Conception and Assumption into Heaven. Many protestants minimize Mary's role, based on what they argue is lack of biblical support for any beliefs other than her status as the Mother of Jesus and the virgin birth. She is mentioned several times in the Holy Quran, including a chapter named after her, and has the highest position in Islam among all women.

The multiple forms of Marian devotions include various prayers and hymns, the celebration of several Marian feast days in liturgy, the veneration of images and relics, the construction of churches dedicated to Mary and pilgrimages to Marian shrines. Many Marian apparitions and miracles attributed to her intercession have been reported by many believers over the centuries. She has been a traditional subject in the history of art, notably in Byzantine art, medieval art, and Renaissance art.

In the Catholic Church, Mary is accorded the title "Blessed" in recognition of her assumption into Heaven and her capacity to intercede on behalf of those who pray for her intercession. There is a difference between the usage of the term "blessed" as pertaining to Mary and its usage as pertaining to a beatified person in the process of canonization. "Blessed" as a Marian title refers to her exalted state as being the greatest among saints; for a person who has been declared beatified, on the other hand, "blessed" simply indicates that they can be venerated pending their canonized status as saints. Catholic teachings make clear that Mary is not considered divine and prayers to her are not answered by her, but rather by God through the efficacy of her intercession. The four Catholic dogmas regarding Mary are:

• Her status as Theotokos or the Mother of God;
• Her perpetual Virginity;
• The Immculate Conception;
• Her bodily Assumption into Heeaven.

x---------x

Picture from Pexels.