Introduction
First of all, it must be pointed out that the issue of Mary’s divine motherhood can be regarded rather ambiguously. Mary’s role as mother of Jesus must be analysed within the Marian dogmas, namely Divine Motherhood, Perpetual Virginity, Immaculate Conception, and Assumption.
The Marian dogmas
Generally, there is a strong need to clarify that the Christological dogma cannot exist without the dogma of Divine Motherhood. According to Christian faith, Mary is recognised to be the Mother of God. “Mary functioned to reveal divine love as compassionately close, interested, trustworthy and attractive” (Johnson, 2000). The kind of love is not rejected by any of Christian denominations. It seems that there is Christ’s human nature, which determines the core of the Christology.
According to Perpetual Virginity or Baptismal Formula, Mary’s virginity cannot be disputed, as Christ’s birth sanctified the woman’s most important mission.
Immaculate Conception is based on the woman’s all-holiness. Despite the fact that Mary’s role can be interpreted both – from the positive and negative perspectives, the absence of original sin is indisputable, as Mary was exceptionally holy since her birthday.
Keeping in mind the Assumption, one can probably state that Mary “is indissolubly linked to her Son on earth and in heaven” (Roten, 2012). The woman’s particular relations with God determine her all-holiness.
The identity of Jesus Christ in relation to dogmas
Divine Motherhood and Perpetual Virginity as the earliest dogmas give us an opportunity to understand the identity of Jesus Christ in detail, as they reveal the true nature of Christ: Christ as a God and Christ as a man. Therefore, one can probably notice that Christ is considered to be a God on the basis of Mary’s virginity; while, on the other hand, Christ is recognised to be a man according to Mary’s role as Theotokos. In other words, it seems to be obvious that Mary’s role is of particular concern, as without her, the identity of Jesus Christ would be still a matter of debate.
Mary as a model for Christian faith and discipleship
Mary is a model for Christian faith and discipleship, as her divine motherhood is associated with the power that gave rise to mice and man. In other words, God is the only origin of life, and Mary’s primary purpose was to provide humanity with the gift. The woman’s spiritual motherhood seems to remind us of human beings’ one hope. Most of the theologists are of the opinion that Mary showed people the importance of unity and obedience; she formed Christ in people and helped them to see the true face of the Savior.
As far as Mary was “the first disciple to hear God’s word and responded to it with full faithfulness” (Hall, 1996), one can conclude that Mary was the first person who followed the God’s ways. The woman is accepted as the true believer because of the faithfulness, but not biological motherhood of Son of God. Christian faith starts from the woman’s divine motherhood.
Conclusion
Mary’s divine motherhood is recognised to be extremely significant in revealing the true nature of Jesus Christ. The dogma is an integral part of the Christological doctrine; therefore, it is perceived by all Christian denominations. Everlasting fulfilment in God is the key issue of the dogma.
Keeping in mind the Bible, it becomes evident that Mary can be regarded as the mother of all human beings. For this reason, Christian faith and discipleship seem to be formed by the holy woman.
References:
Hall, G. (1996). Mary of the Gospels: True Believer and First Disciple. Acu.edu.au. Web.
Johnson, E. (2000). Mary of Nazareth.Americamagazine.org. Web.
Roten, J. (2012). Marian Dogmas – An Overview. Udayton.edu. Web.