Some descriptives of Mary are properly titles, dogmatic in nature, while some are invocations. Other descriptives are poetic or allegorical or have lesser or no canonical status, but form part of popular piety, with varying degrees of acceptance by Church authorities. Another class of titles refer to depictions of Mary in Catholic Marian art and in art generally. A rich range of Marian titles also are used in musical settings of pieces dedicated to her.[1]
Historical and cultural context
The relatively large number of titles given to Mary may be explained in several ways.[2] Some titles grew due to geographic and cultural reasons, e.g., through the veneration of specific icons. Others were related to Marian apparitions.
Mary's intercession is sought for a large spectrum of human needs in varied situations. This has led to the formulation of many of her titles (good counsel, Help of the Sick, etc.). Moreover, meditations and devotions on the different aspects of Mary's role in the life of Jesus have led to additional titles, such as Our Lady of Sorrows.[3] Still further titles have been derived from dogmas and doctrines, such as, the Assumption of Mary, Dormition of the Mother of God and Immaculate Conception.
The veneration of Mary was consolidated in the year 431 when, at the Council of Ephesus, the descriptive, Theotokos, or Mary the bearer (or mother) of God, was declared a dogma. Thereafter Marian devotion, centred on the subtle and complex relationship between Mary, Jesus, and the Church, began to flourish, first in the East and later in the West.
The Reformation diminished Mary's role in many parts of Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. The Council of Trent and Counter Reformation intensified Marian devotion among Roman Catholics. Around the same period, Mary became an instrument of evangelisation in the Americas and parts of Asia and Africa, e.g. gaining impetus from reported apparitions at Our Lady of Guadalupe, which resulted in a large number of conversions to Christianity in Mexico.
Mother of God: The Council of Ephesus decreed in 431 that Mary is Theotokos ("God-bearer") because her son Jesus is both God and man: one Divine Person with two natures (divine and human).[5] This name was translated in the West as "Mater Dei" or Mother of God. From this derives the title "Blessed Mother".
Virgin Mary: The doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary developed early in Christianity and was taught by the early Fathers, such as, Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria (and others).[6] In the fourth century "ever-virgin" became a popular title for Mary.[7] Variations on this include the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", and "Spouse of the Holy Spirit". The perpetual virginity of Mary was declared a dogma by the Lateran Council of 649.
Assumption: The belief that the Virgin Mary was assumed body and soul into heaven upon completing the course of her earthly life was declared a dogma in 1950 by Pope Pius XII in the apostolic constitution Munificentissimus Deus. The titles "Our Lady of Assumption" and "Queen Assumed Into Heaven" derive from this. This dogma is also reflected in devotion to Our Lady of Ta' Pinu on Malta.
In the Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches the Assumption of Mary may be celebrated as the Dormition, or the "Falling Asleep" of the Mother of God, it is an important feast day, not based on a scriptural canon but affirmed by tradition.
Early titles of Mary
Madonna and Child among Ethiopian saints, Ethiopia mid 17th c.
"Our Lady" is a common title to give to Mary as a sign of respect and honor. In French she is called "Notre Dame" and in Spanish she is "Nuestra Señora".[9]
Mary was identified as the "New Eve" at least as early as the later half of the Second Century. Justin Martyr (100–165) draws the connection in his Dialogue with Trypho. This idea is later expanded by Irenaeus.[10]
Stella Maris or Our Lady, Star of the Sea is an ancient title for the Virgin Mary, used to emphasize her role as a sign of hope and a guiding star for Christians. It is attributed to Jerome and cited by Paschasius Radbertus.
The first Marian image pontifically crowned was Lippo Memmi's painting of La Madonna della Febbre (Madonna of Fever) in the sacristy of Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome on 27 May 1631, by Pope Urban VIII by the Vatican Chapter.
In 1954, the papal encyclical Ad Caeli Reginam, issued by Pope Pius XII, explained how Mary is Queen of Heaven[21]
In 1960, Pope John XXIII changed the title of the "Feast of the Holy Rosary" (formerly the "Feast of Our Lady of Victory") to the "Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary."
Several Papal actions over the centuries decreed the appellation "Queen of Poland" for Mary, following the solemn vows of King John Casimir Vasa before the papal legate and assembled episcopate, proclaiming Mary "Queen" of all his lands, at Lwów Cathedral on 1 April 1656.[22] The last act was of John Paul II on 1 April 2005, on the eve of his death.[23] The feast of The Most Holy Virgin Mary, Queen of Poland is on 3 May.
Descriptive titles of Mary related to visual arts
Devotional titles
In the Loreto Litanies Mary's prayers are invoked under more than fifty separate titles, such as "Mother Most Pure", "Virgin Most Prudent", and "Cause of Our Joy".[29]
With the exception of Jesus Christ, who is believed to have a twofold nature, both human and divine, (dyophysitism), the Blessed Virgin Mary is considered among many Christians to be the unique human being about whom there is a dogma. She is connected to four different dogmas and numerous Marian titles. Christian invocations, titles, and art bear witness to the prominent role she has been accorded in the history and programme of salvation in parts of Christendom, although this is not shared by many (mainly reformed) Christian churches.
In the Hail Mary prayer, she is addressed as "full of grace" by Archangel Gabriel of the Annunciation speaking in the Name of God. The Nicene Creed, declares that Jesus was "incarnate by the Holy Ghost and of the Virgin Mary, and was made man,". This has given rise to the descriptive, "spouse of the Holy Spirit".
Tradition has it that the Virgin Mother of God was anointed by the Holy Spirit, hence putting her on a par with the anointing of the Kings, Prophets, Judges, and High Priests of Israel, as Jesus Christ is said to have been.
This in turn opens the way to titles such as:
Advocate of the Church (like the judges of Israel)
Queen of Angels (like the kings of Israel): the Coronation of the Virgin paintings represent the hierarchy of angels of God while starting to serve Mary forever, after she has accepted to become the Mother of God.
In the Roman Catholic and in the Orthodox Churches, the Virgin Mother of God is venerated in a special form expressed in Greek as hyperdulia, that is, secondary only to the adoration reserved for the Triune God. She is venerated and honoured in this way since no other being--whether angelic or human--has greater power than Mary to intercede with God in the distribution of Grace to His children.
Mother of Good Counsel (Latin: Mater boni consilii) is a title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary, after a painting said to be miraculous, now found in the thirteenth century Augustinian church at Genazzano, near Rome, Italy.
Mother Thrice Admirable refers to Mary depicted in a painting as Our Lady Refuge of Sinners. Devotion to this invocation of Mary is significant to the Schoenstatt Movement.
A number of titles of Mary found in Latin America pertain to cultic images of her represented in iconography identified with a particular already existent title adapted to a particular place. Our Lady of Luján in Argentina refers to a small terracotta image made in Brazil and sent to Argentina in May, 1630. Its appearance seems to have been inspired by Murillo's Immaculates. Our Lady of Copacabana (Bolivia): is a figure related to devotion to Mary under the title "Most Blessed Virgin de la Candelaria, Our Lady of Copacabana". About four feet in height, the statue was made by Francisco Tito Yupanqui around 1583 and is garbed in the colors and dress of an Inca princess.[33]
Theotokos means "God-bearer" and is translated as "Mother of God". This title was given to Mary at the Third Ecumenical Council in Ephesus in 431 AD.(cf. Luke 1:43).[36]
^The History and Use of Hymns and Hymn-Tunes by David R Breed 2009 ISBN 1-110-47186-6 page 17
^"Why does Mary have So Many Different Titles?" All About Mary, International Marian Research Institute, University of Dayton.
^Tavard, George Henry, The thousand faces of the Virgin Mary 1996 ISBN 0-8146-5914-4 p. 95
^Roskovany, A., conceptu immacolata ex monumentis omnium seculrorum demonstrate III, Budapest 1873
^by Braaten, Carl E. and Jenson, Robert W., Mary, Mother of God, 2004 ISBN 0802822665 p. 84
^Maas, Anthony. "Virgin Birth of Christ." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 10 April 2016
^Wuerl, Donald W. and Stubna, Kris D., The Teaching of Christ: A Catholic Catechism for Adults, Our Sunday Visitor Publishing, 2004, ISBN 9781592760947
^"In Honor of Nuestra Señora de Guia", De Anda (2009-11-22),
^"Hargett, Malea. "Marian titles chosen for one out of four churches in diocese", Arkansas Catholic, Diocese of Arkansas, 20 May 2006". Archived from the original on 8 December 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
^Mauriello, Matthew R., "Mary the New Eve," Frei Francisco.
^"... Byzantine inscriptions from Palestine ... in the sixth [century] ... fourteen inscriptions invoke "Holy Mary" (Hagia Maria), eleven more hail her as Theotokos; others add the attribution of "Immaculate" (Akeratos), "Most Blessed" (Kecharitomene), "Mistress" (Despoina), "Virgin" or "Ever-Virgin" (Aei-Parthenos)." (Frend 1984, p. 836)
^ a b c d eFrend 1984, p. 836.
^"Blue Letter Bible" lexicon results for parthenos Archived 1 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 19 December 2007.
^"Irenaeus, Against Heresies 3.22.4".
^Hippolytus of Rome. Against Beron and Helix: Fragment VIII. Retrieved 26 August 2024. τῆς παναγίας ἀειπαρθένου Μαρίας [the all-holy, ever-virgin Mary]
^The Titles of Saints, Orthodox Holiness, 18 December 2005
^"Universität Mannheim". www.uni-mannheim.de. 3 January 2019.
^Hippolytus of Rome. Against Beron and Helix: Fragment VIII. Retrieved 26 August 2024. τῆς παναγίας ἀειπαρθένου Μαρίας [the all-holy ever-virgin Mary]
^Pope Francis, Laudato si', paragraph 241, published 24 May 2015, accessed 28 May 2024
^Reynolds, Brian (2012). Gateway to Heaven: Marian Doctrine and Devotion, Image and Typology in the Patristic and Medieval Periods, Volume 1. New City Press. ISBN 9781565484498.
^Pope Pius XII (11 October 1954). "Ad Caeli Reginam". Roman Catholic Church. Archived from the original on 7 October 2010.
^"Śluby króla Jana Kazimierza, złożone dnia 1 kwietnia 1656 roku" [King John Casimir's vows made on 1 April 1656] (in Polish). Konferencja Episkopatu Polski i Wydawnictwo Pallottinum. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
^Paweł Zuchniewicz [in Polish]. "Ostatni dokument Jana Pawła II" [The Last Document of Pope John Paul II] (in Polish). Retrieved 29 September 2019.
^Madonna. (2008). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 17 February 2008, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online: [1]
^"Catacombe di Priscilla". Archived from the original on 1 November 2009. Retrieved 24 August 2009.
^Jeep 2001, p. 393.
^Watts, Barbara. "Pietà". Grove Art Online. Oxford University Press, Retrieved 17 February 2008, http://www.groveart.com/
^Zoffany Archived 2014-10-18 at the Wayback Machine, RoyalCollection.org, retrieved 18 October 2014
^"The Loreto Litanies". The Holy See. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
^Mark Alessio (31 January 2006). "Mary, advocate of the Church and Mediatrix of all graces". catholicism.org. Archived from the original on 9 March 2016.
^Duricy, Michael P., "Black Madonnas: Origin, History, Controversy," All About Mary, International Marian Research Institute, University of Dayton.
^ a b c"Titles of Mary", Regis University
^ a b c"Latin American Titles of Mary", All About Mary, International Marian Research Institute, University of Dayton.
^Paraguay: South America's Lewis Carroll world
^Website of Center for the Promotion of Devotion, Sanctuary of Mary of the Rosary of San Nicolás]
^ a b c"Titles of the Holy Theotokos, Saint Mary", Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, Diocese of Los Angeles
Jeep, John M. (2001). Medieval Germany: An Encyclopedia. Routledge. ISBN 0-8240-7644-3.
External links
Archaeological project to collect all epithets of Mary in Greek, Latin, and Syriac
International Marian Research Institute at the University of Dayton. The Institute, a leading center for research and scholarship on the Blessed Virgin Mary, has a vast presence in cyberspace.
List of 6,000 Catholic titles of Mary
Marian Library at the University of Dayton. The Marian Library is the world's largest repository of books, periodicals, artwork, and artifacts on Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ.
Eastern Orthodox understanding of saints' titles
Raised to Heaven because Co-Redemptrix on earth. Thoughts on the foundation of the Catholic dogma Archived 24 July 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Lecture by Monsignor Brunero Gherardini. Explains the meaning of the Marian titles Assumpta, Mediatrix, Co-Redemptrix.
.jpg/1280px-France-002009_-_Our_Lady_of_Lourdes_(15774765182).jpg)
