Mary: Mother of God, Mother of the Church

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This course explores the theological significance of the Blessed Virgin Mary within Christian tradition by investigating the history of Marian thought and devotion. The first of the course's four parts examines accounts of Mary found in the New Testament alongside early Christian narratives concerning Mary's life and assumption or dormition into heaven. The second part of the course analyzes Patristic theological reflection on Mary and key texts within the Christological disputes of the early Church, especially those concerning the contested Marian title Theotokos (God-bearer). The third part of the course examines Medieval and Byzantine witnesses to Marian theology and devotion, including Marian iconography, hymnody, and spiritual writing. The fourth and final part of the course attends to later developments in the Church's understanding of Mary, beginning with Reformation-era disputes over Mary and the cult of the saints and terminating in Pope Paul VI's proclamation of Mary as Mater Ecclesiae (Mother of the Church) after the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council. Here, special attention is given to Mary's place in ecumenical dialogue. Through historical investigation, this course seeks to recognize the central importance of Mary, Mother of God and Mother of the Church, for Christian life, thought, and practice.