What Are The Marian Dogmas

What Are The Marian Dogmas?

The Marian dogmas are beliefs about Mary. Churches such as Roman Catholicism accept all of them while most other groups accept only a few. In this article, we will only be explaining the beliefs and views of the main 4, but it must be noted there are indeed others.

Divine Motherhood (Theotokos):

The first belief is that Mary is the Theotokos or bearer of God.  Mary gave birth to Jesus who is both God and man (the hypostatic union). Some dislike this title for it can cause great confusion among laymen who occasionally interpret this as Arianism (i.e. Jesus is a created being); thus, it is best to restrict the term to people who are theologically litterite or by adding context with the term as to not confuse and cause false doctrines to arise.

Perpetual Virginity:

The second dogma is that Mary stayed a virgin for her entire life. Some reject this belief as in Mark 6:3 and other places it states Jesus had brothers; however, many exegetes believe the term used for brothers (ἀδελφὸς) can also mean cousin or a close friend. Common phrases in the modern day are "brothers from another mother" or a "fraternity (frater meaning brother)" which are not literal but more metaphorical. In this article we will not be diving to deep into this debate, but the perspectives are important to note.

Immaculate Conception:

Another Marian dogma is that Mary is sinless. This perhaps is the most uncommon dogma due to the many verses that seem to argue against such a theory (i.e. Romans 3:23), but such a debate is for another time. 

The Assumption:

The final dogma is that Mary did not die; rather, she was taken up just as Elijah was taken up (2 Kings 2:11). There is no biblical evidence for this belief, but some argue as Mary was so holy God would not allow her to die as any other would.

Works Cited:

Image by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

Roten, Johann G. “Overview of Marian Dogmas.” Overview of Marian Dogmas, University of Dayton, Ohio, 17 Nov. 2023, udayton.edu/imri/mary/d/dogmas-marian-overview.php.