In Quest of the Jewish Mary: The Mother of Jesus in History, Theology, and Spirituality

by Mary Christine Athans

Overview

Jesus, as is well known, was born and raised as a Jew in first-century Palestine. A great deal of theological study has focused on the Jewish cultural and religious context of his life and ministry. It is only natural that this attention should lead us to a new approach to his mother, Mary of Nazareth. To some extent, this quest for the Jewish Mary involves excavating beneath centuries of devotional reflection and artistic depictions that have presented a mythologized Mary, detached from history and from her specific Jewish identity.

In this book, Mary Christine Athans draws on the latest historical research, the fruits of post-Vatican II Jewish-Christian dialogue, the insights of feminist theology, and contemporary spiritual reflection to rediscover the Jewish Mary—a woman of enormous courage, strength, and prayer.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781626980044
Publisher:	Orbis Books
Publication date:	04/01/2013
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	278,427
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Mary Christine Athans, BVM, is a Sister of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, professor emerita at the Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity of the University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) and currently adjunct faculty at Loyola University Chicago and the Catholic Theological Union.

Table of Contents

Foreword xi

Prologue xv

Acknowledgments xix

Introduction: Mapping the Quest xxiii

Part I Searching for Mary Over the Centuries

1 Initiating the Search: Obstacles, Detours, and New Pathways 3

An Obstacle for Some Catholic Women: "The Perfect Mary" 4

Detours over the Centuries 6

New Pathways: History and Scripture 6

Questions for Further Exploration 9

Jewish-Christian Relations and the Feminist Dialogue 10

Feminists in Faith and Mary 10

Taking the First Steps in Our Quest 11

2 Mary in History, Doctrine, and Devotionalism: From the Early Church Through the Renaissance 13

The Early Church 13

The Virginity of Mary and the Virgin Birth 18

Mary in Early Christian Art 19

Goddess Imagery 21

Prayer to Mary 23

Mary and the Early Ecumenical Councils 24

Mary in the Middle Ages 28

Mary in the Protestant Reformation 33

Mary in the Catholic Reform 35

Conclusion 39

3 Mary in History, Doctrine, and Devotionalism: From the Enlightenment Through Vatican II 41

Mary in an Age of Absolutism 41

The Enlightenment 43

Disparaging Mary: The French Revolution and Napoleon 44

Mary in the Nineteenth Century: Devotion and Doctrine 45

Mary in the Neo-Thomistic Revival: 1920-1960 55

Mary and Vatican II 59

Conclusion 61

Part II Discovering the Jewish Mary

4 Will the Real Mary Please Stand Up?: Multidisciplinary Approaches to a New Question 65

Mary in Historical Studies 66

Biblical Scholarship Regarding Mary 71

New Theological Interpretations 78

Mary in Recent Catholic Feminist Theology 85

Mary in Spirituality and Culture 87

Conclusion 91

5 Searching for the Jewish Jesus to Find the Jewish Mary 93

Introduction 93

The Suppression of the Jewish Jesus 94

Christian Quests for the Historical Jesus 100

The Jewish Search for Jesus 103

Jesus and the Pharisees 105

The Pharisees, Jesus, and the Early Christians 110

Conclusion 131

6 Jewish Spirituality and Hebrew Prayer: Praying as Mary Prayed 133

Jewish Spirituality 134

Mary and Jewish Prayer 135

Ignatian Contemplation 137

Contemplations 140

Annunciation and the Visitation 141

The Birth of Jesus 146

Jesus' Early Public Ministry and Cana 148

Crucifixion and Resurrection 153

Epilogue 159

Notes 163

Bibliography 185