Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/31762
Title: Mary in Byzantine spiritual life
Authors: Samaha, John
Keywords: Mary, Blessed Virgin, Saint -- Devotion to
Mary, Blessed Virgin, Saint -- Theology
Orthodox Eastern Church -- History
Issue Date: 1998
Publisher: University of Malta. Faculty of Theology
Citation: Samaha, J. (1998). Mary in Byzantine spiritual life. Melita Theologica, 49(2), 81-88.
Abstract: Is there a Byzantine Mariology? Researching this question leads to a seeming paradox. On the one hand we find a tremendous richness of Marian thought in the liturgy, but on the other hand a virtual absence of specifically Mariological studies in theology. The Mariological experience and piety of the Byzantine churches - Catholic and Orthodox - seem to be embodied almost entirely in their worship. But we find no prominent theological reflection on the subject, nothing that would parallel the specialized Mariological treatises of the Western Church. Theology manuals contain no chapters dealing with the place of Mary in the economy of salvation. The veneration of Mary, which is so central in Byzantine worship has not been extensively expressed, analyzed, or evaluated systemically. This scarcity of theological reflection may seem to some a deficiency in Byzantine theology. How could the Byzantine church which never prays to God or Jesus Christ without at the same time also addressing her prayers to Mary, and which constantly praises her who " ... is more honorable than the cherubim and beyond compare more glorious than the seraphim ... ," neglect theologizing about her? Why has the Byzantine theological mind not been focused on this enormously important aspect of its life and worship? In the Byzantine mind this seeming absence of theological study and reflection is seen as an integral part of the "mystery of Mary" in the experience of the church. The Byzantine scholar questions whether theology as the rational investigation of the truths of faith is adequate to transpose into precise terms the real content of that mystery. Perhaps the proper locus of Mariology is in liturgy and prayer, that is in worship. This is reminiscent of Prosper of Aquitaine's maxim, "Lex orandi, lex credendi." In Eastern Christianity, worship and liturgy are paramount. Liturgy is not seen as an action of the community. Liturgy is the procession or entrance into the eschatological reality of the Kingdom of God. It is the meeting place between this world and the Kingdom of God fully realized. Worship is not the commemoration of a past event; it is participation in the events of salvation themselves, because although these occurred historically they also occur outside the category of time. While this Byzantine tradition differs from the theological elaboration common in the West, it nonetheless "belongs to the full catholicity and the apostolicity of the Church" (Vatican II, Decree ofEcumenism, n. 17). Some in the West have speculated that the Nestorian controversy, which was lived in Byzantine territory, may have contributed to fuller liturgical celebration of the Theotokos in the East. This development gave the East a more satisfying and habitual expression of devotion to Mary, and would support the notion that the proper locus of Mariology is primarily in liturgy. The West, which lacks such regular liturgical expression, sought other means of elaborating Marian devotion, such as defining privileges and giving impetus to various movements. The exploration of three areas may enlighten our appreciation of the Byzantine Marian heritage: the place of Mary in liturgical tradition, the development of the veneration of the Mother of God, and a synthetic view of its theological significance.
URI: https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar//handle/123456789/31762
Appears in Collections:MT - Volume 49, Issue 2 - 1998
MT - Volume 49, Issue 2 - 1998

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