How Did Jesus Mother Mary Died

Tomb of the Virgin Mary – Wikipedia

Church of the Sepulchre of Saint Mary, also known as the Tomb of the Virgin Mary, is a Christian tomb in the Kidron Valley, at the foot of the Mount of Olives, in Jerusalem, considered by Eastern Christians to be the burial place of Mary, Jesus’ mother. The tomb was built in the twelfth century. There is an agreement between religious congregations that has been in effect for 250 years that relates to the site.

History

Eastern Christianity’s Sacred Tradition teaches that the Virgin Mary died a natural death (theDormition of the Theotokos, or falling asleep), just like any other human being; that her soul was received by Christ upon death; and that her body was resurrected on the third day after her repose, at which time she was taken up, soul and body, intoheaven in anticipation of the general resurrection (theraphael).

According to one tradition, her grave was discovered to be empty on the third day.

In a speech delivered on June 25, 1997, Pope John Paul II stated that Mary had died naturally before being taken up into Heaven.

In response, Juvenal stated that on the third day following Mary’s burial, her tomb was discovered to be empty, with just her shroud remaining in the church of Gethsemane as a reminder of what had happened.

According to various traditions, it was theCincture of the Virgin Mary that was left behind in the tomb, or that she dropped herself during the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.

Archaeology

An archaeologist working for the Franciscan friars excavated the site in 1972. He discovered evidence of an ancient cemetery dating back to the 1st century; however, his findings have not yet been subjected to peer review by the wider archaeological community, and the validity of his dating has not been fully assessed. Following Bagatti’s interpretation of the remains, it appears that the cemetery’s original structure, which had three rooms (the real tomb being the inner chamber of the whole complex), was assessed in line with the conventions of the time period in question.

  • On top of the grave, an edifice was constructed.
  • Throughout the decades that followed, the church was demolished and rebuilt several times, but the crypt was preserved because it is believed to be the burial location of Prophet Isa’s mother, who is buried there (Jesus).
  • Mary in the Valley of Jehoshaphat.
  • The monastic structure was comprised of early Gothic columns, red-on-green paintings, and three towers that served as fortification.
  • Despite the fact that this church was demolished by Saladin in 1187, the crypt was still preserved; all that remained were the south door and stairway, with the masonry from the upper church being used to construct the walls of Jerusalem.
  • On Palm Sunday in 1757, the Greek Orthodox clergy seized control of a number of Holy Land sites, including this one, and evicted the Franciscans.

Throughout the centuries, the tomb has been held in trust by the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem and the Armenian Apostolic Church of Jerusalem, while the grotto of Gethsemane has remained in the hands of the Franciscans.

The church

The rock-cut was created by The Tomb of Mary and its entrance, which is decorated with icons on its front side; the eastern apse of the crypt. There is now a glass encasement over the stone bench where the Virgin’s corpse was laid down. The cruciform chapel that protects the tomb has been dug in a rock-cut cave that was reached by a large descending stairway that dates back to the 12th century. It is preceded by a walled courtyard to the south. The chapel of Mary’s parents, Joachim and Anne, is located on the right side of the stairway (facing east).

  1. There is a chapel dedicated to Saint Joseph, Mary’s husband, which was originally constructed as a mausoleum for two additional female relations of Baldwin II, and is located on the left (towards the west).
  2. The eastapse is also home to the altars of the Greeks and Armenians.
  3. At the moment, the Muslims no longer have ownership rights to this property.
  4. Both the Armenian Patriarchate and the Armenian Apostolic Church of Jerusalem, as well as the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, are in control of the sanctuary.

Authenticity

According to a narrative that dates back to the 4th century AD and was first reported by Epiphanius of Salamis, Mary may have spent the last years of her life in the city of Ephesus, Turkey. This belief was inferred by the Ephesians from John’s presence in the city, as well as Jesus’ orders to John to look for Mary after his death. Epiphanius, on the other hand, pointed out that, while the Bible describes John departing for Asia, it makes no reference of Mary accompanying him on his journey. In accordance with the Eastern Orthodox Churchtradition, Virgin Mary lived in the vicinity of Ephesus, atSelçuk, where there is a place currently known astheHouse of the Virgin Maryand venerated by Catholics and Muslims, but argues that she only stayed there for a few years, despite accounts of her spending nine years there from the time of her birth until her death.

The Book of John on the Dormition of Mary, which was written in either the first, third, fourth, or seventh centuries, places her burial at Gethsemene, as does the Treatise on the Death of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which was published in the fourth century.

In later centuries, SaintsEpiphanius of Salamis, Gregory of Tours, Isidore of Seville, Modesto, Sophronius of Jerusalem, German of Constantinople, Andrew of Crete, and John of Damascusall speak of the tomb being in Jerusalem, and bear witness to the fact that this tradition was accepted by all the churches of the East and West.

Other claims

TurkmenKeraitesbelieve, in accordance with a Nestoriantradition, that another tomb of the Virgin Mary can be found inMary, Turkmenistan, a town that was originally known as Mari. Other claims state that Jesus, after surviving the crucifixion, traveled to India with the Virgin Mary, where they remained until the end of their lives, according to the Bible. There is a belief among the Ahmadiyya movement that Mary was buried in the Pakistani town of Murree, and that her tomb is currently housed in the shrine Mai Mari da Ashtan.

Another tradition among the Christians of Nineveh in northern Iraq holds that the tomb of Mary is located near Erbil, with the location of the tomb being linked to the direction of tilt of the formerGreat Mosque of al-Nuriminaret inMosul, according to the tradition.

  • The crypt holding the tomb is reached through a staircase with 47 steps leading from the entryway. The lowest section of the entry stairwell
  • Saints Joachim and Anne Chapel, with icons of the two saints
  • A front decorated with symbols, as well as an entry door
  • The Tomb of Mary a front decorated with symbols, as well as an entry door
  • The Tomb of Mary The stone bench on which the Virgin’s corpse was laid down
  • The marble sarcophagus
  • And the marble sarcophagus. The western apse of the crypt has an image of Mary and Christ.

See also

  • The Abbey of Saint Mary in the Valley of Jehosaphat is located in the valley of Jehosaphat. The Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos (according to Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic traditions)
  • The Assumption of Mary (which is the same event as the Assumption of Mary, but is seen differently by Roman Catholic theology)
  • The Assumption of Mary (which is the same event as the Assumption of Mary, but is viewed differently by Roman Catholic theology)
  • House of the Virgin Mary, a Catholic shrine atop the Turkish mountain of Koressos

References

  1. What Should a Mother Do?’ at AmericanCatholic.org
  2. United Nations Conciliation Commission’ at United Nations (1949). Working Paper on the Holy Places prepared by the United Nations Conciliation Commission for Palestine
  3. Cust, 1929, The Status Quo in the Holy Places prepared by the United Nations Conciliation Commission for Palestine On Wednesday, June 25, 1997, Pope John Paul II addressed a general audience
  4. Catholic Encyclopedia, The Tomb of the Blessed Virgin Mary
  5. Catholic Encyclopedia, The Holy Family
  6. Belt of the Holy Theotokos, by Father Demetrios Serfes, published on March 1, 1999, and archived from the original on January 31, 2010, retrieved on January 16, 2010
  7. Alviero Niccacci, “Archaeology, New Testament, and Early Christianity”Archived2012-10-23 at theWayback Machine, Studium Biblicum Franciscanum, Faculty of Biblical Sciences and Archaeology of the Pontifical University Antonianumin Rome
  8. Alviero Niccacci, “Archaeology, New Testament, and Early Christianity”Archived2012-10-23 at theWayback Machine, Studium Biblicum Franciscanum, Faculty of Biblical Sciences and Archaeology of the Work is still being done on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (A Work in Progress)
  9. The Tomb of Mary
  10. Observe the rock-cut architecture
  11. The author Murphy-O’Connor (2008) writes on page 149 that In Helmut Koester’s Ephesos, Metropolis of Asia (2004), p.327, Vasiliki Limberis writes, “In two MMS. the author is said to be James the Lord’s brother
  12. In one, John Archbishop of Thessalonica, who lived in the seventh century.”
  13. AbHerbermann writes, “In two MMS. the author is said to be James the Lord’s brother
  14. In one, John Archbishop of The On September 27, 2006, the original version of this article was archived. Retrieved2014-08-01. The following is a CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link): Geary, 1878, page 88

Bibliography

  • Adomnán(1895). A pilgrimage to the Holy Land on Arculfus’s behalf (about the year A.D. 670). The Palestine Pilgrims’ Text Society (aboutArculf, p.17)
  • Antoninus of Piacenza (aboutArculf, p.17)
  • And Antoninus of Piacenza (aboutArculf, p.17) (1890). The Holy Places visited by Antoninus Martyr about the year 570 A.D are listed below. Clermont-Ganneau, C.S., Palestine Pilgrims’ Text Society, London, Palestine Pilgrims’ Text Society, London, Palestine Pilgrims’ Text Society, London, Palestine Pilgrims’ Text Society, London, Palestine Pilgrims’ Text Society, London, Palestine Pilgrims’ Text Society, London, Palestine Pilgrims’ Text Society, London, Palestine Pilgrims’ Text Society, London, Palestine Pilgrims’ Text Society, London, Palestine (1899). J. McFarlane’s translation of Archaeological Researches in Palestine, 1873-1874, from the French is available online. Vol. 1, London: Palestine Exploration Fund (pp. 20-21)
  • Cust, L.G.A. Vol. 1, London: Palestine Exploration Fund (pp. 20-21)
  • (1929). The current state of affairs in the Holy Places. High Commissioner of the Government of Palestine
  • Suzanne Olsson, H.M.S.O. for the High Commissioner of the Government of Palestine In Kashmir, Jesus was crucified. The Tomb of the Unknown (2019) | The claimed last burial location of Mary in Mari Ashtan, Pakistan, including images and further reference links
  • Fabri, F. (1896). Felix Fabri (approximately 1480–1483 A.D.) vol. I, part II, a collection of poems. Palestine Pilgrims’ Text Society (pp.464-469)
  • Geary and Grattan (pp.464-469)
  • And others (1878). From Bombay to the Bosphorus, a voyage across Asiatic Turkey is recounted in this book. Sampson Low, Marston, SearleRivington, and C.G. Herbermann published Vol. 2 in London (1901). The Catholic Encyclopedia is a resource for learning about the Catholic faith. Encyclopedia Press
  • G. Le Strange, G. Le Strange, G. (1890). Palestine Under the Control of the Moslems: From A.D. 650 to 1500, a description of Syria and the Holy Land is given. Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund, London, OCLC1004386 (pp.210,219)
  • Maundrell, H., Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund, London, OCLC1004386 (pp.210,219)
  • Maundrell, H., Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund, London, OCLC1004386 ( (1703). A journey from Aleppo to Jerusalem during the Easter season in the year 1697. The Theatre Press in Oxford printed this edition. The Moudjir ed-dyn (p.102) is a fictional character created by the author (1876). Sauvaire is a French word that means “saved” (ed.). Histoire de Jérusalem et d’Hébron depuis Abraham jusqu’à la fin du XVe siècle de J.-C. : fragments de la Chronique de Moudjir-ed-dyn. (pp.27,33,193)
  • Murphy-O’Connor, J. Histoire de Jérusalem et d’Hébron depuis Abraham jusqu’à la fin du XVe siècle de J.- (2008). The Holy Land: An Oxford Archaeological Guide from the Earliest Times to the Year 1700 is a book on archaeology in the Holy Land. Oxford Archaeological Guides are published by Oxford University Press. Oxford University Press, p. 149, ISBN 978-0-19-923666-4. Oxford University Press. 2016-09-16
  • Retrieved 16 September 2016
  • J. Phokas, Phokas & Associates, Inc. (1889). Journey to the Holy Land on the Pilgrimage of Johannes Phocas. The Palestine Pilgrims’ Text Society (pp.20-21)
  • Pringle, Denys (pp.20-21)
  • Pringle, Denys (2007). The Churches of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem: The city of Jerusalem, Vol. III, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0-521-39038-5 (pp.287-306)
  • Roberts, A. The Churches of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem: The city of Jerusalem, Vol. III, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0-521-39038-5 (pp.287-306)
  • Roberts, A. The Churches of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem (1886). The Twelve Patriarchs, Excerpts and Epistles, The Clementina, Apocrypha, Decretals, Memoirs of Edessa and Syriac documents, and Remains of the First Ages: Volume 8 of The Ante-Nicene Fathers: Translations of the Fathers’ Writings Down to A.D. 325: The Ante-Nicene Fathers: Translations of the Fathers’ Writings Down to A. Publishers: C. Scribner’s Sons
  • Vogüé, de
  • M. Vogüé (1860). Les églises de la Terre Sainte. (pp.305-313)
  • Warren, C.
  • Conder, C.R. Les églises de la Terre Sainte (1884). The Survey of Western Palestine: Jerusalem, London: Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund, (pp.40, 402)
  • The Survey of Western Palestine: Jerusalem, London: Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund, (pp.40, 402)
See also:  What Did Mary Jesus Mother Look Like

External links

  • The Virgin Mary’s Tomb is located in Athens. Sacred Destinations gives a description of the interior and history of the site
  • Jerusalem provides a description of the inside and history of the site. Mary’s Tombat
  • Assumptions About Mary (comments on the historicity of the location) at Catholic Answers
  • O Svetoj zemlji, Jerusalimu I Sinajuat
  • O Svetoj zemlji, Je

The Virgin Mary’s Tomb is located in Athens, Greece. Holy Places gives an overview of the inside and history of the site; Jerusalem provides a description of the exterior and history of the place. Mary’s Tombat; Assumptions About Mary (comments on the historical accuracy of the site) at Catholic Answers; O Svetoj zemlji, Jerusalimu I Sinajuat; O Svetoj zemlji, Jerusalimu I Sinajuat; O Svetoj zemlji, Jerusalimu I Sinajuat; O Svetoj zemlji, Je

When did Mary die? How did Mary die?

QuestionAnswer The last time Mary, the mother of Jesus, is mentioned in the Bible is when the Holy Spirit descended upon her (along with many others) on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1–4). Following that, we don’t get to hear anything further about Mary in the Bible. The Bible says that Mary most likely spent her final years at John’s house (John 19:27), where she died. We don’t know exactly where John used to reside. He could have had a residence in either Jerusalem or Ephesus. Several scholars have proposed that, because it seems likely that John managed many of the churches in Asia Minor, Mary followed him to Ephesus, where she became a member of the Ephesian church, which Timothy served as pastor (1 Timothy 1:3).

  • The year AD 43 and AD 48 are mentioned in two different traditions, but we have no method of authenticating either date.
  • According to one tradition, Mary never lived in Ephesus, but rather in a modest stone home constructed over a spring on a hill on the road outside of Jerusalem, where she spent her days.
  • According to folklore, Mary built monument stones marking the different stations of the cross beside her home to commemorate her life.
  • She died there and was buried with the Holy Grail, which she had brought with her from France.
  • Catherine Emmerich, a Catholic mystic who lived in the early 1800s, claimed to have had a vision in which she saw Mary’s dying minutes.

Catherine’s vision depicts the apostles’ presence at Mary’s deathbed, Peter’s administration of the Mass and extreme unction to Mary, Mary’s death (which occurred at the same hour as Jesus’ death), her spirit’s ascension into heaven (accompanied by many souls released from purgatory), her burial, and her body’s assumption the next night.

At the end of the day, we have to face the truth that we do not know anything about Mary’s latter life or her death.

Mary’s tale is subservient to the story of Christ, despite the fact that it is more than incidental to it. Questions about Biblical Characters Return to: Questions about Biblical Characters When did Mary pass away? What caused Mary’s death?

Did the Virgin Mary die?

“data-medium-file=” ssl=1″ data-large-file=” ssl=1″>Catholic Faith Network” data-large-file=” ssl=1″ data-medium-file=” ssl=1″ data-large-file=” ssl=1″ picture courtesy of the Catholic Faith Network

Questions of Faith

Mary, the mother of Jesus, is believed to have been taken into heaven at the conclusion of her life, both physically and spiritually, according to Catholic belief. She was lifted up by God to partake in his heavenly splendor, having been preserved completely free of all traces of original sin. This concept was dogmatically declared by Pope Pius XII in 1950, yet there is still some debate as to whether she died before or after her ascension of the papacy. Specifically, the apostolic constitution Munificentissimus Deus said that Mary was “assumed body and soul into the grandeur of heaven once the end of her earthly existence was completed.” Notably, there is no mention of her death, therefore it is still up in the air whether or not she was aware of her own mortality.

It seems reasonable to assume that Mary died in order to better conform to her son’s wishes.

Belief

While we don’t know how she died because the New Testament doesn’t mention anything about it, the Pope says that the notion that she died out of love for her son is the most appropriate explanation for her death. It is customary in the Eastern Orthodox Church to refer to Mary’s “dormition” or “sleep,” which signifies that she died in the fullness of grace and without pain before being taken up to heaven. There are numerous apocryphal accounts of her death, such as the collection of stories known as Transitus Mariae (200AD), which claims that Mary died in Jerusalem surrounded by the apostles, and that, depending on which version you read, her body was buried and then vanished, or that it simply vanished.

No, the Mother is not more important than the Son, who died for us.” As theologians and historians continue to argue what exactly happened at the end of Mary’s physical existence, it may be wiser to err on the side of humility and acknowledge that we just don’t know what happened.

Her reputation among the martyrs and her holy body, through which light dawned on the globe among blessings, indicate that she was either executed or put to death – as the scripture states, ‘And a sword shall pierce through her soul.’ Alternatively, she may still be alive since God is capable of doing anything he desires.

“No one knows what will happen to her.” (Epiphanius of Salamis lived between 310 and 403 AD.)

Did Virgin Mary Die Before Assumption?

Although the idea of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven at the conclusion of her earthly life is not difficult to understand, one question is a frequent subject of controversy: Did Marydie do anything before she was accepted into Heaven, body and soul?

The Traditional Answer

From the earliest Christian traditions surrounding the Assumption, the response to the issue of whether the Blessed Virgin died in the same way that all men do has always been affirmative. Originally known as “the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos,” the feast of the Assumption was originally observed in the Christian East in the sixth century (the Mother of God). The traditions surrounding the Dormition continue to be based on a fourth-century manuscript known as “The Account of St. John the Theologian of the Falling Asleep of the Holy Mother of God,” which is followed by both Catholics and Orthodox Christians today.

The “Falling Asleep” of the Holy Mother of God

The answer to the issue of whether the Blessed Virgin died in the same way as all men do has been “yes” since the earliest Christian traditions surrounding the Assumption. Originally known as “the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos,” the feast of the Assumption was originally observed in the sixth century in the Christian East (the Mother of God). The traditions surrounding the Dormition continue to be based on a fourth-century document known as “The Account of St. John the Theologian of the Holy Mother of God Falling Asleep,” which is followed by both Catholics and Orthodox Christians today.

The Same Tradition, East and West

Some details of the Assumption are different in the earliest Latin versions of the story, which were written a couple of centuries later. However, they all agree that Mary died and that Christ received her soul; that the apostles entombed her body; and that Mary’s body was taken up into Heaven from the tomb. Whatever the case, it is important to note that none of these writings has the authority of Scripture; what is important is that they tell us what Christians in both the East and the West felt had happened to Mary at the end of her life.

(All of the documents agree that her body remained incorrupt from the time of her death and the time of her Assumption.)

Pius Xii on the Death and Assumption of Mary

Some details of the Assumption are different in the earliest Latin versions of the story, which were written a couple of centuries later. However, they all agree that Mary died and that Christ received her soul; that the apostles entombed her body; and that Mary’s body was taken up into Heaven from her tomb. It makes no difference that none of these writings has the same weight as the Bible; what counts is that they tell us what Christians in both the East and the West felt had happened to Mary at the end of her life, regardless of where they originated.

All of the documents agree that her corpse was incorrupt from the time of her death and the time of her Assumption.

Mary’s Death Is Not a Matter of Faith

The doctrine, as articulated by Pope Pius XII, does not definitively answer whether the Virgin Mary died on the cross. That the Immaculate Mother of God, the eternally Virgin Mary, had fulfilled the course of her earthly existence and had been assumed body and soul into heavenly glory is what Catholics must believe is what they must believe. The phrase “having fulfilled the course of her earthly existence” is unclear; it leaves up the possibility that Mary did not die prior to her Assumption of the Virgin Mary.

Did the Virgin Mary die and, if so, where?

The year 1999 saw me traveling around Israel and the Holy Land, including a stop at the Basilica of the Dormition, where we were informed that the Virgin Mary had died. Years later, I traveled to Ephesus, where I stopped at a little house where we were informed Mary had lived and died. Saint Paul VI paid a visit to the residence in 1967, and Saint John Paul II delivered Mass there in 1979. My concern is this: Why hasn’t the church reached a judgment on the correct location of Mary’s death, given the historical significance of the issue?

  • Theological conjecture has been a source of amusement for generations, and the church has never given a conclusive response to the topic.
  • Some theologians believe that, because death is a result of sin, Mary would not have had to die if she had not committed sin.
  • The topic of where Mary spent her final years on earth has been debated for centuries, but there are two solid historical traditions to consider.
  • Other evidence, on the other hand, appears to indicate that Mary traveled to a location near Ephesus (modern-day Turkey) and remained there until she was taken up into heaven, under the protection of the apostle John.
  • The validity of each tradition has never been explicitly determined by the church.
  • The solution to your inquiry has been lost to the pages of history and is unlikely to be discovered again.
  • You can reach Father Doyle at [email protected] with any inquiries.

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Where Is Mary Buried?

We are not going to make you wait for an answer to come in. Mary, the Mother of God, is not commemorated in any way. Instead, the following is what transpired. In the course of her earthly existence, the Immaculate Mother of God, the eternally Virgin Mary, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory, as stated in the Bible. When Pope Pius XII issued the encyclicalMunificentissimus Deus in 1950, he formally declared the Assumption of Mary to be a doctrine of the Catholic Church, which was officially recognized as such the following year.

See also:  What Is Faith In Jesus Christ

In order for Catholics to comprehend the reasons behind the dogmas, not just on the level of apologetics, but also on a very personal level, it is essential that they do so.

Titian’s “The Assumption of the Virgin”

Scriptural Objection

A recurrent charge leveled against the Catholic Church is that different popes “create” new dogmas. The allegation of “invention” is frequently leveled because there is no explicit Scriptural event to support it. The fact that Mary’s Assumption is not clearly described as a historical occurrence in the Gospel of Matthew is correct. For many individuals, this is the end of the story. In the Protestant tradition, many people are cautious, if not contemptuous, of any theological position that is not explicitly stated in Scripture, according to the belief (” sola Scriptura “), which holds that there can be no theological certainty apart from the written Gospel.

  1. As Bishop Fulton Sheen reminds us, “The Church had already spread over the entire Roman Empire before a single book of the New Testament had been composed.” There were already a large number of martyrs in the Church long before the Gospels or the Epistles were written.
  2. —Fulton Sheen, The World’s First Love But, if Mary had been taken up into Heaven, it is very certain that the event would have been recorded in Scripture, isn’t it?
  3. Sacred Scripture does not operate in this manner, which can be frustrating.
  4. Many of the deeds of the Apostles—including those of Mary, Queen of the Apostles—have gone undocumented for a variety of reasons.
  5. In Christ’s private existence, he remained exactly that: private.
  6. Are we, on the other hand, willing to assert that nothing significant occurred over these three decades?
  7. Even in the context of His public existence, not everything that Jesus did was recorded in the Scriptures.
  8. (Even the longest Gospel may be read in approximately an hour and fifteen minutes.) In no way does Scripture claim to offer an entire account of every aspect of Christ’s life; rather, it does not make the claim that it does so.
  9. Is it reasonable to expect all of Jesus’ actions to be recorded in Scripture if many of his actions are not recorded in Scripture?
  10. For the sake of Sheen’s argument, many early Christians acted on the basis of direct talks and interactions with Christ, and/or people who genuinely interacted with Christ.

This leads to a number of extremely fascinating questions when it comes to the Assumption of Mary, which we will explore further below.

Historical Invention?

On the other hand, there are many who argue that the Assumption was invented by Pope Pius XII in 1950, rather than on biblical basis. They argue that the entire concept was taken out of thin air by the pope. Was that the case? Despite the fact that it is a magnificent text in its own right,Munificentissimus Deus expressed something that Catholics already believed—and had believed for a long time before it was published. Even if you had asked a Catholic in 1940 if the Catholic Church taught the dogma of the Assumption, he would almost certainly have replied in the yes, according to historical evidence.

  • Catholics have already been praying the Assumption as one of the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary for centuries by the time of Pope Pius XII in 1950.
  • Titian’s The Assumption of the Virginin 1516, Correggio’sAssumption of the Virginin 1522, and Rubens’Assumption of the Virgin Maryin 1626 were among the works showing Mary’s Assumption.
  • By 1950, old Catholic churches all over the world had been named in honor of Mary’s Assumption, which was celebrated on August 15th.
  • For example, Dr.
  • Considering the old Christian maxim, lex orandi, lex credendi, this is not a trivial problem to raise at this stage (the law of worship is the law of belief).

Theological Questions, or Lack of Questions

Saint John Damascene, who lived in the early eighth century, proposed a logical explanation for why Mary was accepted into Heaven. He explains himself as follows: “Even after death, it was only fair that she, who had maintained her virginity during delivery, should maintain her own body free of any defilement as well. That she should live in the holy tabernacles was only right because she had cradled the Creator in her womb like a child at her breast.” —St. John Damascene, a.k.a. When challenged about Mary’s Assumption, opponents claim that there is no scriptural proof for it.

As an example, Saint Albert the Great (1200-1280) advocated the theory that Mary, as the “New Eve,” was immune from Eve’s fourfold curse mentioned in the third chapter of Genesis since she was the “New Adam.” “It is clear from these evidence and authority, as well as from many more, that the most holy Mother of God has been elevated above the choirs of angels,” says Saint Albert.

There are several Christian theologians who have unwaveringly believed in Mary’s Assumption and have written in support of that doctrine, which can be traced back over a long period of ecclesiastical history and are quite easy to find.

What is really difficult is locating Christian theologians who have refused to embrace it, or who have ever expressed opposition to it in the first place.

Habeas Corpus

Saint John Damascene proposed a logical explanation for why Mary was taken into Heaven in the early eighth century. Writes the author, ” “Even after death, it was only fair that she, who had maintained her virginity during delivery, should maintain her own body free of any contamination as well. That she should live in the celestial tabernacles was only right because she had carried the Creator in her womb as a child. —St. John Damascene, a saint from the Middle Ages When challenged about Mary’s Assumption, opponents claim that there is no scriptural proof for it.

As an example, Saint Albert the Great (1200-1280) advocated the theory that Mary, as the “New Eve,” was immune from Eve’s fourfold curse mentioned in the third chapter of Genesis since she was the “new Adam.” “It is clear from these evidence and authority, as well as from many more, that the most holy Mother of God has been elevated above the choirs of angels,” says Saint Albert.

Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622) posed an intriguing question: “What son would not bring his mother back to life and would not carry her into heaven after her death if he had the opportunity?” There are several Christian theologians who have unwaveringly believed in Mary’s Assumption and have written in support of that doctrine, which can be traced back over a long period of church history.

Conclusion

In the Catholic community, the Assumption of Mary is a source of tremendous happiness. Bishop Fulton Sheen writes in his book, The World’s First Love, that the world is in the throes of despair, but that the Church has an answer. “The Mystical Body of Christ urges the hopeless to reflect on the two most terrible wounds the planet has ever received: the empty tomb of Christ and the empty tomb of Mary,” he says in his book. It is our Catholic faith that the image of the empty tomb should inspire hope and excitement in our hearts and minds.

  • Images: Death and Assumption of the Virgin by Fernando Yáez de la Almedina (public domain), through Wikimedia Commons; Death and Assumption of the Virgin by Fernando Yáez de la Almedina (public domain), via Wikimedia Commons Additionally, check out 5 Historical Proofs of Jesus’ Resurrection.
  • What happened to the early Christians after the Resurrection?
  • John Clark is a published novelist as well as a speechwriter.
  • was his debut novel.
  • He has published hundreds of articles and blogs about Catholic family life and apologetics, which have appeared in publications such as Magis Center, Seton Magazine, Catholic Digest, and Homiletic and Pastoral Review, among others.

John is a graduate of Christendom College, and he and his wife Lisa have nine children and live in the Virginia suburb of Richmond.

Did the Blessed Virgin Mary Die?

Fully five-feet-five thy father lies;Of his bones coral has been formed;Those pearls that were his eyes are no longer there;There is nothing of him that fades, yet everything around him undergoes a sea-change into something rich and weird. Ferdinand’s presumably deceased father has undergone a sea-change into something rich and unusual, according to Ariel’s Song from The Tempest, which we hear in the play. At the sound of the final trumpet, St. Paul warns us of a comparable “sea-change” into the grandeur of eternity that will occur.

  • We shall not all perish, but we will all be transformed in an instant, in the blink of an eye, at the sound of the last trumpet.
  • Because this perishable body must be transformed into imperishability, and this mortal body must be transformed into immortality (1 Cor 15:51-53).
  • Paul, Christians who are still living at the time of Christ’s Second Coming will be transformed in an instant from an earthly corruptible body to a heavenly corruptible body.
  • Thomas, this will happen as a result of Christ’s exaltation of the souls of the saints.
  • As stated in his apostolic constitution,Munificentissimus Deus, in 1950, Pope Pius XII announced that the Blessed Virgin Mary had already accomplished this transformation into an eternal heavenly body and had been taken up into heaven at the conclusion of her earthly existence.

Although most Fathers and Doctors of the Church have taught that Mary died and was raised from the dead before being assumed into heaven, There are a number of them, including Charles De Koninck, who takes on Theodule Maré, who claims that Pope Pius XII was extremely cautious in his formulation of the dogmatic formula, choosing to say “at the end of her earthly life,” rather than “at her death,” to leave open the possibility that Mary never died.

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Fr.

The fact that she had absolutely no fault, not even original sin, meant that she did not deserve the punishment of death or corruption in the least.

As the Pope put it: “Death, with all that it implies for a mere human being, could not possibly escape involving some element of humiliation and forfeiture, which would be incompatible with her Immaculate Conception and divine motherhood.” “This mariale body would have fallen quickly into the status of a mere cadaver, detached from her spirit and individuality,” Mare explains in a letter.

  • Maré is drawing attention to the fact that when the soul is separated from the body, the body must take on a new, lower form or forms of its own.
  • Furthermore, the soul only separates from the body when the body has degenerated to the point where it is no longer suitably suited to serve as the host for a human soul to manifest itself.
  • In his book of essays on the Assumption, The Piety of the Son, Charles De Koninck provides even another explanation for the lack of appropriateness of Mary’s being resurrected to the Father’s side.
  • In this case, she would no longer be the Mother of God, but rather the soul of the one who was the Mother of God in the first place.
  • The argument is supported by the fact that when St.
  • Considering the hypostatic union to be the most significant grace ever bestowed, it should not be taken from Christ’s body even after he has died.
  • .
  • DeKoninck, on the other hand, argues against Fr.
  • How does he reconcile the fact that Mary died with the fact that she endured absolutely no corruption and never ceased to be the Mother of God in the process?
  • Secondly, while Mary did indeed die, as is abundantly obvious from the references listed in the Bull, he contends that she did not remain dead for any amount of time.

For the purpose of contemplating the meaning of Mary’s death, resurrection, and assumption for the believer, I will first trace his reasoning and then address a number of flaws with his answer in this piece.

Mary’s Death

First and foremost, he contends that Pope Pius’s own words make explicit what the definition may not make perfectly obvious. He claims that if someone hears the phrase “having completed the course of her earthly existence,” they would take it to imply “having died” in every other circumstance. In case anyone is under the impression that it has a different meaning in Mary’s instance, the context of the entire letter makes the meaning crystal plain to everyone. “She was not subject to the law of abiding in the corruption of the tomb, and she did not have to wait until the end of time for the redemption of her body,” the pope writes in paragraph 5.

  • 4.
  • Even so, God does not intend to bestow to the righteous the entire force of their victory over death until the end of time has come, according to the general law of the universe.
  • 5.
  • As a consequence of her Immaculate Conception, she was exempt from the rule of eternal punishment in the tomb, and she did not have to wait until the end of time to be resurrected from the dead.
  • Also mentioned is paragraph 20 of the Bull, which talks of both Mary’s dead corpse and her death, as follows: The holy Fathers and great Doctors.
  • They presented it more clearly.

If Pope Pius’s use of the phrases “dead body”exanime corporis and “out of death”ex mortem do not make it crystal clear that he intended to refer to Mary’s death by the phrase “at the end of her earthly life,” the Pope then proceeds to present numerous quotations from the liturgy, the Fathers, and saints that refer to Mary’s death and ascension to heaven.

Once De Koninck has argued that Pope Pius XII’s definition of death is apparent in light of the context of the Bull, he argues why the term “having completed the course of her earthly existence” should be used instead of “having died” in the definition rather than “having died.” He speculates that it was done on purpose to draw attention to how strange, mysterious, and wonderful her death was from the norm.

He then goes on to illustrate how unusual and weird her death was in more detail.

Mary’s Unique Mysterious Death

The term “death” is defined extensively by De Koninck. It is not the period of time leading up to the separation of the soul and the body from the rest of the body. That is what we refer to as “death.” It is also not the last second during which the soul is still connected to the body because there is no such thing as a last instant. According to Aristotle and St. Thomas, there is no last instant when the old form is still present, but simply a final span of time when the old form is no longer existent.

The alternative is that two points in time will appear next to one another, and this will be impossible.

“Death,” according to De Koninck, “most strictly means the final instant in which the living thing first ceases to exist, and it can only be used in this sense of this singular instantcan mean both the instantaneous term and the state of death, the principle of which is the instant in which the living thing first ceases to exist.” And second, he applies this to the situation of Mary.

  1. According to him, the first instant of everlasting life for the soul of a saint is what we often refer to as death, when we are speaking most officially about it.
  2. Moreover, in Mary’s particular circumstance, it was the very first instant of her corporeal, heavenly life.
  3. “I cannot term your holy assumption a death, but rather a dormition, a migration, or better still an immigration; for in emigrating from your body, you immigrate to a greater life,” writes John Damascene in his First Homily on the Dormition of Our Lady.
  4. Death will serve as a gateway to life, a stepping stone to paradise, and a passageway to forever for you.
  5. Amadeus of Lausanne, whom Pope Pius also mentions in the Bull, in a sermon.

He presents it simply as a speculation, but it allows him to accept both that Mary died and that Christ never allowed his mother to be corrupted in any way at the same time. I would want to raise three objections to De Koninck’s theology, although I am hesitant to do so:

1. Not Death

The impression I get is that De Koninck wants both cake and ice cream for breakfast. He wishes for Mary to have died in the same way as her Son and us, but without the passage of time that separates the spirit from the body. Even though death is most strictly defined as “the separation of the soul from the body,” De bKoninck’s philosophy does not appear to include a genuine separation of the soul from the body. In light of the fact that the soul first informs a mortal body, and then in an instant is glorified and informs an everlasting body, why is it necessary to assert that the soul is separated from Mary’s body and that prime matter is dissolved?

Although the glorified body is vastly different from the mortal body, it is composed of the same stuff and is guided by the same soul.

For further information, according to the verse in 1 Corinthians 15, “We shall not all die, but we will all be changed” (1 Cor 15: 51).

Paul claims that the instantaneous transformation from perishable to imperishable bodies is not the same as death, despite the fact that he is not speaking in the traditional philosophical sense.

2. Removes Something from the Configuration of Mother with Son

One of the most important grounds for the concept of the Assumption is the intimate relationship that exists between Mother and Son, as expressed by the Bull, who declares that she is “always sharing his lot” (ejusque semper participantem sortem). No matter what happens, she should never be separated from her Son or his destiny. Mary, like Jesus, had done nothing to deserve to be killed. She was sinless from conception onward, and she had absolutely no faults. The Fathers, on the other hand, believed that she followed in the footsteps of her immaculate Son by dying, being buried in the tomb, and then being risen and carried into heaven by the angels.

John of Damascus replies in a sermon, “She submits it to death.

Died and was buried, Sharing voluntarily our fate; She too must share the sepulcher, She who had conceived him in purity!” he sings in a hymn written in her honor.

John of Thessalonica, like most of the early homilies, recounts Mary being laid in a tomb and even talks of her being risen on the third day, with just the shroud remaining in the tomb: “On the third day, the shroud was discovered alone in the tomb.” In contrast, the Apostles raised the beautiful body of our most lovely lady, Mary, the Mother of God and the ever-virgin, and laid it in a new tomb.

Three days passed as they stayed in that location.

Mary’s Dormition is commemorated in the early Fathers’ sermons, which relate to an apocryphal account of her death, but they all saw theological significance in her dying like her Son and being buried in a tomb like him in order to strengthen her complete conformity to him as she grows older.

3. A Feast of Hope

In addition to giving us more hope in our own resurrection and exaltation in heaven, the celebration of Mary’s Assumption also gives us more reason to rejoice. According to St. Thomas, one of the reasons Christ want to be buried before being risen was to enhance our confidence in our ability to rise from the tomb as he did. However, Mary’s resurrection and Assumption should offer us even more reason to be hopeful, because she is not a divine person in the same sense that Christ is, but rather a totally human person like us.

If she had died in the manner in which we do and remained in the tomb, her resurrection and assumption would not have provided us with nearly as much hope.

Conclusion

One of the reasons for commemorating Mary’s Assumption is that it gives us more cause to believe in our own resurrection and glorification in heaven in the process. Christ’s desire to be buried before he was risen, according to St. Thomas, served as a means to boost our hope of rising from the dead as he did. Nevertheless, because Mary is not a divine person, as Christ is, her resurrection and Assumption should offer us even more reason to be hopeful, for she, like us, is a totally human person who has not yet experienced divinity.

Even if Mary did not die as we do and remain in the tomb, her resurrection and assumption would not inspire as much confidence in our ability to overcome our circumstances.

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