Formation Of Cult Of Female Saints In Canonical Gospels And Apocryphal Texts

Abstract

Based on a study of canonical gospels and ancient apocryphal texts, the paper analyzes the formation of the cult of female saints – images of Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene, and Mary of Egypt. The formation of the cult of female saints is significant in the formation of Christian theology. The original Christianity had no consensus on the necessity of the very existence of the cult of saints. The preachers of Christianity saw in monotheism the most important difference between this religion and pagan beliefs. The veneration of saints seemed to some early Christian ideologists a violation of this principle. It is shown that later Christian theology began to give very great importance to saints, including women. In terms of credibility, their statements are equated with Biblical precepts. Great honors are given to them; most of the Christian holidays commemorate them. And this is no coincidence. The church considered the cult of saints as an effective means of strengthening religious ideas and deepening faith, affirming Christianity, growing its influence and ousting the cult of old gods from people’s consciousness. The cult of the Virgin Mary is believed to be central and exceptional in modern Christian mythology. However, unlike most ancient cults, it does not come up immediately, but gradually, over several centuries. The formation and spread of this cult dates back to some ancient Eastern polytheistic religions where a female deity took a central place along with two other deities in a triad of chief gods.