Redeeming Mary: The Historical Mary and Mary in the Tradition

Abstract

The Reformed tradition has struggled to engage sufficiently with the history and theology of Mary, the mother of Jesus, mainly consigning her to the Roman Catholic tradition. Reformed scholarship must redeem Mary’s contribution to the church by retrieving her biblical and historical narrative to address this deficit. Comparing the Mary of the historical record of the New Testament with the portrayal of her that developed into an inflated Marian vision in subsequent centuries reveals marked differences between them. Mary’s historical and biblical story depicts her as a picture of faith, obedience, and God’s grace shown to a woman needing redemption. This retrieval can contribute to apologetics and mission in contexts where Mary sits at the center of spiritual life. KEYWORDS: Mary, Theotokos, Mariology, Roman Catholicism, apologetics, mission