Blessed One: Protestant Perspectives on Mary [Paperback]

Beverly Roberts Gaventa (Editor), Cynthia L. Rigby (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 30, 2002

Despite her prominence in the Christian narrative, Mary has largely been neglected within the Protestant church. Recent interest in such issues as feminism, spirituality, parenting, and ecumenism, however, force a serious reexamination of Mary's place in Protestant faith. In Blessed One, widely respected Protestant scholars seek to answer three basic questions: who is Mary? how does Mary's story intersect with contemporary life? and what does Mary teach us about God? This thoughtful and highly accessible book will be of great interest to all engaged in the debates of the contemporary church, Protestants and Roman Catholics alike.

Contributors include Nancy Duff, Beverly Roberts Gaventa, Joel Green, E. Elizabeth Johnson, Cheryl Kirk-Duggan, Nora Lozano-Diaz, Daniel Migliore, Bonnie Miller-McLemore, Cynthia Rigby, and Katherine Sakenfeld.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Beverly Roberts Gaventa is Helen H. P. Manson Professor of New Testament Literature and Exegesis at Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey. She has published a number of books including Mary: Glimpses of the Mother of Jesus, one of the few books written about Mary by a Protestant woman.

Cynthia L. Rigby is the W. C. Brown Professor of Theology at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Austin, Texas. Rigby is the author of more than thirty articles and book chapters. She is the coeditor (with Beverly Gaventa) of Blessed One: Protestant Perspectives on Mary and editor of Power, Powerlessness, and the Divine: New Inquiries in Bible and Theology.

Product Details

• Paperback: 158 pages
• Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press; 1 edition (October 30, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0664224385
• ISBN-13: 978-0664224387
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #416,701 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Reforming Our View of Mary, November 7, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Blessed One: Protestant Perspectives on Mary (Paperback)

Blessed One: Protestant Perspectives on Mary is a thought-provoking and provocative look at a figure too often ignored by Protestants. This collection of essays, carefully edited by two top scholars in this country (one a professor of the author of this review), takes a second look at the mother of Jesus. Emphasized throughout is the scandal associated with Jesus' conception, Mary's pregnancy, and Jesus' birth and upbringing. True to the Gospels, Mary is presented here in both a positive and negative light. Mary's role as the model disciple is questioned, while recognizing and honoring her unique contribution to the history of salvation. A must-read for anyone who wants a better understanding of the role of Mary in Christianity from a Protestant perspective.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Something About Mary, December 22, 2004

By 

wvano "wvano" (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Blessed One: Protestant Perspectives on Mary (Paperback)

Among the ironies of the ordination of women in mainline denominations is a renewed Protestant interest in the Catholic icon of femininity, the Blessed Virgin Mary.

These essays by contemporary, mostly women theologians examine the sparse but highly suggestive biblical references to Mary, and then interpret her importance in light of Reformed theology and their own experience. Almost to a person, the authors balk at the Catholic dogmas of the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption, but they also criticize the unofficial Protestant dogma of virtual silence about Mary.

The result is a diverse yet coherent reappraisal that views Mary as the archetype of Christian discipleship. This not un-Catholic consensus may serve as the basis for further rapprochement between Protestants and Catholics regarding the humble but sometimes controversial mother of Jesus.

0 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Protestant Cultural Revolution, March 28, 2009

By 

Sergio A. Baldizon "the Protestant" (Washinton, DC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blessed One: Protestant Perspectives on Mary (Paperback)

I agree 100% with Nora O. Lozano-Díaz that all we belong to any culture even we Protestants. But I also do believe in Cultural Revolution and in this case not a communist one but a Christian one from a Protestant point of views or perspectives. We all Protestant must reject any cultural symbol that is against our faith and our dogmas or doctrines. So we must reject the Virgen of Guadalupe because is a symbol against our faith and tradition. I do believe in cultural revolution or cultural change and the Gospel can do it.