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Mary and the Fathers of the Church: The Blessed Virgin Mary in Patristic Thought

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I purchased this book a year or so ago and while reading it, made copious notes and cross-references throughout and what did I do with the book? Left it on an airplane. Just my luck.

Anyway, this is an incredible book. Fr. Gambero demonstrates over and over again that the early church fathers clearly taught the idea of Mary as "Theotokos" (or "Mother of God"), and Mary as the New Eve. They also sought Mary's intercession, a thought anathema to most Protestants, and they took for granted that she was a perpetual virgin (from the earliest they rejected as heretical the idea of "Jesus's brothers" being sons and daughters of Mary).

Over and over we see great teachers of the early church espousing uniquely Catholic (and Orthodox) doctrine. Cardinal Newman said a century ago that to be deep in history is to cease to be a protestant. This book demonstrates how true those words are. You will find no 20th Century American Evangelicalism pervading the writings of the Fathers. These men were Catholic.

If you are an openminded non-Catholic and are interested in learning what the historic Christian interpretation of Mary really is, you cannot afford to miss this book.

This book will clearly destroy any arguments from those who would think that the Catholic Church "invented" her teachings on Mary, and that the early Christians never taught or believed such things. This book starts from the founding of the Church and cites the writings of the earliest Christians and clearly shows how these early Christians WERE Catholics and everything they taught and believed about Mary is what the Catholic Church has always taught, teaches today, and will always teach. Sources cover the 1st century through the 8th century, and how devotion to Mary was something always practised in the Church--not a 4th Cent "invention". If you criticize the Catholic Church's teachings on Mary, then you owe it to yourself to be fair and open minded and read this book! You will clearly see how the early Christians had no problem with this devotion.

...for anyone who is interested in learning about the manner in which theology surrounding the Virgin Mary developed in the Church from the earliest of times.

This book covers the first 8 centuries of the Church which are generally referred to as 'The Patristic Period'. The importance of this work is it is a textbook example of the concept of development of doctrine. In this aspect alone it is valuable but it also aids in dealing with a subject (Mary) that is often so problematical for those our Protestant brethren whose faith paradigms are so far afield from Christianity as understood by those closest to the Apostles. Fr. Gambero's work highlights Newman's dictum of history being fatal to Protestantism well including pointing out the all-important Christological underpinnings of almost all Marian doctrines (including the pivotal core doctrine from which all Marian developments spring from: The role of the 'Second Eve').

To not confuse the reader, development is not understood in the sense of evolution (at least not of the Darwinian sense) where a teaching develops outside the body of beliefs (this is properly termed a 'corruption'). No, development is (to quote St. Vincent of Lerens - one of Newman's primary Patristic influences):

"The growth of religion in the soul must be analogous to the growth of the body, which, though in process of years it is developed and attains its full size, yet remains still the same. There is a wide difference between the flower of youth and the maturity of age; yet they who were once young are still the same now that they have become old, insomuch that though the stature and outward form of the individual are changed, yet his nature is one and the same, his person is one and the same. An infant's limbs are small, a young man's large, yet the infant and the young man are the same. Men when full grown have the same number of joints that they had when children; and if there be any to which maturer age has given birth these were already present in embryo, so that nothing new is produced in them when old which was not already latent in them when children.

This, then, is undoubtedly the true and legitimate rule of progress, this the established and most beautiful order of growth, that mature age ever develops in the man those parts and forms which the wisdom of the Creator had already framed beforehand in the infant... In like manner, it behooves Christian doctrine to follow the same laws of progress, so as to be consolidated by years, enlarged by time, refined by age, and yet, withal, to continue uncorrupt and unadulterate, complete and perfect in all the measurement of its parts, and, so to speak, in all its proper members and senses, admitting no change, no waste of its distinctive property, no variation in its limits...

This rather should be the result,--there should be no discrepancy between the first and the last. From doctrine which was sown as wheat, we should reap, in the increase, doctrine of the same kind--wheat also; so that when in process of time any of the original seed is developed, and now flourishes under cultivation, no change may ensue in the character of the plant. There may supervene shape, form, variation in outward appearance, but the nature of each kind must remain the same."[Commonitory Ch. 26 circa AD 434]

This book highlights the Lerens/Newman process viz. Marian doctrines/devotions admirably. A must have both for every bookshelf and anyone who seeks to witness to others about the authentic and truly ancient Christian Faith (and the role of Mary in the economy of salvation as understood by antiquity).

I thoroughly enjoyed this book: Mary and the Fathers of the Church: The Blessed Virgin Mary in Patristic Thought By Luigi Gambero. It gives great insight into the process of theological development from Paul on through the Middle Ages. The chapters are arranged thoughtfully for the scholar and lay person alike, with bite size bits of information and actual exerts from the individual Church Fathers from each era. It has amazed me to see the fragility of doctrine during that period of Church history, being exposed and tainted at times with heresies. It is miraculous that Christian faith has not only been preserved but has flourished. I highly recommend this book to any armchair theologian and lover of Christ.

This book is a very good survey of Marian theology in the early church. Though I do have a few issues with Gambero's interpretation of and commentary on the Patristics, I can certainly overlook these defects in light of how informative this work has been to my understanding of this subject.

In this study, the reader will find an excellent collection of first-hand early-Church resources that speak of the Virgin Mary. I have read four books on the development and content of Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant Mariology, and have yet to find a work as comprehensive as this one. Gambero divides the early church into four periods. Each period covers one stage of the early church, and contains first-hand excerpts of many early Church Fathers. Each of the excerpts is surrounded and complimented by historical background and theological commentary by Gambero. Perhaps the only major flaw of this anthology is Gambero's frequent and noticeable Roman Catholic bias regarding Marian doctrines. Sometimes, the author interprets a first-hand resource as lending support to the current Roman Catholic doctrines of Mary's Assumption, Perpetual Virginity, Intercession, and Immaculate Conception when that interpretation is clearly "a stretch" in many of the cases. Other times, the Patristic writings do clearly support some aspects of current Roman Catholic Marian thought, though not near as often as Gambero would have the reader believe. In fact, there were times during my reading during which I feared that Gambero might have chosen which Church Fathers to include in his work based on their reputation for having produced what later became pro-Roman Catholic Marian perspectives. However, being a relative novice in Marian historical theology, I would not know for certain if my opinion about Gambero's selections for his anthology were true.

For any person interested in learning more about how Marian doctrines developed in the early church, and who does not mind occasional Roman Catholic bias on the part of the author, I highly recommend this book. The reader is certain to learn more about Mary than they previously believed could be collected in just one volume.

The doctrines of Mary are, in effect, doctrines of Christ. And for that reason, one cannot be challenged without weakening the other. For instance, when Pelagius offered Mary as an example of the strength of the human will to obey God, St. Augustine responded by offering that Mary was given a special grace that kept her from sin, thus hinting at the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. When the Arians and Manichees attacked the dual nature of Christ as the God-Man, the early fathers gathered at Ephesus and declared Mary with the title Theotokos (Mother of God) as a reminder that Jesus was fully God when he became fully man in the Virgin's womb. However, it is clear that the term Theotokos was already in popular use for many centuries prior to the council of Ephesus declaring it as a test of orthodoxy.

With simple logic the early church could deduce that in order for Jesus to be born, Mary said `yes' to the Holy Spirit's work making her an indispensable part of the redemption story. And, when confronted with the question of how a sinless Christ could be born without the tarnish of original sin, the Immaculate Conception of Mary was further inferred.

Following that reason and Paul's reasoning of Jesus as the second Adam, the early fathers began to speak of Mary as the second Eve. Just as the first Eve led the first Adam to sin, so the second Eve led the second Adam to obedience. Mary redeemed the role of women and canceled the disobedience of Eve. Just as Eve was the mother of all the dead in sin, so Mary has become the mother of the living in Christ. The book of revelation follows this reasoning well in verses 11:19-12:17, drawing the parallel of Mary to the Ark as the bearer of the Word of God and identifying all Christians as children of Mary. Doctrines of Mary developed along this line of reasoning to the point that she is at last seen as the personification of the Church in John's Revelation.

It should be clear that threads of Marian doctrine unravels the tapestry of Christology they are woven with. It should be no wonder then that the doctrines closely related to Christ and ecclesiology are the doctrines most often suffering under the private interpretations of Protestant and Christian-influenced cults. In this great work, we can see that development and understand the ancient and logical connections we might not otherwise grasp. It reminds us of our great heritage and the communion of a family united by their mother. A solid bit of ancient Christian scholarship in a most readable form. A must have for any students of Marian doctrines and of the early church fathers through the 9th century.

This is a great book for Catholics and non-Catholic who want to understand the churches views on the Holy Mother. This book points out what the earliest believers in Christ believed about Mary, the mother of Jesus and why. Keep in mind, most of the believers and writers in this book lived more than 1500 years ago demonstrating that reverance to the Holy Mother is not some recent invention. I highly reccomend this book.

it must be one of the basic literatures for students and researchers on christian thought and art history, good reference also for femminist scholars who want discussing the historical devolpments of christian notion on women.

This book is absolutely wonderful! Any Christian open to discover the historical beliefs of the Church about Mary must read this book. It is stuffed with information. If you are a non-Catholic, the early Church Fathers make it clear what is the proper role of Mary. If you are a Catholic somewhat tepid about Mary's role because of poor explanations or things you've heard from other Christians, this book makes everything so clear.

After reading your so called bible christians. I was porvoked to order a copy of this book. As always the salm - dunk of the protestants is there in full force. It must be understood that Mary is not the beginning or end to eveything Roman Catholic. Yes we honor her as mother and Queen. And yes we love her greatly. But Jesus is always the center. And as Mary said herself"Do whatever he tells you" . As always been the teaching of the church. I understand that at times some people have made her a image of worship. But any Roman Catholic worth there salt will know that Jesus is not please when his mother is place over him. Like all those who honor the communion of saints . We believe that Mary is the greatest of them all. Her power of prayer is known all over the world. Catholic and non-catholic alike. What we must understand and i do mean we is that Mary should never be a object of worship.But rather an object of love. Love her not it is up to you. But from this Roman Catholic Converts eyes i read nothing new.It the same old stuff just a new cover. And i think a waste of money. Most of what is in this book could be had at any protestant church in pamlet form for free. Bashing Cathilic traditions is not doing anyone any good. In fact your doing what Jesus said you shouldnt do. hate others.......................