Anglican Marian theology

Anglican Marian theology is the summation of the doc- Many of the great English were devoted to Mary trines and beliefs of concerning the Blessed and wrote prayers about her. The Carmelite Simon Virgin Mary. As Anglicans believe that was both Stock is said to have received the Brown from human and God the Son, the second Person of the Trinity, her in the city of Cambridge on Sunday, July 16, 1251. within the and Continuing Angli- Saint Edmund of wrote many prayers ad- can churches, Mary is accorded honour as the , dressed to her. Saint Richard of Chichester and Saint literally the “God-bearer” or “one who gives birth to Thomas Becket were also especially devoted to Mary, God”. but the English saint best known for his devotion was Anglicans of evangelical or low tradition tend to Saint Anselm of Canterbury, who wrote many prayers avoid honouring Mary. Other Anglicans respect and hon- and books about and dedicated to “the spotless Ever- our Mary because of the special religious significance Virgin Mother of Christ”. that she has within as the mother of Jesus Christ. This honour and respect is termed . Mary always held a place of honour within the En- 2 glish Church, but many of the doctrines surrounding her have been called into question over the centuries, One aspect of the English Reformation was a widespread most as the result of the Protestant Reformation. While reaction against Mary as a alongside Christ, or Protestantism is based upon interpretation of scripture sometimes even in his place. Such exaggerated devotions, by a variety of 16th century reformers, who mostly re- in part inspired by presentations of Christ as an inac- jected the practice of speaking directly to Mary and other cessible Judge as well as Redeemer, were criticized by saints (except in certain , e.g. Ye Watchers and Ye and Thomas More and rejected by the Church Holy Ones, canticles, e.g. the Benedicite, and psalms, e.g. of . Together with a new emphasis on Scripture Psalm 148), Anglicanism has allowed for Mary and the as the fundamental standard of faith, there was a renewed saints to be addressed. devotion by the Reformers to the belief that Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God the Father and human- ity. This rejected any overt devotion to Mary and dimin- ished her place in the life of the Church. 1 Pre-Reformation England The English Reformers’ positive teaching about Mary concentrated on her role in the Incarnation. It is summed In the 12th-century legends surrounding King Lucius, the up in their acceptance of her as the Mother of God, be- apostles and Duvian were said to have erected the cause this was seen to be both scriptural and traditional. St Mary’s at as the oldest church in Britain in Following the traditions of the Early Church and other the mid-2nd century.[1] Later accounts pushed its origin Reformers like and John Calvin, the En- still farther back and credited its foundation to a visit by glish Reformers such as Hugh Latimer, Thomas Cran- Joseph of Arimathea in AD 65. Both legends are now mer and John Jewel accepted the perpetual virginity of held to have been pious forgeries. Mary. They neither affirmed nor denied the possibility The British church generally preferred to dedicate parish of Mary having been preserved by grace from participa- churches to local saints credited with founding the llan tion in original sin. The in the and introducing Christianity to the area. Replacing these collect and preface refers to Mary as “a pure native foundations with more generic dedications to St Virgin”. Peter, St Paul, and was a common aspect From 1561, the calendar of the con- of the Saxon and Norman invasions, in some cases lead- tained five feasts associated with Mary: The Conception ing to oddities like the village near Cardiff still known as of Mary, , , Visitation, St Fagans despite having had a parish church dedicated to and Purification. There was, however, no longer a feast St Mary, the Blessed Virgin, since the 12th century. By of the Assumption (August 15): not only was it not found the High Middle Ages, Marian piety was so widespread in the , but was also seen as exalting Mary to a throughout the country that England had become known level above Christ. Scottish and Canadian revisions of the as the . England was the first country to Prayer Book restored August 15 as the Falling Asleep of celebrate the Feast of the Assumption, in 1060. the Blessed Virgin Mary.

1 2 5 JOINT ANGLICAN-ROMAN CATHOLIC DOCUMENT

ated with Mary have also been renewed, and liturgical resources offered for use on these festivals. Marian de- votions such as the , , and Regina Coeli are most commonly associated with the Anglo-Catholic and High Church movements within Anglicanism. An Anglo-Catholic manual, Saint Augustine’s Prayer Book: A Book of Devotion for members of the Episco- pal Church, first published in 1947, includes a section containing devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary. This includes the Rosary, the four seasonal Marian , the , and of the Blessed Virgin and . A Revised Edition was published in 1967, and the book remains in print with Holy Cross Pub- lications. The Anglo-Catholic Prayer book, a classic, was published in an entirely new edition in 2000, and it also includes a section of prayers to the Blessed Virgin, in- cluding to her and Assumption. Anglican theologian Hugh Montefiore, former Bishop of Birmingham, while denying the immaculate conception and the bodily into heaven, says “Christians rightly honour and venerate her as one of the great saints of God. God had signally honoured her by choosing her to be the mother of Jesus.”[2] The Holy House in the Anglican of Our Lady of Walsing- ham. 4 English Lady

Despite the novel lack of devotion to Mary, starting in the Main article: Lady 16th century, reverence for her continued in the use of the Magnificat in Evening Prayer, and the naming and dedi- cation of ancient churches and Lady Chapels. In the 17th Some of the most famous chapels dedicated to Mary have century writers such as Lancelot Andrewes, Jeremy Tay- been Lady chapels. Since the end of the 6th century Lady lor, Thomas Trahern and Thomas Ken took from catholic Chapels have existed in most English , where tradition a fuller appreciation of the place of Mary in the they often form part of the apse. Traditionally, a Lady prayers of the Church. Andrewes in his Preces Privatae chapel is the largest chapel of a . Generally, the borrowed from Eastern liturgies to deepen his Marian de- chapel was built east of the high and formed a pro- votion. This re-appropriation can be traced into the next jection from the main building. century, and into the of the 19th cen- The earliest of certain historicity was that tury. in the Anglo-Saxon cathedral at Canterbury. Unusually, In 1922 the creation of a new statue of Our Lady of at Ely the Lady Chapel is an almost separate building to under the aegis of Father Alfred Hope Pat- the north of the Choir. The Lady Chapels at Norwich ten, reignited Anglican interest in a revival of the pre- and Peterborough (in a similar position Reformation pilgrimage. From the early 1930s Wals- to Ely’s) cathedrals were destroyed during the English ingham became a centre of Anglican as well as Catholic Reformation. Marian pilgrimage. Probably the most famous Lady-chapel was the Chapel of Our Lady of the Pew, built by Henry III in 1220 at . The Abbey also contains Henry 3 Present VII’s Lady Chapel.

Mary has a new prominence in Anglicanism through the 5 Joint Anglican-Roman Catholic liturgical renewals of the 20th century. In most An- glican prayer books, Mary is again mentioned by name document in the liturgical prayers. Further, August 15 has come to be widely celebrated as a principal feast in honour To encourage ecumenical cooperation despite differences of Saint Mary the Virgin with Scripture readings, col- over other matters, the Roman Catholic and Anglican lect, and proper preface. Other ancient feasts associ- churches issued a joint statement, “Mary: Grace and 6.3 Lesser festivals and commemorations 3

Hope in Christ” (also known as the Seattle Statement) on 6.3 Lesser festivals and commemorations the role of the Virgin Mary in Christianity. The docu- ment was released May 16, 2005 in Seattle, Washington, • The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary - (Septem- by Alexander Brunett, the local Catholic Archbishop, and ber 8) Peter Carnley, Anglican Archbishop of Perth, Western • Australia, co-chairmen of the Anglican-Roman Catholic Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary - (December International Commission (ARCIC).[3] 8) Much has been made of the difference between the of Anglicans and that of Roman Catholics. Because Anglicanism does not have an official view about 7 Summary these doctrines, it can be difficult to say with precision what Anglicans believe. The description here attempts • Some Anglicans recognize the dogma about Mary: to sketch out the areas where Anglicans are in agreement that she is the Theotokos, the Bearer of God, and that there is no official binding doctrine. believe that all other doctrines, beliefs, or legends about Mary are secondary to her role as Bearer Roman contends that a veneration of God. The terms “Mother of God” and “God- (hyperdulia) should be given to Mary that is higher than Bearer”, however, are not used in the official formu- the dulia given to the other saints. Worship () is laries of the Churches of the Anglican Communion, properly given only to God. While Anglicans can agree and many Anglicans would not wish to use these that is to be worshipped, many do not agree terms. that Mary should receive a degree of veneration above the other saints. Some Anglicans agree with the Eastern Or- • Some Anglicans agree that the doctrine of the thodox that Mary is simply the greatest of all the Saints, Perpetual Virginity of Mary is sound and logical, and that she should be venerated as such. but without more scriptural proof it cannot be con- Anglicanism also does not accept the doctrines of the sidered dogmatic. Assumption or the Immaculate Conception as binding, • No Anglican Church accepts belief in Mary as Co- though some Anglicans do accept these doctrines, partic- Redemptrix and any interpretation of the role of ularly the former. Even then, they are not held to the par- Mary that obscures the unique mediation of Christ. ticular forms used by the Roman to de- fine them. Many agree with the Eastern Orthodox rejec- • Anglicans typically believe that all doctrines con- tion of the Immaculate Conception, while agreeing that cerning Mary must be linked with the doctrines of Mary was without actual sin during her life. Many also Christ and the Church. are more in agreement with the Dormition of Mary as understood by the Orthodox. • Most Anglicans generally believe that the Roman Catholic dogmas of the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption of Mary are merely pious beliefs or legends, since there is no clear reference in Scripture 6 Calendars to support them, although some Anglo-Catholics follow these dogmas. 6.1 Principal feast • Anglicans recognize Mary as an example of ho- liness, faith and obedience for all Christians; and that Mary can be seen as a prophetic figure of the • Saint Mary the Virgin, or the “Falling Asleep of the Church. As the Gospel of Luke (1.48) states “hence- Blessed Virgin Mary” - (August 15) forth all nations shall call me blessed,” she is of- ten considered to have a unique place of importance within the Communion of Saints

6.2 Festivals • Churches of the Anglican Communion observe at least some of the traditional Marian festivals of the • Annunciation - (March 25) ancient Catholic Church. The Church of England, for example, in the Calendar of its 1662 Book of Common Prayer includes The Annunciation of our • Presentation of Jesus at the Temple also the “Purifi- Lady on March 25th as a to be observed. cation of the Blessed Virgin Mary” or - That Calendar includes as “black-letter days”, the (February 2) Conception, the Nativity, and the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, but does not observe them • Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary - (May 31 or liturgically. Some later Prayer Book do allow them July 2) to be so observed, and most recent Anglican Prayer 4 11 EXTERNAL LINKS

Books include St Mary the Mother of the Lord as a major festival on August 15th.

8 Gallery

• A copy of Our Lady of Westminster by Sister Con- cordia Scott enshrined as “Our Lady of Pew” in Westminster Abbey

9 See also

• Anglican Roman Catholic International Commis- sion • Blessed Virgin Mary • Blessed Virgin Mary (Roman Catholic) • History of Roman Catholic Mariology • Islamic view of Virgin Mary • • Marian doctrines of the Catholic Church • Mariology • Mariology (disambiguation) • Mary (mother of Jesus) • Our Lady of Ipswich • • Protestant views of Mary • Society of Mary (Anglican) • Theotokos

10 References

[1] . Gesta Regum Anglorum [The Deeds of the Kings of the English]. c. 1140. Translated by J.A. Giles as William of Malmesbury’s Chronicle of the Kings of England from the Earliest Period to the Reign of King Stephen, p. 21. Henry G. Bohn (London), 1847. [2] Montefiore, Hugh, Credible Christianity: The Gospel in Contemporary Society. p. 94 1993 ISBN 0-8028-3768- 9 [3] Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ

11 External links

• “Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ” - Final document from ARCIC II on Mary 5

12 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

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