Mary As the Early Christians Knew Her: The Mother of Jesus in Three Ancient Texts - Softcover

Mathewes-Green, Frederica

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1612613438 ISBN 13: 9781612613437

Publisher: Paraclete Press, 2013

Synopsis

Mathewes-Green opens up “The Gospel of Mary” to see her early life, offering a window into her centrality to the Christian Faith in new and sometimes startling ways. Christians have alternatively raised the status of the mother of Jesus to that of her Son or ignored her entirely. Behind all of the images is a girl who grew up to be the mother of Christ.

• How did the first Christians view her?
• What were the commonly understood facts about the Blessed Mother’s early life, before the Annunciation?
• How did Mary, the mother of Jesus, become the Theotokos? 

This book gives some surprising insights.

This book was published in hardcover as The Lost Gospel of Mary.

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

Taking us right to the core of Christian faith, Mathewes-Green offers a glimpse of the Church one thousand years ago. Looking at three ancient texts, she explores the historic background and theological and cultural questions that the documents raise.

"The Gospel of Mary" is a humbly told story of the Virgin's life from her conception to the birth of Jesus, put into written form as early as A.D. 150. The second text is a brief prayer to Mary found in Egypt on a scrap of papyrus and dated to the following century. It is the oldest known prayer to Mary. The third text, "The Annunciation Hymn of Rejoicing," was written by the Syrian poet Romanos in about A.D. 520 and is considered one of the finest examples of Eastern Christian poetry. This graceful hymn is still sung in Eastern Orthodox churches throughout the world today.

Warmly devout, historically detailed, and rich with spiritual applications for today, The Lost Gospel of Mary is the latest gem from Frederica Mathewes-Green. The fruit of her whole-hearted faith and careful study is an intimate glimpse of the extraordinary mother of our Lord.

From the Back Cover:

Come to know the mother of Jesus as the early Christians once did.

Mary is the flower of femininity to some, a woman of power to others. She has been seen as a paragon of obedience, as well as an instrument of liberation. Some have piled her status so high that it rivals that of her Son. Others do their best to ignore her entirely. Behind all of these images there is still a girl who grew up to become the mother of Christ.

How did the first Christians view Mary? What were the commonly understood facts about Mary's early life--before the Annunciation? Frederica Mathewes-Green opens up Mary's life before the Nativity, offering a window into her centrality to Christian faith in new and sometimes startling ways.

About this edition

• Publisher: Paraclete Press
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1612613438
• ISBN 13: 9781612613437
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176