Assumption of Mary
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary | |
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Also called |
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Observed by |
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Type | Christian |
Significance | The bodily taking up of Mary, the mother of Jesus into Heaven |
Observances | Attending Mass or service |
Date |
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Frequency | Annual |
The Assumption of Mary is one of the four
We pronounce, declare, and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma: that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.
— Pope Pius XII, Munificentissimus Deus, 1950[2]
The declaration was built upon the 1854 dogma of the
The equivalent belief (which is not held as dogma) in the Eastern Orthodox Church is the Dormition of the Mother of God or the "Falling Asleep of the Mother of God".
The word 'assumption' derives from the Latin word assūmptiō, meaning 'taking up'.
The
Traditions relating to the Assumption
In some versions of the assumption narrative, the assumption is said to have taken place in Ephesus, in the House of the Virgin Mary. This is a much more recent and localized tradition. The earliest traditions say that Mary's life ended in Jerusalem (see Tomb of the Virgin Mary). By the 7th century, a variation emerged, according to which one of the apostles, often identified as Thomas the Apostle, was not present at the death of Mary but his late arrival precipitates a reopening of Mary's tomb, which is found to be empty except for her grave clothes. In a later tradition, Mary drops her girdle down to the apostle from heaven as testament to the event.[6] This incident is depicted in many later paintings of the Assumption.
Teaching of the Assumption of Mary became widespread across the Christian world, having been celebrated as early as the 5th century and having been established in the East by
St. Juvenal, Bishop of Jerusalem, at the Council of Chalcedon (451), made known to the Emperor Marcian and Pulcheria, who wished to possess the body of the Mother of God, that Mary died in the presence of all the Apostles, but that her tomb, when opened upon the request of St. Thomas, was found empty; wherefrom the Apostles concluded that the body was taken up to heaven.[8]
History
Some scholars argue that the Dormition and Assumption traditions can be traced early in church history in apocryphal books, with Shoemaker stating,
Other scholars have similarly identified these two apocrypha as particularly early. For instance, Baldi, Masconi, and Cothenet analyzed the corpus of Dormition narratives using a rather different approach, governed primarily by language tradition rather than literary relations, and yet all agree that the Obsequies (i.e., the Liber Requiei) and the Six Books apocryphon reflect the earliest traditions, locating their origins in the second or third century.[9]
Scholars of the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum "argued that during or shortly after the apostolic age a group of Jewish Christians in Jerusalem preserved an oral tradition about the end of the Virgin's life". Thus, by pointing to oral tradition, they argued for the historicity of the assumption and Dormition narratives. However, Shoemaker notes they fail to take into account the various "strikingly diverse traditions" that the Assumption seems to come from, mainly, "a great variety of original types", rather than "a single unified tradition". Regardless, Shoemaker states even those scholars note "belief in the Virgin's Assumption is the final dogmatic development, rather than the point of origin, of these traditions".[10]
According to Stephen J. Shoemaker, the first known narrative to address the end of Mary's life and her assumption is the apocryphal third- and possibly second-century Liber Requiei Mariae ("Book of Mary's Repose").[11] Shoemaker asserts that "this earliest evidence for the veneration of Mary appears to come from a markedly heterodox theological milieu".[12]
Other early sources, less suspect in their content, also contain references to the Assumption. "The Dormition/Assumption of Mary" (attributed to
Shoemaker mentions that "the ancient narratives are neither clear nor unanimous in either supporting or contradicting the dogma" of the assumption.[14]
In accordance with Stephen J. Shoemaker "there is no evidence of any tradition concerning Mary's Dormition and Assumption from before the fifth century. The only exception to this is Epiphanius' unsuccessful attempt to uncover a tradition of the end of Mary's life towards the end of the fourth century."[15] The New Testament is silent regarding the end of her life, the early Christians produced no accounts of her death, and in the late 4th century Epiphanius of Salamis wrote he could find no authorized tradition about how her life ended.[16] Nevertheless, although Epiphanius could not decide on the basis of biblical or church tradition whether Mary had died or remained immortal, his indecisive reflections suggest that some difference of opinion on the matter had already arisen in his time,[17] and he identified three beliefs concerning her end: that she died a normal and peaceful death; that she died a martyr; and that she did not die.[17] Even more, in another text Epiphanius stated that Mary was like Elijah because she never died but was assumed, like him.[18]
Notable later apocrypha that mention the Assumption include De Obitu S. Dominae and De Transitu Virginis, both probably from the 5th century, with further versions by
Euthymiac History, from the sixth century, contains one of the earliest reference to the doctrine of the Assumption of Mary.[22]
The Feast of the
Scriptural basis
Pope Pius XII, in promulgating Munificentissimus Deus, stated that "All these proofs and considerations of the holy Fathers and the theologians are based upon the Sacred Writings as their ultimate foundation." The pope did not advance any specific text as proof of the doctrine, but one senior advisor, Father Jugie, expressed the view that Revelation 12:1–2 was the chief scriptural witness to the assumption:[25]
And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; and she was with child ...
The symbolism of this verse is based on the Old Testament, where the sun, moon, and eleven stars represent the patriarch Jacob, his wife, and eleven of the twelve tribes of Israel, who bow down before the twelfth star and tribe, Joseph, and verses 2–6 reveal that the woman is an image of the faithful community.[26] The possibility that it might be a reference to Mary's immortality was tentatively proposed by Epiphanius in the 4th century, but while Epiphanius made clear his uncertainty and did not advocate the view, many later scholars did not share his hesitation and its reading as a representation of Mary became popular with certain Roman Catholic theologians.[27]
Many of the bishops cited
I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church affirms that the account of the fall in Genesis 3 uses figurative language, and that the fall of mankind, by the seductive voice of the snake in the Bible, represents the fallen angel, Satan.[29] Similarly, the great dragon in Revelation 12 is a representation of Satan, identified with the serpent from the garden who has enmity with the woman. Though the woman in Revelation represents the people of God, faithful Israel and the Church, Mary is considered the Mother of the Church.[30] Therefore, in Catholic thought, there is an association between this heavenly woman and Mary's Assumption.
Some scholars contend that no messianic prophecy was originally intended,[31] that in the Hebrew Bible the serpent is not satanic, and the verse is simply a record of the enmity between mankind and snakes (although a memory of the ancient Canaanite myth of a primordial sea-serpent may stand behind them, albeit at a distance).[32] But although the verse speaks literally about mankind's relationship with snakes, there is also a metaphorical overtone: a door has been opened to a dark power and there is no promise of victory, but rather a warning of ongoing conflict.[33]
Among the many other passages noted by Pope Pius were the following:[28]
- Psalm 132 (Psalm 132:8), greeting the return of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem ("Arise, O Lord, into your resting place, you and the ark which you have sanctified!"), where the ark is taken as the prophetic "type" of Mary;[34]
- Revelation 11:19, in which John sees the ark of the covenant in heaven (this verse immediately precedes the vision of the woman clothed with the sun);
- Archangel Gabrielgreets Mary with the words, "Hail Mary, full of grace", since Mary's bodily assumption is a natural consequence of being full of grace;
- ), concerning the certainty of bodily resurrection for all who have faith in Jesus.
Catholic marian visionaries and the Assumption
On 1 May 1950
Assumption versus Dormition
Some Catholics believe that Mary died before being assumed, but they believe that she was miraculously resurrected before being assumed (mortalistic interpretation). Others believe she was assumed bodily into Heaven without first dying (immortalistic interpretation).[35][36] Either understanding may be legitimately held by Catholics, with Eastern Catholics observing the Feast as the Dormition. It seems, however, that there is much more evidence for the mortalistic position in the Catholic traditions (liturgy, apocrypha, material culture).[37] It is also worth noting that St. Pope John Paul II expressed the mortalistic position in his public speech.[38]
Many theologians note by way of comparison that in the Catholic Church the Assumption is dogmatically defined, whilst in the Eastern Orthodox tradition the Dormition is less dogmatically than liturgically and mystically defined. Such differences spring from a larger pattern in the two traditions, wherein Catholic teachings are often dogmatically and authoritatively defined – in part because of the more centralized structure of the Catholic Church – whilst in Eastern Orthodoxy many doctrines are less authoritative.[39]
The
Orthodox tradition is clear and unwavering in regard to the central point [of the Dormition]: the Holy Virgin underwent, as did her Son, a physical death, but her body – like His – was afterwards raised from the dead and she was taken up into heaven, in her body as well as in her soul. She has passed beyond death and judgement and lives wholly in the Age to Come. The Resurrection of the Body ... has in her case been anticipated and is already an accomplished fact. That does not mean, however, that she is dissociated from the rest of humanity and placed in a wholly different category: for we all hope to share one day in that same glory of the Resurrection of the Body that she enjoys even now.[40]
Protestant views
Views differ within Protestantism, with those with a theology closer to Catholicism sometimes believing in a bodily assumption whilst most Protestants do not.
Lutheran views
The Feast of the Assumption of Mary was retained by the
Anglican views
Within
The
Other Protestant views
The Protestant reformer Heinrich Bullinger believed in the assumption of Mary. His 1539 polemical treatise against idolatry[49] expressed his belief that Mary's sacrosanctum corpus ("sacrosanct body") had been assumed into heaven by angels:
Hac causa credimus ut Deiparae virginis Mariae purissimum thalamum et spiritus sancti templum, hoc est, sacrosanctum corpus ejus deportatum esse ab angelis in coelum.[50] |
For this reason we believe that the Virgin Mary, Begetter of God, the most pure bed and temple of the Holy Spirit, that is, her most holy body, was carried to heaven by angels.[51] |
Orthodox Christians fast for fourteen days before the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, including abstinence from sexual relations.[52] Fasting in the Orthodox Churches generally consists of abstinence from certain food groups; during the Dormition fast, one observes a strict fast on weekdays, with wine and oil allowed on weekends and, additionally, fish on the Transfiguration (August 6th). [53]
The Assumption is important to many Christians, especially Catholics and Orthodox, as well as many Lutherans and Anglicans, as the Virgin Mary's heavenly birthday (the day that Mary was received into Heaven). Belief about her acceptance into the glory of Heaven is seen by some Christians as the symbol of the promise made by Jesus to all enduring Christians that they too will be received into paradise. The Assumption of Mary is symbolised in the
The present Italian name of the holiday,
The Solemnity of the Assumption on 15 August was celebrated in the
Public holidays
This section needs additional citations for verification. (August 2017) |
Assumption Day on 15 August is a nationwide public holiday in Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chile, Republic of Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cyprus, East Timor, France, Gabon, Greece, Georgia, Republic of Guinea, Haiti, Italy, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Republic of North Macedonia, Madagascar, Malta, Mauritius, Republic of Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro (Albanian Catholics), Paraguay, Poland (coinciding with Polish Army Day), Portugal, Romania, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Slovenia, Spain, Syria, Tahiti, Togo, and Vanuatu;[56] and was also in Hungary until 1948.
It is also a public holiday in parts of Germany (parts of
Prominent Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox countries in which Assumption Day is an important festival but is not recognized by the state as a public holiday include the Czech Republic, Ireland, Mexico, the Philippines and Russia. In Bulgaria, the Feast of the Assumption is the biggest Eastern Orthodox Christian celebration of the Holy Virgin. Celebrations include liturgies and votive offerings. In Varna, the day is celebrated with a procession of a holy icon, and with concerts and regattas.[58]
In many places, religious parades and popular festivals are held to celebrate this day. In Canada, Assumption Day is the Fête Nationale of the
In
Art
The earliest known use of the Dormition is found on a sarcophagus in the crypt of a church in
See also
- Assumption, a disambiguation page which includes many places named after the Assumption of Mary
- Ascension of Jesus
- Coronation of Mary
- Resurrection of Jesus Christ
- Entering heaven alive
References
Citations
- ^ "Feast of the Assumption of the Holy Mother-of-God". The Armenian Church. Archived from the original on 16 August 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
- ^ "Munificentissimus Deus (November 1, 1950) | PIUS XII".
- ^ Kerr 2001, p. 746.
- ^ Collinge 2012, p. 53.
- ^ "Maury's Assumption". The Catholic Telegraph. 8 August 2022.
- ^ Ante-Nicene Fathers. The Writings of the Fathers Down to A.D. 325, vol. 8 p. 594
- ISBN 0860122573. pp. 140–141
- ^ William Saunders (1996). "The Assumption of Mary". EWTN. Archived 16 June 2019 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Shoemaker, Stephen. "The Ancient Dormition Apocrypha and the Origins of Marian Piety: Early Evidence of Marian Intercession from Late Ancient Palestine (Uncorrected page proofs)".
- ^ Shoemaker 2002, pp. 18–20.
- ^ Shoemaker 2016, p. 24.
- ^ a b c Shoemaker 2016, p. 25.
- ^ Patrick Truglia, "Original Sin in The Byzantine Dormition Narratives", Revista Teologica, Issue 4 (2021): 9 (Footnote 30).
- ^ Shoemaker 2002, p. 3.
- ^ Shoemaker 2002, p. 26.
- ^ Shoemaker 2002, pp. 11–12, 26.
- ^ a b Shoemaker 2002, p. 14.
- ISSN 1086-3184.
- ^ a b Zirpolo 2018, p. 213.
- ^ Shoemaker 2002, p. 17 and fn 27.
- ^ Jenkins 2015, p. unpaginated.
- ^ John Wortley, "The Marian Relics at Constantinople", Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies 45 (2005), pp. 171–187, esp. 181–182.
- ^ a b Warner 2016, p. 91.
- ^ Wagner 2020, p. 95.
- ^ O'Carroll 2000, p. 56.
- ^ Beale & Campbell 2015, p. 243.
- ^ Shoemaker 2002, p. 12.
- ^ a b Miravalle 2006, p. 73.
- ^ "Catechism of the Catholic Church – IntraText". Holy See. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
- ISBN 978-0801036507.
- ^ Arnold 2009, p. 69.
- ^ Alter 1997, p. unpaginated.
- ^ Goldingay 2020, p. unpaginated.
- ^ "Assumption of Mary: Scriptural Support". University of Dayton, Ohio.
- ISBN 1402208065p. 64
- ^ Shoemaker 2016, p. 201
- ISSN 2451-2273.
- ^ John Paul II. "General Audience 25 June 1997". www.vatican.va. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
- ^ See "Three Sermons on the Dormition of the Virgin" by John of Damascus, from the Medieval Sourcebook
- ^ Bishop Kallistos (Ware) of Diokleia, in: Festal Menaion [London: Faber and Faber, 1969], p. 64.
- ^ a b Beane, Larry (15 August 2019). "The Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary". Gottesdienst.org. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
Many early Lutherans retained the Feast of the Assumption in the liturgical calendar, while recognizing it as a speculation rather than a dogma. However, Pope Pius XII dogmatized this belief in 1950 in his decree Munificentissimus Dei (sic), thus imposing it as doctrine upon Roman Catholics. ... Today's feast is described in Lutheran Service Book as 'St. Mary, Mother of our Lord'.
- ^ Williams, Paul (2007). pp. 238, 251, quote: "Where Anglican writers discuss the doctrine of the Assumption, it is either rejected or held to be of the adiaphora."
- ^ a b Williams, Paul (2007). p. 253, incl. note 54.
- ^ The Church of England, official website: The Calendar. Accessed 17 July 2018
- ^ The Scottish Episcopal Church, official website: Calendar and Lectionary. Accessed 17 July 2018
- ^ The Episcopal Church. "Saint Mary the Virgin: Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ". Liturgical Calendar. New York: The Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society, The Episcopal Church. Archived from the original on 17 July 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
- ^ "The Calendar". Prayerbook.ca. p. ix. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
- ^ "Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ". Vatican.va. 26 June 2000. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
There is no direct testimony in Scripture concerning the end of Mary's life. However, certain passages give instances of those who follow God's purposes faithfully being drawn into God's presence. Moreover, these passages offer hints or partial analogies that may throw light on the mystery of Mary's entry into glory.
- ^ De origine erroris libri duo [On the Origin of Error, Two Books] [1]. "In the De origine erroris in divorum ac simulachrorum cultu he opposed the worship of the saints and iconolatry; in the De origine erroris in negocio Eucharistiae ac Missae he strove to show that the Catholic conceptions of the Eucharist and of celebrating the Mass were wrong. Bullinger published a combined edition of these works in 4 ° (Zurich 1539), which was divided into two books, according to themes of the original work."
The Library of the Finnish nobleman, royal secretary and trustee Henrik Matsson (c. 1540–1617), Terhi Kiiskinen Helsinki: Academia Scientarium Fennica (Finnish Academy of Science), 2003, ISBN 978-9514109447, p. 175 [2]
- ^ Froschauer. De origine erroris, Caput XVI (Chapter 16), p. 70
- ISBN 978-0814659144, p. 109. [3]
- ^ Menzel, Konstantinos (14 April 2014). "Abstaining From Sex Is Part of Fasting". Greekreporter.com. Greek Reporter. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
- ^ "The Fasting Seasons | Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese".
- ^ Pianigiani, Ottorino (1907). "Vocabolario etimologico della lingua italiana".
- ISBN 3499503271.
- ^ Columbus World Travel Guide, 25th ed.
- ^ Reiland, Catherine. "To Heaven Through the Streets of Guatemala City: the Processions of the Virgin of the Assumption". Emisferica. Archived from the original on 22 December 2016. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
- ^ "The Assumption of Mary into Heaven, the most revered summer Orthodox Christian feast in Bulgaria". bnr.bg.
- ^ a b c Zirpolo 2018, p. 83.
- ^ Zirpolo 2018, pp. 213–214.
Bibliography
- Alter, Robert (1997). Genesis: Translation and Commentary. W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 978-0393070262.
- Arnold, Bill T. (2009). Genesis. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521000673.
- Beale, G. K.; Campbell, David (2015). Revelation: A Shorter Commentary. Eerdmans. ISBN 978-0304707812.
- Boss, Sarah Jane (2000). Empress and Handmaid: On Nature and Gender in the Cult of the Virgin Mary. A&C Black. ISBN 978-0304707812.
- Collinge, William J. (2012). Historical Dictionary of Catholicism. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0810879799.
- Cross, Frank Leslie; Livingstone, Elizabeth A. (2005). "Assumption of the BVM". The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0192802903.
- Duffy, Eamon (1989). What Catholics Believe About Mary. London: Catholic Truth Society.
- Ford, John T. (2006). Saint Mary's Press Glossary of Theological Terms. Saint Mary's Press. ISBN 978-0884899037.
- Goldingay, John (2020). Genesis. Baker Academic. ISBN 978-1493423972.
- Jenkins, Philip (2015). The Many Faces of Christ. Hachette. ISBN 978-0465061617.
- Kerr, W.N. (2001). "Mary, Assumption of". In Elwell, Walter A. (ed.). Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. Baker Academic. ISBN 978-0801020759.
- Miravalle, Mark I. (2006). Introduction to Mary: The Heart of Marian Doctrine and Devotion. Queenship Publishing. ISBN 9781882972067.
- O'Carroll, Michael (2000). Theotokos: A Theological Encyclopedia of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Wipf and Stock. ISBN 978-1579104542.
- Shoemaker, Stephen J. (2016). Mary in Early Christian Faith and Devotion. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0300217216.
- Shoemaker, Stephen J. (2002). Ancient Traditions of the Virgin Mary's Dormition and Assumption. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0199250752.
- Wagner, David M. (2020). The Church and the Modern Era (1846–2005). Ave Maria Press. ISBN 978-1594717888.
- Warner, Marina (2016). Alone of All Her Sex. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0198718789.
- Williams, Paul (2019). "The English Reformers and the Blessed Virgin Mary". In Maunder, Chris (ed.). The Oxford Handbook of Mary. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0198792550.
- Zirpolo, Lilian H. (2018). Historical Dictionary of Baroque Art and Architecture. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1538111291.
Further reading
- Duggan, Paul E. (1989). The Assumption Dogma: Some Reactions and Ecumenical Implications in the Thought of English-speaking Theologians. Emerson Press, Cleveland, Ohio.[ISBN missing]
- Hammer, Bonaventure (1909). . Mary, help of Christians. Benziger Brothers.
- Mimouni, Simon Claude (1995). Dormition et assomption de Marie: Histoire des traditions anciennes. Beauchesne, Paris. [ISBN missing]
- Salvador-Gonzalez, José-María (2019). "Musical Resonanes in the Assumption of Mary and Their Reflection in the Italian Trecento and Quattrocento Painting". Music in Art: International Journal for Music Iconography. 44 (1–2): 79–96. ISSN 1522-7464.
External links
- "Munificentissimus Deus – Defining the Dogma of the Assumption" Vatican, 1 November 1950
- Footage of the Assumption proclamation (1950) (British Pathé)
- "De Obitu S. Dominae". Uoregon.edu. Archived from the original on 31 August 2009. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
- "De Transitu Virginis". Uoregon.edu. Archived from the original on 13 April 2009. Retrieved 3 November 2013.