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Ah, let me see if I understand your view here. The entire orthodox Christian world knew nothing of the veneration of Mary.

There is difference between prayers about, and concerning 'departed saints', and prayer directed TO departed saints, Mary included.

The latter (specific type of prayer) was what was generally missing prior to the 4th and 5th centuries, with it present first among Gnostics prior to then, and then somewhat famously among the Collyridrians who set out little cakes for Mary, "Queen of Heaven", and for doing so were judged to be heretical by Epiphanius of Salamis.

Then in the 4th century, the entire ancient Church from India to Africa to Gaul suddenly realized "Golly gee! The Gnostics must be right!" and flipped over like a light switch.

No, it was more like a subtle shift from veneration, to adoration, to prayer addressed directly towards "Mary" requesting her own personal intercessions.

And no one objected to this? Not one voice was raised against it? And just this *one* tenet of gnosticism was adopted, while the rest was despised as a heretical abomination from the pit of hell?

Epiphanius did;

"Let Mary be held in honor. Let the Father, Son and Holy Ghost be adored, but let no one adore Mary."

St. Ambrose;

“Mary is the temple of God and not the God of the temple”

At about the time of both those men was were things took off as for what can be rightfully referred to as 'cult of Mary'. St. Epiphanius, himself a devotee of Mary, serves as something of a way-point, a marker of sorts for what was more widely accepted among the learned, and what during his own era was considered to be going too far with it.

Prior to his own era, although there is trace enough for Mary being venerated, including being prayed about in gratitude and thankfulness to God for such as her and many others too, in addition to thankfulness to the Father for Jesus -- prayers directed to anyone but the One Eternal God is not among tradition as handed down by the chosen apostles. That is what I'm saying. Not something else, not some silly set-up as you've proposed.

Ah! A “subtle” shift! So subtle that the entire Christian world over 3 continents never even noticed it was even happening? Perhaps you are confusing “subtle” with “nonexistent”.

Collyridianism is heretical. That was no shift. Read the text of the Mass, and find me one place where the priest says anything like “I offer this oblation unto you, O Mary”...etc.

http://latinmass.com/1962ordinaryofthemass.html

Because that’s what the Collyridians were doing.

And your contention that prayer is only offered to God is flat out wrong.

If you’ve read older works I’m sure you’ve seen all over the place constructions like “I pray thee” or “I pray you” ...spoken to another living human being. Prayer is just asking. That’s all it is.

http://www.etymonline.com/word/Pray

What you cannot do is *sacrifice* to anyone but God. The emperors didn’t want the martyrs pray to false gods but wanted them to offer a pinch of incense. That’s what the Collyridians were doing with Our Lady, and Epiphanius rightly condemns it as vile heresy. Does he ever condemn praying to Our Lady though? Asking for her intercession?

See some folks forgot what their own language meant. We didn’t.