Posted on 12/30/2008 8:43:49 PM PST by GonzoII
Men have crowded all her glory into a single phrase: The Mother of God. No one can say anything greater of her.(Martin Luther)
CHESAPEAKE, Va. (Catholic Online) - From antiquity, Mary has been called “Theotokos”, or “God-Bearer” (Mother of God). It is a relatively recent phenomenon among some Christians that this term has even become controversial. Yet since the Protestant reformation – it has. So, sadly, it is this title which prevents some Christians from experiencing Mary as the gift that she is meant to be for the whole church and for the world. The word in Greek is “Theotokos”.
The term was used as part of the popular piety of the early first millennium church. It is used throughout the Eastern Church's Liturgy, both Orthodox and Catholic. It lies at the heart of the Latin Rite's deep Marian piety and devotion. This title was a response to the early threats to 'orthodoxy' or the preservation of authentic Christian teaching. A pronouncement of an early Church Council, The Council of Ephesus in 431 A.D., insisted “… If anyone does not confess that God is truly Emmanuel, and that on this account the holy virgin is the “Theotokos” (for according to the flesh she gave birth to the word of God become flesh by birth) let him be anathema.” The Council of Ephesus, 431 AD,
(Excerpt) Read more at catholic.org ...
The Son existed before the Mother.
I never said you needed to.
Do you even know what Nestorianism is?
Then Who, EXACTLY, did the Blessed Mother give birth to?
“I don’t have to read any thing except my Bible. You are free to read anything you desire. Good luck with that. :0)”
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Well, in the Bible it say she is the Mother of our Lord. And in the context of Luke “Lord” means God, not a person.
No, I don’t see any need to either. What group wrote it?
“not a person”.
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I should have said not a mere person.
You really should, you seem to subscribe to it.
Jesus was with his “Heavenly Father” in heaven from the beginning. He was in heaven before He was born and after He died. He did the bidding of His Father. He came to Earth in human form to die as a blood sacrifice for us.
Enough is enough. Have a nice life.
That's probably exactly what the Nestorian heretics said. Peter taught that there was no truth in personal interpretation.
Was He born of a woman?
This definition from Webster's shows what Catholics mean when they "pray to" someone for something, we're doing exactly what you say, we are "praying" or "asking something for somebody":
(1)PRAY : to ask (someone) to do something usually humbly or as an inferior to a superior : CRAVE (prayed the king to give them land) — often used as a function word in introducing a question, request, or plea (pray tell me the time) (pray let us hurry) — compare PLEASE (2) : to ask earnestly for (something) : supplicate for : BEG (I know not how to pray your patience— Shakespeare) c : to ask (someone) for or on behalf of another (we pray you ... be ye reconciled to God— 2 Cor 5:20 (Authorized Version)...
Webster's Third New International Unabridged Dictionary
And how does one ask or call upon the Saints for their prayers?
Did not Jesus say that anything we ask in his name HE would do? And that we should pray to “Our Father in the heavens..?
(John 14:13,14 Matt. 6:6,9)
James said we could ask fellow Christians to pray to God on our behalf. Is this what you meant?
Are you saying that Luke 1:43 is a LIE?
More to the point, the Bible states that it is DESTRUCTIVE:
15 And account the longsuffering of our Lord, salvation; as also our most dear brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, hath written to you:
16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are certain things hard to be understood, which the unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, to their own destruction. 17 You therefore, brethren, knowing these things before, take heed, lest being led aside by the error of the unwise, you fall from your own steadfastness.
-- 2 Peter 3:15-17
Don't remember reading that in scripture...can you help me out?
“Praying FOR someone is not the same as praying TO someone.”
Mea culpa! Perhaps I could’ve been clearer by saying,
Praying FOR someone is not the same as praying TO that same person”
Where in the Scriptures does anyone pray to the saints in heaven? For any reaason?
Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with Thee.
Blessed art Thou among women
And Blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God
Pray for us sinners now
and at the hour of our death.
Amen
Is it possible for Protestants to actually learn what Calvin, Luther and Zwingli believed about the Blessed Virgin Mary and then explain why they’ve strayed so far from those beliefs?
Rather fitting that a load of feces like that gets posted on the last day of the year.
Time for you to brush up on Scripture.
"And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" Luke 1:43
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