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To: annalex; DManA; BipolarBob; what's up; ctdonath2; tumblindice; aMorePerfectUnion; Persevero; ...
I will leave any debate about the Greek to others, but in any case the Lord is using this to include those who hear the Word of God and keep it as also being blessed, rather than exalting Mary far above all others per Catholicism. For the problem is, as usual, that of taking words or an act which others also received while on earth and extrapolating that into a level of devotion that is way "above that which is written." (1Cor. 4:6) And the record of Mary in Scripture is significant, but relatively brief.

That the Lord is sustaining the saying of the women affirming the blessedness of the women who nursed the Lord according to the flesh should find no objection, and evangelical commentators such as as Jamieson, Fausset and Brown affirm He was, for indeed Mary was blessed to be that instrument of the Almighty, but as with "blessed thou among women," (Judges 5:24; Lk. 1:28) this type of affirmation was not unique.

Gill states ,

This was a form of blessing among the Jews: so it is said (s) of R. Joshuah ben Chananiah, a disciple of R. Jochanan ben Zaccai, who lived about these times, אשרי יולדתו, "blessed is she that bore him": and they had also a form of cursing among them, much after the same manner, as ליט ביזא דכן איינק, "cursed be the paps that suckled him" (t).

Yet being the earthly mother of the Christ is a blessing surpassing that of others, but it is not said that this was because Mary was more holy and righteous than all others, though was holy and righteous, but she was blessed in grace, having been graced to be the vessel, or handmaiden of the Lord.

Others have consented to be the Lord's instrument, and God used imperfect men as instruments to bring forth His pure word into tangible form, and sinlessness is not a requirement to be such. Nor is it said of Mary that she was sinless, and it is the manner of the Holy Spirit to make mention of even lesser deviations from the norm among the notable characters in Scripture, from extreme age to extreme devotion. And while the things ascribed to Mary by Catholics, and level of adulation, without a word of censure, largely parallel Christ and almost render her a 4th person of the Trinity, the one character whose labor, devotion and passionate love for the church is most described , and without any clear attribution of sin as a believer, is relatively marginalized among RCs.

Thus the evangelical objection should not be against Mary being recognized as honored and holy, but against the egregious extrapolation of the record of Mary and use of tradition to support a level of adulation is is far beyond and even contrary to what is written. For this includes bowing down to statues of her and making prayers to an already crowned Mary as the Queen of Heaven, with almost unlimited power, and whose words are almost like commands to God, and who suffered for our sins as co-redemptrix, and formally titled the Mother of God. Etc. And of where the logic behind this leads to has been already exposed on FR.

40 posted on 08/16/2013 5:31:30 AM PDT by daniel1212 (Come to the Lord Jesus as a contrite damned+destitute sinner, trust Him to save you, then live 4 Him)
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To: daniel1212; DManA; BipolarBob; what's up; ctdonath2; tumblindice; aMorePerfectUnion; Persevero
Thus the evangelical objection should not be against Mary being recognized as honored and holy, but against the egregious extrapolation of the record of Mary and use of tradition to support a level of adulation is is far beyond and even contrary to what is written.

I don't particularly care what you object to or should object to, but to the extent that something like Evangelicalism must exist, yeah, that sounds about right. Time to come back to the Church, Dan.

46 posted on 08/16/2013 5:45:40 AM PDT by annalex (fear them not)
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