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Veneration of Mary in Luke 11:27-28
August 15, 2013 | Annalex

Posted on 08/15/2013 7:03:11 PM PDT by annalex

Once a woman in the crowd surrounding Christ and His disciples cries out to Him:

Blessed is the womb that bore thee, and the paps that gave thee suck. (Luke 11:27)

What is it? We have, clearly, an act of venerating Mary. Note that the Blessed Virgin is venerated properly: not on her own but as the mother of Christ. Yet the reason for venerating is indeed concerning: it is her physiological and physiologically unique relationship with Jesus that is emphasized. That is not yet paganism with its crude theories of gods giving birth to other gods, but it is lacking proper focus and Jesus corrects it:

Yea rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God, and keep it. (Luke 11:28)

The Virgin with the Child on her knees and a prophet pointing at the star. Catacomb of Priscilla, late 2nd c. Source
Note that there is no condemnation here, not even asking the woman to stop; the "yea rather" (μενουνγε) is not a negation. It is used other times in the New Testament without a hint of negation. In Philippians 3:8 "αλλα μενουνγε και ηγουμαι παντα ζημιαν ειναι", "Furthermore I count all things to be but loss" (Textus Receptus 1550/1894, Byzantine/Majority Text 2000 has here "αλλα μεν ουν και ηγουμαι…" which is the same word morphology spelled separately and colliding affirmative "γε" with the following "και"). Romans 9:20 "μενουνγε ω ανθρωπε συ τις ει ο ανταποκρινομενος τω θεω" and Romans 10:18 "μενουνγε εις πασαν την γην εξηλθεν ο φθογγος αυτων" use the word reinforcing the subsequent statement. Some translations obscure this linguistic fact: in King James for example, the same word is rendered correctly, "yea rather" in Luke 11:28, wholly incongruously, "nay but" in Romans 9:20, but in Romans 10:18 the translation is again correct, "Yes verily". NRSV has both correct and elegant translations for all three. (See The Holy Mother and the "ΜΕΝΟΥΝΓΕ")

Having gotten past this linguistic hurdle, we can understand clearly what this passage, Luke 11:27-28, does: it establishes veneration of saints based not on their blood relation to Christ but on their obedience to God. It is in that sense that we venerate Our Lady: given that Christ is the Word of God personified, she heard and kept both Him in person as her Child and His teaching, figuratively. In Mary the essence of sainthood is seen in the flesh as well as in the mind. We could say that by the late second century at the latest, when we find evidence of the veneration of both the prophets and the Mother of God in the catacombs, the two reasons to venerate a saint: his martyrdom as in the case of Polycarp, or his obedience to the Word, as in Mary, -- unite into a single practice.


TOPICS: Catholic; History; Orthodox Christian
KEYWORDS: catholic; mary
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To: boatbums

Great post bb.


1,321 posted on 09/13/2013 1:40:11 AM PDT by metmom ( For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore & do not submit again to a yoke of slavery)
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To: jodyel

HTML Sandbox
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2973937/posts


1,322 posted on 09/13/2013 1:41:05 AM PDT by WVKayaker ("So we're bombing Syria because Syria is bombing Syria? And I'm the idiot?" - Sarah Palin)
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To: annalex

“why veneration of saints is necessary for our salvation in practice if not in theory.”

ABSOLUTELY NOTHING IS NECESSARY FOR OUR SALVATION BUT A BELIEF IN JESUS AND WHAT HE ACCOMPLISHED ON THE CROSS!

And you have just proven the case that the RCC is an abomination because it advocates something else is needed for salvation other than Christ.

Unbelievable!


1,323 posted on 09/13/2013 1:44:14 AM PDT by jodyel (tly)
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To: St_Thomas_Aquinas
What's important is that Luther's doctrine of "the Bible alone," as the sole rule of faith, isn't biblical.

And the RCC's 'tradition' IS??

You guys want it both ways; but Homie don't play dat.

1,324 posted on 09/13/2013 1:44:51 AM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: smvoice
Hey, has anyone else’s pc gone pc on them?

Yup!

It's like the Your Reply: box now has autospell in it.

Is it a new feature in FRland or has my browser gotten an 'upgrade' that does it?

1,325 posted on 09/13/2013 1:48:49 AM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: annalex

annalex,

My, my, my....I just do not know how you come to these erroneous conclusions.

I am a saint, any born-again believer in Christ is a saint...period...end of....full stop.

You’d better WAKE UP and get your act together because if you think all this tripe you are spewing is truth......then you will be sorely disappointed come the judgment seat of Christ.


1,326 posted on 09/13/2013 1:49:45 AM PDT by jodyel (tly)
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To: jodyel

You can do it like this by just copy and pasting the URL at the top of the page like this:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/3055274/posts?page=145#145

However, if you use HTML in the rest of your post, you have to format it for the link to work. If you don’t use HTML, you can just click on the link and it’ll take you there.


1,327 posted on 09/13/2013 1:49:58 AM PDT by metmom ( For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore & do not submit again to a yoke of slavery)
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To: CynicalBear
It's too late then.

All you can do is say, "DRAT!" (or something on that order) for a small blip, or get the Mod to pull it for a big one.

1,328 posted on 09/13/2013 1:50:09 AM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: annalex

“You know, I am Christian.”

I am not sure that you are, annalex. I think you think you are, but I think it is debatable.


1,329 posted on 09/13/2013 1:52:47 AM PDT by jodyel (tly)
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To: annalex
It does not say our salvation is finished.

Maybe YOURS isn't...


1 John 2:12 (NIV)
I am writing to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.

1,330 posted on 09/13/2013 1:54:30 AM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: annalex

“Evangalization is a must, Evangelical Protestantism is a stupid, counter-scriptural, and dangerous superstition.”

Methinks you are beyond hope with an ignorant statement like that.

Once it comes down to the name-calling, you show your true nature.

Game over.


1,331 posted on 09/13/2013 1:55:10 AM PDT by jodyel (tly)
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To: annalex
I think I will skip your posts, dear. Maybe some other time.

I can see why!!


Now then; just WHAT was His 'command(s)' again?

1,332 posted on 09/13/2013 1:55:21 AM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: annalex
Yes. So these don't save and the Catholic Church does not teach that they do.

Oh; so it's the OTHER LAWS that save; eh?

1,333 posted on 09/13/2013 1:56:00 AM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: annalex

“I usually ignore what Metmom posts unless there is a question in it.”

You ignore her at your own peril.

She knows exactly what she is talking about.


1,334 posted on 09/13/2013 1:56:03 AM PDT by jodyel (tly)
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To: annalex
I think I will skip your posts, dear.

That's ok. I still will make time for yours...

1,335 posted on 09/13/2013 1:56:39 AM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: annalex
CynicalBear Both these examples read naturally if you translate them like Douay does:

HMMMmmm...

1,336 posted on 09/13/2013 1:57:47 AM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: RobbyS

“If as Protestant doctrine has it the Christian faith consists of only what is contained in Scripture. Then one would expect that somewhere in the New Testament a statement of this doctrine could be found. Since it is not, than it is no better founded than the “extrabiblical” doctrines that you deplore.”

What??!!

Why don’t you put that in English instead of some Catholic gibberish?


1,337 posted on 09/13/2013 1:57:59 AM PDT by jodyel (tly)
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To: annalex
...the Jewish laws do not save anyone who is Christian.

Neither do the Catholic ones...

1,338 posted on 09/13/2013 1:58:43 AM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: RobbyS

“I know why I believe she is alive because this is what the Church says.”

Bingo! ‘Nuff said!


1,339 posted on 09/13/2013 1:58:49 AM PDT by jodyel (tly)
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To: daniel1212

“for she is her own rule”

No doubt!


1,340 posted on 09/13/2013 1:59:51 AM PDT by jodyel (tly)
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