Mary

Definition and Meaning

Mary is the woman presented in the New Testament as the mother of Jesus Christ. Her name is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Miriam. The Catholic Church calls her "Holy Mother Mary" (Korean Seongmo, "holy mother"), while Protestants usually call her simply "Mary." Scripture also mentions other women with the same name, such as Mary Magdalene and Mary of Bethany; they are different people from the mother of Jesus.

Biblical and Historical Background

• Mary was from Nazareth in Galilee. While betrothed to Joseph, she received an angel's message that she would conceive a child by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:26-38; Matthew 1:18-25). This event is known as the Annunciation.
• The song she sang when she visited her relative Elizabeth (Luke 1:46-55) is called the Song of Mary, or the Magnificat.
• Mary appears at the wedding at Cana (John 2:1-11) and beside the cross (John 19:25-27). After Jesus' ascension, she was present with the disciples as they gathered in prayer (Acts 1:14).

In 431, amid the controversy over Nestorianism, the Council of Ephesus affirmed the title Theotokos ("God-bearer") for Mary. The decision was aimed less at exalting Mary than at safeguarding the Christological confession that Jesus is truly God.

The Catholic position is as follows:

• It teaches Mary's perpetual virginity and has proclaimed the Immaculate Conception (1854) and the Assumption of Mary (1950) as dogmas.
• It distinguishes between adoration, which is offered to God alone, and the veneration given to Mary.
• It explains that asking Mary for her intercession (requesting that she pray on one's behalf) is not worship.

The Protestant position since the Reformation is as follows:

• Protestants reject the above dogmas and the practice of seeking Mary's intercession on the grounds that they lack biblical foundation.
• They hold that Christ alone is the one mediator (1 Timothy 2:5).
• Early Reformers such as Martin Luther honored Mary as an example of faith and are known to have accepted her perpetual virginity.

Interpretations differ regarding "the brothers of Jesus" in Mark 6:3. Protestants generally regard them as younger siblings born to Mary, whereas Catholics interpret them as relatives.

Practice in Korean Churches

Korean Protestants affirm the virgin birth, confessing in the Apostles' Creed that Christ was "born of the Virgin Mary." Mary is presented chiefly as a model of obedience and faith in sermons and nativity plays during Christmas and Advent. On these occasions, Luke 1:38 is frequently quoted: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word."

The ways in which Mary is commemorated vary by denomination:

• Most denominations, including Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, and Full Gospel churches, have no separate feast days or prayers devoted to Mary.
• The Anglican Church of Korea and the Lutheran Church in Korea have traditionally observed days related to Mary, such as the Annunciation, in the church calendar.

Some Protestants criticize Catholic veneration of Mary as "Mary worship." Catholics respond to this criticism with the distinction between adoration and veneration described above.