Immaculate Conception

Definition and Meaning

The Immaculate Conception is a doctrine of the Catholic Church. It teaches that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was preserved by a special grace of God from original sin (the state of sin held to be inherited by all humanity since Adam's Fall) from the first moment of her conception in her mother's womb. The Latin name is Immaculata Conceptio ("spotless conception").

The term refers to the conception of Mary herself. It is distinct from the Virgin Birth, the teaching that Mary conceived Jesus by the Holy Spirit without the involvement of a man.

Biblical and Historical Background

The Catholic Church links this doctrine to Luke 1:28, where the angel greets Mary, "Hail, thou that art highly favoured," and to Genesis 3:15, which speaks of the seed of the woman bruising the serpent's head. It presents the doctrine, however, as one that developed within church tradition rather than one stated directly in Scripture.

In the Middle Ages the question was debated among theologians. Thomas Aquinas had reservations about the view, on the ground that all human beings need the redemption of Christ. Duns Scotus is known to have defended it through the concept of "preservative redemption," according to which Mary was protected in advance by the merits of Christ. On December 8, 1854, Pope Pius IX proclaimed it a formal dogma of the Catholic Church in the papal bull Ineffabilis Deus ("Ineffable God").

The Eastern Orthodox Church venerates Mary as the "Most Holy" but does not accept this dogma, because it understands original sin differently.

Practice in Korea

The Catholic Church in Korea observes December 8 each year as the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and it honors the Blessed Virgin Mary, conceived without original sin, as the patron of the Korean church. Among Korean Christians the Immaculate Conception and the Virgin Birth are not infrequently confused.

Protestant denominations do not accept this doctrine. In Korea, Presbyterian, Methodist, Holiness, Baptist, and Full Gospel denominations cite Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned," and Luke 1:47, where Mary calls God "my Saviour," holding that Jesus Christ alone is without sin. The Catholic Church responds that Mary too was saved through Christ's redemption, the only difference being that she was preserved in advance. The Anglican Church of Korea and the Lutheran Church in Korea likewise do not hold it as doctrine.

The Virgin Birth, by contrast, is confessed in the words "born of the Virgin Mary" in the Apostles' Creed and is believed by Catholics and Protestants alike. In Protestant churches the Immaculate Conception is mentioned chiefly when explaining the differences between Catholic and Protestant understandings of Mary.