Titles of Mary, mother of Jesus

Mary is known by many titles (Blessed Mother, Virgin, Madonna, Our Lady), epithets (Star of the Sea, Queen of Heaven, Cause of Our Joy), invocations (Theotokos, Panagia, Mother of Mercy) and other names (Our Lady of Loreto, Our Lady of Guadalupe).

All of these titles refer to the same individual named Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ (in both the New Testament and Qur'an) and are used variably by Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and some Anglicans. (Note: Mary Magdalene, Mary of Clopas, and Mary Salome are different individuals from Mary, mother of Jesus.)

A few of the titles given to Mary are dogmatic in nature, referring to Marian beliefs that the Church views as necessary for salvation. Many other titles are poetic or allegorical and have lesser or no canonical status, but which form part of popular piety, with varying degrees of acceptance by the clergy. Yet more titles refer to depictions of Mary in the history of art.

Historical-cultural context

There are several[3][4] theories on the significance of the relatively large number of titles given to Mary. Christianity grew in a context that was informed by Hellenistic and Jewish culture. In the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament, God is known by a number of names, many of which are symbolic or allegorical. In the pre-Christian, Hellenistic world, epithets were descriptive titles which referred to the attributes of deities and which were invoked to gain their favor. Some pagan epithets (e.g., "Queen of Heaven") became associated with Mary after a complex process of "baptizing in" or acculturation. Mary's cultus or devotional "cult" consolidated in the year 431 when, at the Council of Ephesus, "Nestorianism", which asserted Christ's dual nature, was anathematized and the Theotokos, or Mary as bearer of God, was declared dogma. Henceforth Marian devotion--which centered on the subtle and complex relationship between Mary, Jesus, and the Church--would flourish, first in the East and later in the West. The Reformation would greatly diminish Mary's role in many parts of Northern Europe. The Council of Trent and Counter Reformation would intensify Marian devotion in the West. Around the same period, Mary would become an instrument of evangelization in the Americas and parts of Asia and Africa (see: Our Lady of Guadalupe).

English	Latin	Greek	Notes
Mary	Maria	Mariam (Μαριάμ), Maria (Μαρία)	Judeo-Aramaic: Maryām (מרים), Syriac: Mariam, Coptic: Mariam, Spanish: María, Portuguese: Maria, Russian: Marija (Мария), French: Marie, German: Maria, Italian: Maria, Arabic: Maryām (مريم), Maltese: Marija, Chinese: (瑪利亞);
"Full of Grace", "Blessed", "Most Blessed"	Gratia plena, Beata, Beatissima	kecharitomene^[1] (κεχαριτωμένη)	from the angel's greeting to Mary in Luke 1:28;
"Virgin", "the Virgin"	Virgo	Parthenos^[2]^[3] (Παρθένος)	Greek parthenos used in Matthew 1:23; Ignatius of Antioch refers to Mary's virginity and motherhood (ca. 110);
"Cause of our Salvation"	causa salutis^[4]		according to Irenaeus of Lyons (150-202);
"Advocate of Eve"	advocata Evæ^[5]		“ ” ;
"Mother of God"	Mater Dei	Meter Theou (Μήτηρ Θεοῦ)	often abbr. ΜΡ ΘΥ in Greek iconography;
"God-bearer"	Deipara, Dei genetrix	Theotokos (Θεοτόκος)	lit. "one who bears the One who is God"; a common title in Eastern Christianity with christological implications; adopted officially during Council of Ephesus (431) in response to Nestorianism, which questioned the Church's teaching that Jesus Christ's nature was unified;
"Ever-virgin"	semper virgo	aie-parthenos^[2] (ἀειπάρθενος)
"Holy Mary", "Saint Mary"	Sancta Maria	Hagia Maria^[2] (Ἁγία Μαρία)	Greek invocation is infrequent in contemporary Eastern Christianity^[6];
"Most Holy"	Sanctissima, tota Sancta^[7]	Panagia (Παναγία)
"Most Pure"	Purissima
"Immaculate"	immaculata	akeratos^[2] (ἀκήρατος)
"Lady", "Mistress"	Domina	Despoina^[2] (Δέσποινα)	related, "Madonna" (Italian: Madonna, from ma "my" + donna "lady"; from Latin domina); also, "Notre Dame" (French: Notre Dame, lit. "our lady");
"Queen of Heaven"	Regina Coeli, Regina Caeli		Mary is identified with the figure in Revelation 12:1;
"Star-of-the-Sea"	stella maris		attributed to St. Jerome;
"Seat of Wisdom"	Sedes sapientiae
"Cause of Our Joy"	Causa nostrae laetitia

Image Type	Typical Art Style	Description
Hodegetria "She Who Shows the Way"	Byzantine	Mary holds Christ in her left hand and with her right hand she "shows the way" by pointing to Him;
Sedes Sapientiae "Throne of Wisdom"	Romanesque	Christ is seated in His mother Mary's lap, symbolically the "Throne of Wisdom";
"Gothic Madonna"	Gothic	Based loosely on Byzantine Hodegetria iconography; typically depicts a standing, smiling Mary and playful Christ Child; considered one of the earliest depictions of Mary that is strictly Western^[8];
Mater Misericordiae "Mother of Mercy"	Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque	A regal, celestial Mary is depicted covering the faithful in her protective mantle; first arose in the late 13th century in Central Europe and Italy; depiction is commonly associated with plague monuments^[9];
Maestà "Majesty" of the Virgo Deipara "Virgin God-bearer"	Gothic	Mary is seated in majesty, holding the Christ Child; based on Byzantine Nikopoia iconography;
Pietà "Pity" of the Mater Dolorosa "Mother of Sorrows"	Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque	Mary cradles the dead body of Jesus Christ after his crucifixion; this type emerged first in the 13th century in Germany as an Andachtsbild or devotional icon relating to grief; Italian Pietàs appeared in the 14th century^[10]; Michelangelo's Pietà (1498-1499) is considered a masterpiece;
Mater Amabilis "Loving Mother" commonly, "Madonna and Child"	Renaissance, Baroque	Iconic Western depiction with many variations; based loosely on Byzantine Glykophilousa ("sweet kisses") iconography; Mary turns her gaze away from the Christ Child as she contemplates His future Passion; Renaissance emphasis on classical ideal types, realistic human anatomy, and linear perspective are evident;

Historical-cultural context

In English

Early titles of Mary

Descriptive titles of Mary related to visual arts

Dogmatic titles

Names of Mary associated with devotions or apparitions

Devotional titles

Citations

References

See also

External links