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It has taken two millennia to arrive at the Roman Catholic Church’s Mary – a figure similar but distinct from the biblical account of Mary. Early Christian Church history attests that Mary was accorded titles which did not reflect in the New Testament. These titles served to buttress the historical and present day claims made among the Roman Catholic Church’s faithful. The most influential title for Mary accepted by the Christian Church was that of Theotokos. For classical theology, this title affirmed and sharpened the definition of the undivided divinity and humanity of Mary’s Son, Jesus. In due time, this title served to support the addition of numerous other Catholic titles for Mary such Mother of the Church, queen of heaven, and more. Consequently, traditional theology began to accommodate the inclusion of Mariology in its taxonomy. This was necessary to address assumptions and claims such as Mary’s continual virginity, assumption into heaven and mediating role(s). While Mariology depicts Catholic doctrine, it is not defined by the Magisterium. That means that it cannot be finally accepted as divinely revealed and infallibly defined. For that reason, this article suggests that the Mary of the Catholic Church is still a figure in the making in stark contrast to the Mary of the Bible and classical Protestant theology and Reformed Christian faith.

Mary as anti-type of the ark of the Covenant in Luke 1:39–56: A challenge to Protestant reconsideration of Mariology. In this article, an attempt is made to indicate, that a typological reading of Luke 1:39–56 suggests that Mary should be understood as an anti-type of the Ark of the Covenant by the reader. It accordingly forces Protestants to reconsider the Mariology. After considering the historical and theological significance of the Ark of the Covenant in the Old Testament canon, the phenomenon of typology and the role of the reader, as well as text interpretation in Judaism and early Christianity, came under scrutiny. A look at the Protoevangelium of James followed and confirmed the possibility of a different reading of Mary in Luke. Luke 1:39–56 was then examined. By way of this examination, it is indicated that when Luke 1:39–56 is read in conjunction with 2 Samuel 6:1–13, 1 Chronicles 15:28, 16:4 and 2 Chronicles 5:13, Mary clearly emerges from the paint as an anti-type of the Ark of the Covenant. This conclusion, which is also visible in some fathers of the church, is then tested against the eschatology found in the New Testament. Finally, the implications of this insight and the challenge it poses to the relationship between Protestantism and Roman Catholicism are highlighted.

It has taken two millennia to arrive at the Roman Catholic Church's Mary – a figure similar but distinct from the biblical account of Mary. Early Christian Church history attests that Mary was accorded titles which did not reflect in the New Testament. These titles served to buttress the historical and present day claims made among the Roman Catholic Church's faithful. The most influential title for Mary accepted by the Christian Church was that of Theotokos. For classical theology, this title affirmed and sharpened the definition of the undivided divinity and humanity of Mary's Son, Jesus. In due time, this title served to support the addition of numerous other Catholic titles for Mary such Mother of the Church, queen of heaven, and more. Consequently, traditional theology began to accommodate the inclusion of Mariology in its taxonomy. This was necessary to address assumptions and claims such as Mary's continual virginity, assumption into heaven and mediating role(s). While Mariology depicts Catholic doctrine, it is not defined by the Magisterium. That means that it cannot be finally accepted as divinely revealed and infallibly defined. For that reason, this article suggests that the Mary of the Catholic Church is still a figure in the making in stark contrast to the Mary of the Bible and classical Protestant theology and Reformed Christian faith. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mary as anti-type of the ark of the Covenant in Luke 1:39–56: A challenge to Protestant reconsideration of Mariology. In this article, an attempt is made to indicate, that a typological reading of Luke 1:39–56 suggests that Mary should be understood as an anti-type of the Ark of the Covenant by the reader. It accordingly forces Protestants to reconsider the Mariology. After considering the historical and theological significance of the Ark of the Covenant in the Old Testament canon, the phenomenon of typology and the role of the reader, as well as text interpretation in Judaism and early Christianity, came under scrutiny. A look at the Protoevangelium of James followed and confirmed the possibility of a different reading of Mary in Luke. Luke 1:39–56 was then examined. By way of this examination, it is indicated that when Luke 1:39–56 is read in conjunction with 2 Samuel 6:1–13, 1 Chronicles 15:28, 16:4 and 2 Chronicles 5:13, Mary clearly emerges from the paint as an anti-type of the Ark of the Covenant. This conclusion, which is also visible in some fathers of the church, is then tested against the eschatology found in the New Testament. Finally, the implications of this insight and the challenge it poses to the relationship between Protestantism and Roman Catholicism are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This play looks at a summary in Matthew 1:18−19.The summary discloses that Joseph learns of Mary’s pregnancy and chooses to divorce her. The play, based on this summary, investigates how he may have learned of her pregnancy, that is, from Mary herself. The play combines scholarship and the standard literary features of a drama-character, conflict, plot, setting, point of view, tone and dialogue. It includes material from Luke 1, Deuteronomy 22:21–29 and Numbers 30:6–8. The play encourages and engages the imagination of the cast and the audience.