A sweeping, ambitious study of the Virgin Mary’s emergence and role throughout Western historyHow did the Virgin Mary, about whom very little is said in the Gospels, become one of the most powerful and complex religious figures in the world? To arrive at the answers to this far-reaching question, one of our foremost medieval historians, Miri Rubin, investigates the ideas, practices, and images that have developed around the figure of Mary from the earliest decades of Christianity to around the year 1600. Drawing on an extraordinarily wide range of sources—including music, poetry, theology, art, scripture, and miracle tales—Rubin reveals how Mary became so embedded in our culture that it is impossible to conceive of Western history without her.In her rise to global prominence, Mary was continually remade and reimagined by wave after wave of devotees. Rubin shows how early Christians endowed Mary with a fine ancestry; why in early medieval Europe her roles as mother, bride, and companion came to the fore; and how the focus later shifted to her humanity and unparalleled purity. She also explores how indigenous people in Central America, Africa, and Asia remade Mary and so fit her into their own cultures.Beautifully written and finely illustrated, this book is a triumph of sympathy and intelligence. It demonstrates Mary’s endless capacity to inspire and her profound presence in Christian cultures and beyond.

(Former title: School of Mary) A comprehensive spiritual introduction to Mary, the Mother of God, the greatest saint the Church has ever known, the woman God's own angel declared "blessed among women," the woman we each should emulate.

The Reed of God is an inspirational classic written by a British Roman Catholic ecclesiastical artist, Caryll Houselander. This book contains a beautiful meditation on Mary, Mother of God and so much more. Reading this book will bring you closer to Our Blessed Mother, and hence, to Christ Himself. Filled with lyrical prose and touching analogies, the author shows how Mary was the "Reed of God" and that we are all vessels waiting to do God's work, and carrying Christ within us.

Here is the first thorough reflection on the importance of Mary by women writing from the perspective of Latin American liberation theology. Gebara and Bingemer offer a vision of Mary in sharp contrast to the traditional. This is the Mary of the Magnificat: a figure who challenges male-centrism, dualism, idealism, and one-dimensionalism. The authors focus on the idea of Mary as one who lives in God, on the feminine element of the divine, and on the personal factors which color their own perspectives. By delving into the Scriptures, they place Mary in her social, political, and economic context. Reviewing both the Old and New Testaments, they point to Mary as both heir and one who begins something new. In dealing with the traditions of the Church, Gebara and Bingemer rethink Marian dogmas - an area not only ecumenically controversial but also morally challenging. Beginning in the 16th century, the authors survey the history of Marian devotion, exploring the initial appearance of Mary to the Indian Juan Diego (Guadalupe), and reflecting on all the phenomena connected to the figure of Mary. The mystery of Mary brings a new word about God, they note. Her humanity entirely open ... and her full participation in the enterprise of this Kingdom help us perceive who the God of the Kingdom is: God the Creator, who does not cease to perform wonders on behalf of the poor.

The Holy Mother Mary Is GOD introduces the greatest mysteries which have been obscured from humanity for thousands of years. This unfoldment of the truth that we all have been searching for is revealed to you not only in the author's words, but from the actual words of God. This Holy book carries the Light and Love of God and you will feel it when you are reading it. Like a great gateway, The Holy Mother Mary Is GOD ushers us into the new age that will bring us into a world of peace. This book is for everyone no matter what system of belief one holds. We are from one spirit and the source of that spirit is Holy Spirit. Learn how the oneness of all exists in three aspects and how the Holy Trinity misinterpreted the true understanding of the third aspect of God. Learn about the Divine plan that began 2,600 years ago which planted the seeds for God to come to this Earth as a beautiful woman named Mary.

An account of the life of the Virgin Mary, from her birth through her early years and education at the Temple to the Annunciation.

Meet Mary teaches you everything the Bible says about her, what the early Christians believed, and all of the Church's key Marian teachings of 2,000 years.

Essential reading for all Catholics! Bestselling author, Scott Hahn illuminates a fresh and enlightening perspective on Mary, Mother of God, and her central importance in the Christian faith. In The Lamb's Supper, Hahn explored the relationship between the Book of Revelation and the Roman Catholic Mass, deftly clarifying the most subtle of theological points with analogies and anecdotes from everyday life. In Hail, Holy Queen, he employs the same accessible, entertaining style to demonstrate Mary's essential role in Christianity's redemptive message. Most Christians know that the life of Jesus is foreshadowed throughout the Old Testament. Through a close examination of the Bible, as well as the work of both Catholic and Protestant scholars and clergy, Hahn brings to light the small but significant details showing that just as Jesus is the "New Adam," so Mary is the "New Eve." He unveils the Marian mystery at the heart of the Book of Revelation and reveals how it is foretold in the very first pages of the Book of Genesis and in the story of King David's monarchy, which speaks of a privileged place for the mother of the king. Building on these scriptural and historical foundations, Hahn presents a new look at the Marian doctrines: Her Immaculate Conception, Perpetual Virginity, Assumption, and Coronation. As he guides modern-day readers through passages filled with mysteries and poetry, Hahn helps them rediscover the ancient art and science of reading the Scriptures and gain a more profound understanding of their truthfulness and relevance to faith and the practice of religion in the contemporary world.

The words and actions of Mary revealed. In The Little Book of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Fr. Raoul Plus helps us to open the book of the heart of Mary in the simplest yet most vivid ways. We must ponder not only her words, but also the events of her life her attitudes, her actions, and even her silence. By imitating Our Lady, our lives like hers may also come to be full of grace.

From the cross Jesus gave us his mother to be our mother, too: a singularly holy model, consoler, and intercessor for our spiritual journey. Yet most Protestants, and too many Catholics don't understand the role that God wants her to play in our lives. In Behold Your Mother, Tim Staples takes you through the Church's teachings about the Blessed Virgin Mary, showing their firm Scriptural and historical roots and dismantling the objections of those who mistakenly believe that Mary competes for the attention due Christ alone. Combining the best recent scholarship with a convert's in-depth knowledge of the arguments, Staples has assembled the most thorough and useful Marian apologetic you'll find anywhere. Relevant and essential -- Mary matters. Read Behold Your Mother and find out just how much.