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Częstochowskie Studia Teologiczne

Vol. 49 (2022)

Rozprawy i artykuły – Studia teologiczne

Mary – “the living book”. The representation of the motif in patristic and medieval tradition

DOI: https://doi.org/10.53120/czst.2022.79-92  [Google Scholar]
Published: 2022-12-20

Abstract

In medieval Mariology, which rested heavily on patristic tradition and frequently referred to multifarious metaphors, imagery and allegories, there can also be found a metaphor concerning Mary according to which She can be seen as “the living book”. This metaphor has split and developed into several variations, yet they all share a common message which accentuates the idea that Christians should closely study the figure of Mary and Her mission so as to, by Her guidance, better understand the mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God, and by the same token to find the answers to the major questions concerning Christian life. Therefore, Mary is “the living book” which should be diligently studied. In later years, especially under the influence of the exegesis favoured by the reformers both Mariology and Marian proclamation departed from the metaphor of a book but its essential message has been accepted and it has found its continuation in the modern idea which stresses the need to follow in Mary’s footsteps. The following of Mary’s example constitutes a more current way of understanding Her virtues and putting them into practice in our own life.

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