This is one of the
most discussed and online search keywords on Google by people so far.
Specially, non-Catholics, who are staunch critique of Catholic Dogma of The
Immaculate Conception. They Rejects this as unbiblical man-made teaching. The
dogma of the Immaculate Conception was officially defined in The Catholic
Church by Pope Pius IX in 1854. When Protestants claim that the dogma was
“invented” at this time, they misunderstand both the history of dogmas and what
prompts the Church to issue, from time to time, definitive pronouncements
regarding faith or morals. However, I’m going to elaborate and broadly discuss
about this topic, whether it is biblical or unbiblical. I will also draw an
outline, to show, that how our Early Christian Church saw this dogma and
explained it. Ready? Let’s begin!
What is The Immaculate Conception?
Understanding the definition: The Immaculate Conception is an Early Christian doctrine which teaches its believer that the Virgin Mary, from the moment of her conception in her mother’s womb (St. Anne), was preserved by God from The Original Sin in anticipation for her role as the mother of Jesus. She was made sinless and pure, making her a fitting vessel to give birth to Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Trinity.
The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception emphasizes that Virgin Mary was preserved from the stain of original sin from the moment of her conception by God’s grace. This is not due to any inherent quality, but in preparation for her sacred role as the bearer of God Incarnate (Theotokos). In His Divine foreknowledge and providence, God predestined Mary from all eternity to be the Mother of the Word Incarnate and thus preserved her from original sin for this role. This is evidenced in Galatians 4:4-5 where it states that God predestined that His Son should be born of a woman.
Article from The Catechism of The Catholic Church (CCC)
To become the mother of the Saviour, Mary "was enriched by God with gifts appropriate to such a role." (LG 56) The angel Gabriel at the moment of the annunciation salutes her as "full of grace". (Lk 1:28) In fact, in order for Mary to be able to give the free assent of her faith to the announcement of her vocation, it was necessary that she be wholly borne by God's grace. (CCC 490)
Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, "full of grace" through God, (Lk 1:28) was redeemed from the moment of her conception. That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as Pope Pius IX proclaimed in 1854: The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Saviour of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin. (Pius IX, Ineffabilis Deus (1854): DS 2803.) (CCC 491)
The "splendour of an entirely unique holiness" by which Mary is "enriched from the first instant of her conception" comes wholly from Christ: she is "redeemed, in a more exalted fashion, by reason of the merits of her Son".(LG 53, 56) The Father blessed Mary more than any other created person "in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places" and chose her "in Christ before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless before him in love". (Eph 1:3-4) (CCC 492)
The Fathers of the Eastern tradition call the Mother of God "the All-Holy" (Panagia) and celebrate her as "free from any stain of sin, as though fashioned by the Holy Spirit and formed as a new creature". (LG 56) By the grace of God Mary remained free of every personal sin her whole life long.
"Let it be done to me according to your word. . ." (CCC 493)
At the announcement that she would give birth to "the Son of the Most High" without knowing man, by the power of the Holy Spirit, Mary responded with the obedience of faith, certain that "with God nothing will be impossible": "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be [done] to me according to your word." (Lk 1:28-38; Rom 1:5) Thus, giving her consent to God's word, Mary becomes the mother of Jesus. Espousing the divine will for salvation wholeheartedly, without a single sin to restrain her, she gave herself entirely to the person and to the work of her Son; she did so in order to serve the mystery of redemption with him and dependent on him, by God's grace: (LG 560) (CCC 494)
Non-Catholic Objections
Every non-Catholic I have ever met, they always start with, “Where it is in the Bible?”. Sounds good? Well, before presenting the legitimate evidences from The Holy Scripture (Bible), we need to first address the tendency of questioner, who asks this type of questions. The question “Where ‘X’ in the Bible?”, is the fruit of Protestant teaching Sola Scriptura, which is itself a contradictory and unbiblical teaching. I wrote the refutation for Sola Scriptura and have asked several questions using that very method to prove why it is inaccurate teaching to understand and define a particular Christian belief. To start with a solution, we need understand that, the person who asking this type of questions, believes that the Bible is the only rule of faith. One of the reasons why our separated brethren (Protestants and Evangelicals) have difficulty accepting certain Marian Dogmas that they do not understand the scriptural role of sacred Tradition and the magisterium (Acts 16:4-5; 2 Thes 2:15).
The Catholic Church was commissioned by Jesus Christ to teach all nations infallibly until the end of the world (John 14:26, 16:13). The mere fact that the Church teaches that something is definitely true is a guarantee that it is true (see Matt. 28:18-20, Luke 10:16, 1 Tim. 3:15).
Objection 1: Where is The Immaculate Conception of Virgin Mary Mentioned in The Bible?
Understanding the Biblical Typology
Virgin Mary is The New Eve! In Genesis 3:15, God says that there will be an enmity between the “woman” and the serpent, and this enmity is between seed of the woman and seed of the serpent. Her seed is the Messiah, who stands in opposition to the seed of the serpent. The mother of the messiah is said to share the same enmity—total opposition—with Satan. Remember that, Jesus addressed his Mother as “Woman” (Jn 2:4), to show us who is She. Now, if Mary, “the woman,” had any sin, then she would not be in complete opposition to the Serpent (Devil). Some argue that the “woman” refers to Eve, but this cannot be the complete meaning of the text, as Eve is always associated with her collaboration with the serpent, not her opposition to him. Only Mary, the new Eve, fits the description of the woman in Genesis 3:15.
Another reference can also be found in the angel’s greeting to Mary in Luke 1:28: “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you.” The phrase “full of grace” is a translation of the Greek word kecharitomene. This word represents the proper name of the person being addressed by the angel, and it therefore expresses a characteristic quality of Mary. Kecharitomene is a perfect passive participle of charitoo, meaning “to fill or endow with grace.” Since this term is in the perfect tense, it indicates a perfection of grace that is both intensive and extensive. It means, the grace Virgin Mary received was not a result of the angel’s visit, and was not only as “full” or strong or complete as possible at any given time, but it extended over the whole of her life, from conception onward. She was in a state of sanctifying grace from the first moment of her existence to have been called “full of grace.”
Virgin Mary is the New Ark of Covenant! Since first century the Early Church Fathers and Doctors of the Church spoke often about the fittingness of the privilege of Mary’s Immaculate Conception. The dogma is especially fitting when one examines the honor that was given to The Ark of the Covenant in Old Testament. It contained The Manna (bread from heaven), stone tablets of the Ten Commandments (the word of God), and The Staff of Aaron (an instrument of Israel’s redemption) – (Hb 9:4). If this Wooden box was created with such honor—to carry a stick, some bread, and stone tablets—how much more should Mary be made a worthy dwelling place for God himself? She is the New Ark of the Covenant because she carried the real bread from heaven, the Word of God, and the instrument of our redemption, Jesus’ body. There is an argument that, the new ark is not Virgin Mary but the body of Jesus. Even if this is true, then it is worth noting that 1 Chronicles 15:14 tells us that the persons who bore the ark were to be sanctified. There would seem to be no sense in sanctifying men who carried a box and not sanctifying the womb who carried the Holy One himself. After all, wisdom will not dwell “in a body under debt of sin” (Wis 1:4).
Objection 2: If Virgin Mary is Sinless, that means She is equal to God!
No! She is not. In contrary, it shows us how the Immaculate Conception of Mary glorifies God. There is a misconception among protestants and other evangelical Christian denominations, that human beings cannot be sinless, only God is sinless! They use this verse from the Bible: “all have sinned” (Rom. 3:23). But this verse is talking about our personal sin, due to our fallen human nature. Have all people committed actual sins? Consider a child below the age of reason. By definition he can’t sin, because sinning requires the ability to reason (knowledge) and the ability (Free will) to intend to sin. Jesus taught us: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48). But just as He who called you is Holy, so be Holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be Holy, because I AM Holy” (1 Pet 1:15-16). That’s why, when we think or say that no one can be sinless, it violates our very human nature which is created in The Holy Image of God. “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be Holy and Blameless in his sight” (Eph 1:4). So when we sin, we are not fully human beings. Now think for a moment. If Adam and Eve never committed sin eating forbidden fruit by disobeying God, they would stay sinless. Would they become equal to God? Obviously not! In the beginning, God created no one (neither angel nor human) with sin, and yet no one was equal to God. When Adam and Eve sinned, they acted in a manner that was beneath to their dignity as beings made in God’s image and likeness. It was their sin that downgraded from the glory of God, not their original sinlessness. God’s goodness is most clear when he sanctifies his creation by entering into it fully with the life of his grace. That’s why the sinless souls in heaven give the most glory to God. The unique glory of the Trinity is manifested most clearly in heaven—where is he surrounded by sinless beings. In their sinlessness, God has made them most fully what he intended for them to be. In Mary’s case, her sinlessness gives the most glory to God, since his work is made perfect in her. She is his masterpiece.
Objection 3: But Mary says in The Magnificat that, “and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior” (Lk 1:47)? How can be Mary sinless when she says God is her Saviour?
The Catholic Church does teach that Mary needed a savior. It is not big issue to address if this question arises. It was by the grace of God—and not the work of Mary—that she was saved from sin in a most perfect manner. By what is called “preservative redemption,” Mary was preserved from sin at the time of her natural conception. John the Baptist was sanctified in the womb prior to his birth (Luke 1:15), and Mary was sanctified at her conception. Jesus Christ distributed the grace of Calvary some forty-five years or so before it happened, just as he bestows it upon us 2,000 years after the fact. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, that this gift was given to Virgin Mary, making her “redeemed in a more exalted fashion, by reason of the merits of her Son” (492). She has more reason to call God her Savior than we do, because he saved her in an even more glorious manner! The fundamental difference here, the way we are redeemed by God is not the same way Virgin Mary is redeemed!
Take this analogy: Suppose a man falls into a deep pit, and someone reaches down to pull him out. The man has been “saved” from the pit. Now imagine a woman walking along, and she too is about to fall into the pit, but at the very moment that she is to fall in, someone holds her back and prevents her. She too has been saved from the pit, but in an even better way: She was not simply taken out of the pit, she was prevented from getting stained by the mud in the first place. This is the illustration Early Christian Church have used for a thousand years to explain how Mary was saved by Christ. By receiving Christ’s grace at her conception, she had his grace applied to her before she was able to become mired in original sin and its stain.
Objection 4: Didn’t the Catholic Church invented this Dogma in 1854?
Short answer, No! Long answer, Pope Pius IX officially defined the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in 1854. When Fundamentalists claim that this was “invented” at this time, they misunderstand both the history of dogmas and what prompts the Church to issue, from time to time, definitive pronouncements regarding faith or morals. They are under the impression that no doctrine is believed until the pope or an ecumenical council issues a formal statement about it. For example: In 325 CE, the First Council of Nicaea defined The Persons of the Godhead and their relationship with one another, decisions which were ratified at the First Council of Constantinople in 381 CE. So does that mean, Christian before 381 CE didn’t believed in Holy Trinity? Or the Doctrine of The Holy Trinity invented in 325 CE at Council of Nicaea? I hope you got the point. Doctrines are defined formally only when there is a controversy that needs to be cleared up or when the magisterium (the Church in its office as teacher; see Matthew 28:18–20, 1 Timothy 3:15, 4:11) thinks the faithful can be helped by particular emphasis being drawn to some already existing belief. The definition of the Immaculate Conception was prompted by the latter motive; it did not come about because there were widespread doubts about the doctrine.
The Early Church
In the early Christian writings of the first two centuries, there are evidences of the reverence and high regard given to Virgin Mary. Many early Christian theologians drew parallels line between Mary and Old Testament figures like Eve and the Ark of the Covenant, symbolizing her unique role in bearing the Son of God. While not part of the canonical Bible, The Protoevangelium of James, written in the 2nd century, contains records of Mary’s birth and upbringing and implies Mary’s sanctity from a young age. St. Ephrem, a Church Father from the Syrian tradition, expressed belief in Mary’s purity and her role in salvation: “You alone and your Mother are more beautiful than any others; for there is no blemish in you nor any stains upon your Mother.” (Nisibene Hymns 27:8).
Both Augustine and Jerome acknowledged Mary’s unique holiness while discussing the topic of sin:
“Having excepted the holy Virgin Mary, concerning whom, on account of the honor of the Lord, I wish to have absolutely no question when treating of sins.” -Augustine, De Natura et Gratia, 36, 42
“You alone and your Mother are in all things fair; there is no flaw in you and no stain in your Mother.” – St. Jerome, Letter to Eustochium, 22:21
The Immaculate Conception of Mary was not formally defined as a dogma by the Catholic Church until 1854. Therefore, you won’t find explicit references to the Immaculate Conception in the writings of the early Church Fathers because it was not a fully developed doctrine at that time. However, theological concepts and doctrines can evolve and become more defined over time within the Christian tradition. The Immaculate Conception became a fully articulated doctrine in the 19th century, based on centuries of theological reflection and development. The Church Fathers made many references to Mary’s holiness and purity in their writings. The belief in the fittingness of her unique status as the Mother of Jesus had widespread acceptance, but the specific doctrine of the Immaculate Conception took time to develop and be formally defined.
Early Church Father on Immaculate Conception of Virgin Mary
The Ascension of Isaiah
“[T]he report concerning the child was noised abroad in Bethlehem. Some said, ‘The Virgin Mary has given birth before she was married two months.’ And many said, ‘She has not given birth; the midwife has not gone up to her, and we heard no cries of pain’” (Ascension of Isaiah 11 [A.D. 70]).
The Odes of Solomon
“So the Virgin became a mother with great mercies. And she labored and bore the Son, but without pain, because it did not occur without purpose. And she did not seek a midwife, because he caused her to give life” (Odes of Solomon 19 [A.D. 80]).
Justin Martyr
“[Jesus] became man by the Virgin so that the course which was taken by disobedience in the beginning through the agency of the serpent might be also the very course by which it would be put down. Eve, a virgin and undefiled, conceived the word of the serpent and bore disobedience and death. But the Virgin Mary received faith and joy when the angel Gabriel announced to her the glad tidings that the Spirit of the Lord would come upon her and the power of the Most High would overshadow her, for which reason the Holy One being born of her is the Son of God. And she replied ‘Be it done unto me according to your word’ [Luke 1:38]” (Dialogue with Trypho the Jew 100 [A.D. 155]).
Irenaeus of Lyons
“Consequently, then, Mary the Virgin is found to be obedient, saying, ‘Behold, O Lord, your handmaid; be it done to me according to your word.’ Eve, however, was disobedient, and, when yet a virgin, she did not obey. Just as she, who was then still a virgin although she had Adam for a husband—for in paradise they were both naked but were not ashamed; for, having been created only a short time, they had no understanding of the procreation of children, and it was necessary that they first come to maturity before beginning to multiply—having become disobedient, was made the cause of death for herself and for the whole human race; so also Mary, betrothed to a man but nevertheless still a virgin, being obedient, was made the cause of salvation for herself and for the whole human race. . . . Thus, the knot of Eve’s disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary. What the virgin Eve had bound in unbelief, the Virgin Mary loosed through faith” (Against Heresies 3:22:24 [A.D. 189]).
“The Lord then was manifestly coming to his own things, and was sustaining them by means of that creation that is supported by himself. He was making a recapitulation of that disobedience that had occurred in connection with a tree, through the obedience that was upon a tree [i.e., the cross]. Furthermore, the original deception was to be done away with—the deception by which that virgin Eve (who was already espoused to a man) was unhappily misled. That this was to be overturned was happily announced through means of the truth by the angel to the Virgin Mary (who was also [espoused] to a man). . . . So if Eve disobeyed God, yet Mary was persuaded to be obedient to God. In this way, the Virgin Mary might become the advocate of the virgin Eve. And thus, as the human race fell into bondage to death by means of a virgin, so it is rescued by a virgin. Virginal disobedience has been balanced in the opposite scale by virginal obedience. For in the same way, the sin of the first created man received amendment by the correction of the First-Begotten” (ibid., 5:19:1 [A.D. 189]).
Tertullian of Carthage
“It was while Eve was still a virgin that the word of the devil crept in to erect an edifice of death. Likewise through a virgin the Word of God was introduced to set up a structure of life. Thus what had been laid waste in ruin by this sex was by the same sex reestablished in salvation. Eve had believed the serpent; Mary believed Gabriel. That which the one destroyed by believing, the other, by believing, set straight” (The Flesh of Christ 17:4 [A.D. 210].
Pseudo-Melito
“If therefore it might come to pass by the power of your grace, it has appeared right to us your servants that, as you, having overcome death, do reign in glory, so you should raise up the body of your Mother and take her with you, rejoicing, into heaven. Then said the Savior [Jesus]: ‘Be it done according to your will’” (The Passing of the Virgin 16:2–17 [A.D. 300]).
Ephraim the Syrian
“You alone and your Mother are more beautiful than any others, for there is no blemish in you nor any stains upon your Mother. Who of my children can compare in beauty to these?” (Nisibene Hymns 27:8 [A.D. 361]).
Ambrose of Milan
“Mary’s life should be for you a pictorial image of virginity. Her life is like a mirror reflecting the face of chastity and the form of virtue. Therein you may find a model for your own life . . . showing what to improve, what to imitate, what to hold fast to” (The Virgins 2:2:6 [A.D. 377]).
“The first thing which kindles ardor in learning is the greatness of the teacher. What is greater [to teach by example] than the Mother of God? What more glorious than she whom Glory Itself chose? What more chaste than she who bore a body without contact with another body? For why should I speak of her other virtues? She was a virgin not only in body but also in mind, who stained the sincerity of its disposition by no guile, who was humble in heart, grave in speech, prudent in mind, sparing of words, studious in reading, resting her hope not on uncertain riches, but on the prayer of the poor, intent on work, modest in discourse; wont to seek not man but God as the judge of her thoughts, to injure no one, to have goodwill towards all, to rise up before her elders, not to envy her equals, to avoid boastfulness, to follow reason, to love virtue. When did she pain her parents even by a look? When did she disagree with her neighbors? When did she despise the lowly? When did she avoid the needy?” (ibid., 2:2:7).
“Come, then, and search out your sheep, not through your servants or hired men, but do it yourself. Lift me up bodily and in the flesh, which is fallen in Adam. Lift me up not from Sarah but from Mary, a virgin not only undefiled, but a virgin whom grace had made inviolate, free of every stain of sin” (Commentary on Psalm 118:22–30 [A.D. 387]).
Augustine of Hippo
“That one woman is both mother and virgin, not in spirit only but even in body. In spirit she is mother, not of our head, who is our Savior himself—of whom all, even she herself, are rightly called children of the bridegroom—but plainly she is the mother of us who are his members, because by love she has cooperated so that the faithful, who are the members of that head, might be born in the Church. In body, indeed, she is the Mother of that very head” (Holy Virginity 6:6 [A.D. 401]).
“Having excepted the holy Virgin Mary, concerning whom, on account of the honor of the Lord, I wish to have absolutely no question when treating of sins—for how do we know what abundance of grace for the total overcoming of sin was conferred upon her, who merited to conceive and bear him in whom there was no sin?—so, I say, with the exception of the Virgin, if we could have gathered together all those holy men and women, when they were living here, and had asked them whether they were without sin, what do we suppose would have been their answer?” (Nature and Grace 36:42 [A.D. 415]).
Timothy of Jerusalem
“Therefore the Virgin is immortal to this day, seeing that he who had dwelt in her transported her to the regions of her assumption” (Homily on Simeon and Anna [A.D. 400]).
John the Theologian
“[T]he Lord said to his Mother, ‘Let your heart rejoice and be glad, for every favor and every gift has been given to you from my Father in heaven and from me and from the Holy Spirit’” (The Falling Asleep of Mary [A.D. 400]).
“And from that time forth all knew that the spotless and precious body had been transferred to paradise” (ibid.).
Gregory of Tours
“The course of this life having been completed by blessed Mary, when now she would be called from the world, all the apostles came together from their various regions to her house. And when they had heard that she was about to be taken from the world, they kept watch together with her. And behold, the Lord Jesus came with his angels, and, taking her soul, he gave it over to the angel Michael and withdrew. At daybreak, however, the apostles took up her body on a bier and placed it in a tomb, and they guarded it, expecting the Lord to come. And behold, again the Lord stood by them; the holy body having been received, he commanded that it be taken in a cloud into paradise, where now, rejoined to the soul, [Mary’s body] rejoices with the Lord’s chosen ones and is in the enjoyment of the good of an eternity that will never end” (Eight Books of Miracles 1:4 [A.D. 584]).
“But Mary, the glorious Mother of Christ, who is believed to be a virgin both before and after she bore him, has, as we said above, been translated into paradise, amid the singing of the angelic choirs, whither the Lord preceded her” (ibid., 1:8).
Non-Catholic Writings on Immaculate Conception of Virgin Mary
Martin Luther, Father of the Protestant Reformation
“. . . she is full of grace, proclaimed to be entirely without sin. . . . God’s grace fills her with everything good and makes her devoid of all evil. . . . God is with her, meaning that all she did or left undone is divine and the action of God in her. Moreover, God guarded and protected her from all that might be hurtful to her.” – [Ref: Luther’s Works, American edition, vol. 43, p. 40, ed. H. Lehmann, Fortress, 1968]
“It is a sweet and pious belief that the infusion of Mary’s soul was effected without original sin; so that in the very infusion of her soul she was also purified from original sin and adorned with God’s gifts, receiving a pure soul infused by God; thus from the first moment she began to live she was free from all sin” – [Sermon: “On the Day of the Conception of the Mother of God,” 1527]
“She is full of grace, proclaimed to be entirely without sin—something exceedingly great. For God’s grace fills her with everything good and makes her devoid of all evil.” – [Personal {“Little”} Prayer Book, 1522]
“God has formed the soul and body of the Virgin Mary full of the Holy Spirit, so that she is without all sins, for she has conceived and borne the Lord Jesus. . . All seed except Mary was vitiated [by original sin].” – [Immaculate conception 23-24, Luther’s Works, 1532. Martin Luther, D. Martin Luthers Werke, Kritische Gesamtausgabe, 61 vols., (Weimar: Verlag Hermann Böhlaus Nochfolger, 1883-1983), 52:39 [hereinafter: WA]. WA, 39, II:107.]
“Mother Mary, like us, was born in sin of sinful parents, but the Holy Spirit covered her, sanctified and purified her so that this child was born of flesh and blood, but not with sinful flesh and blood. The Holy Spirit permitted the Virgin Mary to remain a true, natural human being of flesh and blood, just as we. However, he warded off sin from her flesh and blood so that she became the mother of a pure child, not poisoned by sin as we are. For in that moment when she conceived, she was a holy mother filled with the Holy Spirit and her fruit is a holy pure fruit, at once God and truly man, in one person.” –[Luther (1996), p. 291]
“But the other conception, namely the infusion of the soul, it is piously and suitably believed, was without any sin, so that while the soul was being infused, she would at the same time be cleansed from original sin and adorned with the gifts of God to receive the holy soul thus infused. And thus, in the very moment in which she began to live, she was without all sin…” –[Martin Luther, Weimar edition of Martin Luther’s Works]
“…above all it is necessary for us to see what original sin is in order to be able to understand how the holy Virgin Mary was released from it…as to the conception of the Virgin Mary whose body was procreated in the fashion of other children, until the soul was infused, it was not necessary that she should be conceived as was Christ; for she was able to be brought forth under the law of original sin, up to the time when her soul was bestowed. But, in that which concerns the other conception [the passive conception], that is to say the infusing of her soul, one believes with devotion and holiness that she was brought forth without original sin, in such a way that at the moment of her soul being infused she was also similarly purified from original sin, and at the first instant in which she began to live she was without sin, adorned with the gifts of God.” – [Sermon on the Day of the Conception of Mary, Mother of God, 1527; cited in Thurian, page 197]