feeladi :
In the tradition concerning her life, contained in Protoevangelium of James, an early Christian apocryphal writing from the 2nd century, it is said that when God separately answered the prayers of Joachim and Anne, mother of Mary to have a child, Joachim, filled with joy, went to Anne, shared the good news with her, embraced her, and kissed her, suggesting that Mary, mother of Jesus was conceived in a natural way. In Orthodox theology, it is affirmed that the Mother of God was born sharing the fallen human condition, that is, ancestral sin, yet through her perfect love and purity toward God she rose above it, something reflected in her response to the angel: “How will this be, since I do not know a man?” (Luke 1:34), words which many Church Fathers understood as showing that her mind and heart were entirely devoted to God. Some Orthodox Christians also believe that the later dogmatic definition of the Immaculate Conception in the Roman Catholic Church unintentionally contributed to a strong Protestant reaction against Marian devotion altogether, leading in many Protestant communities to an almost complete rejection of the veneration of Mary, despite her enduring role within historic Christianity as a model of humility, obedience, service to God, and intercession.
2026-05-19 04:47:43