Thought #2

IMMACULATE CONCEPTION: And now, delving a bit deeper into the history and traditions of the worldwide church… Today Roman Catholic Christians celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  The term Immaculate Conception refers to the Roman Catholic theological dogma that Mary was “from the first moment of her conception the Blessed Virgin Mary was, by the singular grace and privilege of Almighty God, and in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of mankind, kept free from all stain of original sin” (Papal Bull of Pius IX from 1854).  Immaculate in this context simply means without sin.  The church (all denominations) has always taught that Mary was conceived naturally by her parents, and the reasons for celebrating Mary’s conception (immaculate or otherwise) are quite different from the Annunciation to Mary by the angel Gabriel when Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit (i.e. not natural conception) (celebrated on March 25). 

A liturgical celebration of Mary’s natural conception dates from at least 700AD; a celebration of her birth on September 8 dates from at least 500AD.  It is believed that September 8 was the date that Saint Anne’s Church in Jerusalem was dedicated in the early fifth century.  The church was believed to have been built on the traditional site of the home of Mary’s and her parents, Joachim and Anne.  The anniversary of this dedication and celebration of the birth of Mary, Anne’s daughter, soon spread to other churches. 

It is believed that a celebration of Mary’s conception originally was established to underscore the tradition that Mary’s conception, like that of other important Biblical figures, was natural but special.  The tradition that names Mary’s parents as Anne and Joachim (found in the ProtoGospel of James, one of a number of a non-biblical books of late origin which provide expanded background info on Mary, her family, and on Jesus as a child)  also notes that they were old and that Anne was barren.  The conception of Mary, therefore, is seen as in line with the natural, yet special, conceptions of Isaac (Abraham and Sarah were old and Sarah was barren – Genesis 17 & 21), Jacob (Isaac’s wife Rebecca was barren – Genesis 25), Joseph (Jacob’s wife Rachel was barren – Genesis 30) Sampson (whose father Manoah had a barren wife – Judges 13), and Samuel (Hannah, his mother, was barren – 1Samuel 1). 

The feast of Mary’s conception spread from the Eastern church to the West.  By the time it reached England and France the specialness surrounding Mary’s conception had increased: Mary had not only been conceived from an aged and previously barren mother, her conception, by the grace of God, had occurred without original sin, making her the new Eve. 

The concept of original sin is a western Christian concept that dates at least back to St. Cyprian and St. Ambrose who taught that the whole human race shared not only the consequences of Adam’s sin, but also shared the sin itself which is transmitted through natural generation.  St. Augustine, following this, taught specifically that this sin enfeebled free will (though it did not disable it) and that it was passed to Adam’s descendants through concupiscence (defined most simply as lust, but taken broadly to mean any unexplainable desire to do evil – the mystery of why we do things we know we should not do, why do those things we feel guilty for doing).  The idea of original sin was soon firmly established in the Western Church (though not in the Eastern Church) and by the middle ages, Western theologians had become concerned with the nature and transmission of original sin, rather than its existence which they took for granted.  One strand, but certainly not the only strand, of thought attached the transmission of original sin to the conjugal act: (natural conception).  Another strand of thought simply attached original sin to fallen human nature shared by all humans. Controversies with the reformers over many issues, including the definitions of original sin, had the double edged result of more and more precise definitions offered by Roman Catholic theologians (though not necessarily Roman Catholic official teaching), on the one hand, and extreme mischaracterizations of Roman Catholic teaching by Protestant theologians, on the other hand.  It’s important to note that the reformers rarely rejected the existence of original sin, as Western Christians, they too looked back to Augustine and Ambrose for guidance, they simply rejected  Roman Catholic definitions and teaching on original sin that stemmed from Medieval Scholasticism.  Discussions and debates on original sin have continued over the centuries.  Both the Enlightenment and the rise of Biblical Critical Scholarship has resulted in significantly less precise though no less vigorous discussions on the issue by theologians and philosophers on all sides – many Roman Catholic theologians, many philosophers including Kant, Schleiermacher, and Hagel, as well as protestant scholars including Karl Barth, the godfather of 20th century Protestant theology, have much to say on the topic. 

Bearing all this in mind, it makes sense that a feast celebrating Mary’s conception would get caught up in the theological discussions surrounding original sin.  Since the time that “original sin” and “Mary’s conception” were discussed in the same breath, theologians have discussed and debated whether or not Mary’s conception was immaculate or not.  They have also discussed whether or not it mattered at all to define it in any way or simply to celebrate the event and move on.  As noted above, in 1854 the Roman Catholic church officially declared that Mary was conceived without original sin.  The actual declaration accepts the traditional Western teaching that original sin exists and states simply that Mary was preserved from original sin when she was conceived, and the declaration, and for that matter then entire proclamation, is less concerned with unpacking that mystery than it is proclaiming the mystery itself: "We declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful."  An official English translation of the entire proclamation can be found here: http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Pius09/p9ineff.htm 

Neither the Conception nor the Immaculate Conception is listed in the Holy Day calendar of the Episcopal Church, though some churches that are dedicated to St. Mary (or who hold Mary in very high regard) celebrate the day (there is no rule that says you can’t, especially when the feast day goes back 1500 years).  The Bishop of New York will celebrate and preach tonight at the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin in Times Square (my old church) at their annual celebration of the Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Saint Mary’s first service was 140 years ago on December 8).  Over the years the day has been celebrated variously as “The Immaculate Conception” or “The Conception”, depending on the mood and theological leanings of the rector at the time.  Tonight several hundred people will gather at Saint Mary’s to celebrate the marvelous and mysterious work of the Holy Spirit seen in Mary and in our own loves as well – and I doubt they will spend much time pondering original sin.   I ask your prayers for the continued mission and ministry of Saint Mary’s in Times Square.  If you are in New York City on December 8, stop by Saint Mary's!