St. Mary the Mother of God
In the Malankara Orthodox Church, St. Mary is very important among all the saints. This is because she is the Mother of God (Theotokos), a title that was confirmed by the Ecumenical Council of Ephesus in 431 AD and became very strong in Church belief. St. Mary is not only the woman who gave birth to the Son of God, but also because she accepted God’s plan, she became an example of how people can work together with God for salvation. Because of this, she is seen as the opposite of Eve, who made the first mistake in the Garden of Eden. That is why people also call her “the second Eve.” The role of St. Mary in the Malankara Orthodox Church can only be understood when looking at the Church’s beliefs about Jesus Christ and the Church itself.
The Bible does not give much information about her parents, but Church tradition says they were Joachim and Anna. This is found in the Protevangelium of St. James. Not much is known about her early life, except that she lived in the Temple in Jerusalem. The New Testament tells us that the angel announced to her that she would give birth to the Son of God (Luke 1:2ff), and Matthew also talks about it briefly (Matthew 1:20). Luke says that many things in her life were hard for her to understand, but later, she came to know their meaning (Luke 2:19, 50-51). Both Matthew and Luke say that she was engaged to Joseph, who was from King David’s family, and because of this, Jesus’ family line can be traced back to David. In Matthew’s Gospel (Matthew 2:1ff), King Herod tries to kill Jesus because the Wise Men had asked about the newborn King. Joseph, after having a dream, takes Mary and baby Jesus to Egypt. Later, another dream tells Joseph that those who wanted to kill Jesus are now dead, so he brings them back to their homeland but chooses to live in Nazareth because Herod’s son is ruling Judea. Luke alone tells the story of how Joseph and Mary took Jesus to Jerusalem for Passover, where they lost him for three days and later found him talking with the teachers in the Temple.
During Jesus’ public life, St. Mary is not mentioned many times. There is one story where she and her family try to meet Jesus, but he does not respond to them. However, in John’s Gospel, she is present at the wedding in Cana, where she asks Jesus to help when the wine is finished. Because of her request, Jesus changes water into the best wine. After this, she is seen only when Jesus is crucified, standing with the other women. John’s Gospel says that Jesus asked his beloved disciple to take care of her, which means she had no other family left at that time.
A different picture of St. Mary is seen in the Acts of the Apostles. After Jesus’ resurrection, she is shown as a strong believer and an active member of the early Christian community. She is with the apostles and disciples when the Holy Spirit comes down on Pentecost (Acts 2:1-11). After this, she is not mentioned again in the Acts of the Apostles. Her death is not recorded in the Bible but is found in Church tradition. According to this tradition, all the apostles, except St. Thomas, were gathered near her before she died. When she passed away, one tradition says her body was taken to heaven, and St. Thomas saw this happen. As proof, he received the girdle and kerchief that she had been using. Later, the other disciples found her tomb empty. St. Thomas then told them what he saw and showed them the kerchief and girdle.
The respect for St. Mary continued to grow in the early Church. Because of her deep faith, the Second Ecumenical Council of Ephesus in 431 AD declared that she should be called the “Mother of God” (Theotokos). St. Cyril of Alexandria argued against Nestorius, who wanted to call her only “Mother of Christ” (Christotokos). This was not just about a title but about the belief that Jesus was both fully God and fully man. St. Cyril insisted that calling her only the “Mother of Christ” would separate these two natures of Jesus.
This deep respect for St. Mary is reflected in the hymns of the Orthodox Church, which call her the Second Eve and the second heaven. Many hymns use Old Testament stories to explain how God became human through her. One famous example is the burning bush that Moses saw. Just as the bush burned but was not destroyed, St. Mary carried Jesus without being harmed. Since Jesus is carried by angels in heaven, St. Mary is seen as a second heaven because she carried the Son of God. These hymns focus on her obedience to God, which is the opposite of Eve’s disobedience that led to sin.
The Orthodox Church believes that St. Mary remained a virgin all her life. She is always called the Virgin Mary. The Church does not believe that the Bible contradicts this and explains the “brothers and sisters” of Jesus in the New Testament as either children of Joseph from a previous marriage or as cousins. The Bible also gives support to her lifelong virginity. When Joseph and Mary went to Jerusalem and accidentally left Jesus behind, there is no mention of any other children traveling with them. Also, in John’s Gospel, Jesus gives Mary to his beloved disciple to take care of her, which would not have been necessary if she had other sons or daughters.
However, the Orthodox Church does not give St. Mary any role beyond being the Mother of God. In Church icons, she is always shown holding Jesus. In hymns, she is asked to pray for people, but this does not replace the belief that Jesus is the only mediator between God and humankind. The Orthodox Church also does not believe that she was born without sin or that she plays a special role in human salvation.
By honoring St. Mary, the Orthodox Church sees her as an example of what it means to be transformed into the image of Christ. She is a model of how a person can find favor with God. In doing so, the Church fulfills her prophecy from the Magnificat: “All generations will call me blessed.”