Blessed One: Protestant Perspectives on Mary

Biblical Theology Bulletin, Summer, 2004 by John F. Craghan

BLESSED ONE: PROTESTANT PERSPECTIVES ON MARY. Edited by Beverly Roberts Gaventa & Cynthia L. Rigby. Foreword by Kathleen Norris. Louisville, KY/London, UK: Westminster John Knox Press, 2002. Pp. xii 158. Paper, $19.95.

Deriving its title from the Magnificat (Lk 1:48), this collection of eleven essays observes that Mary, the mother of Jesus, is virtually absent among Protestants. To rectify this lacuna, the editors have invited Protestant scholars to think about Mary precisely as Protestants. The result of this invitation is the present volume, which is divided into three sections: (1) encountering Mary (the biblical matrix of mariology); (2) living Mary (the intersection of Mary's story with contemporary life); and (3) hearing Mary (Mary's message to us about God). The underlying question throughout is: What does Mary offer to our self-understanding and our understanding of God?

In section one J. B. Green speaks of Mary's role in Luke--Acts as "accessible exemplar." He argues that Luke's portrait of Mary calls for a conversion of the imagination. Identifying herself as the servant/slave of the Lord, Mary "acts against the grain of her male-dominated culture and ... thus models living life according to patterns and rhythms that originate in the saving work of God" (p. 15). In turn, readers are challenged to respond in the same way as Mary. K. D. Sakenfeld discusses the stories of Mary's four female companions in Matthew's opening genealogy. She concludes that the stories of these four women do not provide any neat pattern for their selection. Their commonality is that none of their stories follows the way that things should be. E. E. Johnson explores family values in Mark, focusing on the character of Mary. She sees Mark as an apocalyptic storyteller; i.e., his message about Jesus and Mary is framed in apocalyptic terms. She concludes that "the figure of Mary in Mark thus exemplifies the disorientation and reorientation of family life that the Christian message provokes among its hearers" (p. 42). B. R. Gaventa presents the Jo hannine Mary on Calvary and links her to the scene at Cana. She argues that Mary can be understood only in the light of the cross. Moving from the Johannine Mary, she points out the anticipation of the crucifixion of the Matthean Mary and the Lukan Mary in the infancy narratives.

In section two N. J. Duff underlines the christologlcal function of all statements about Mary. She finds the difference between Roman Catholic and Reformed thought about Mary in their respective understanding of grace and the capacity of humans to receive it. In her view the notion of Mary as an ideal woman is inconsistent with Reformed theology. Mary was called to discipleship, not perfection. C. A. Kirk-Duggan analyzes Mary as a sociocultural figure. She calls Mary "proud Mary" from the rock song of the same title. She employs this song as her lens for a Protestant understanding of Mary because it reflects the Bible's concern for women's oppression and its vision of who women really are. N. O. Lozano-Diaz offers a Mexican-American Protestant reflection on Our Lady of Guadalupe. Acknowledging that this Mary has become a cultural symbol affecting all people of Mexican descent, she insists that the charactreistics assigned to her are not very liberating for women. "New readings, therefore, need to come from a feminist liberative perspective that promotes freedom and espouses a holistic life for Mexican and Mexican-American women" (p. 91). In a very perceptive essay B.J. Miller-McLemore examines Mary and motherhood. A creative understanding of Mary as mother permits a more penetrating grasp of the p light of contemporary mothers. Appealing to Mary's pondering in Luke 2:19, 51, she finds three aspects of mothering that deserve elaboration: viz., attention, anguish, and amazement. She concludes that in the very midst of her mothering Mary shared in Christian reflection and prayer.

In section three D. L. Migliore contributes a truly compelling essay on a Reformed understanding of Mary, i.e., a "contemporary rethinking of the significance of Mary for Christian faith and theology" (p. 118). He explores five Second Testament references to Mary: (1) Mary's consent to God's election, (2) her solidarity with the poor, (3) her fallibility, (4) her call to ministry, and (5) her spirituality. Within a Reformed faith perspective these biblical stories of Mary reveal a woman of courageous faith who teaches us to praise God's sovereign grace, to speak out against oppression, and to acknowledge our ongoing need for repentance and forgiveness. L. Malcolm examines Martin Luther's commentary on the Magnificat. She finds the organizing principle of his exegesis in three sets of contrasts: viz., wisdom, power, and wealth. Her central role is to witness the way God acts and what God does when God acts. C. L. Rigby addresses the issue of Mary and the artistry of God. Noting Mary's participation in the creative work of God, she sees the concept of artistry as a suggestive way of envisioning who Mary is in relationship to God. She poses the question: "Will we live, with Mary, as artists who participate in the artistry of God?" (p. 155).