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Jesus Called Her Mother,

A Personal Intimate Look at the Young

Jewish Girl Who Found Favor with God

and Became the Mother of his Son

By Dee Jepsen

Bethany House Publishers

Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1992

ISBN: 1556612958

Book Review by Frank Romance

There is so much to recommend this book on our Blessed Mother that it is hard to know where to start. The author, wife to a former U.S. senator, is an award-winning author, and this book is an obvious “labor of love.” She describes it as a “personal, intimate look,” and so it is, but for this reviewer I got the distinct impression that it is both Spirit-filled and Spirit-directed. It is certainly solidly based on Scripture. Indeed, in the Introduction (p.11) the author states: “I hav e found in Scripture the evidence of her touch, the imprint of her obedient steps.”She dedicates the work “…to all God’s women who seek to serve Him with all their hearts in the fullness of their womanhood.” Despite this dedication, I have no hesitation in recommending it also to men, for the underlying truths of our relationship with Mary are universal and equally valid for men and women.

It is apparent that Dee Jepsen felt called to write this book and to travel throughout the Holy Land to those places where Mary’s life unfolded. She sums this up (p.79) in the following words: “I came to Israel looking for Mary, wanting to see and touch the places she walked, in search of a multi-faceted sense of who she was and how she lived. I did this in response to an insistent impulse within me concerning Mary – which I recognized as coming from God – not knowing exactly where it would lead.

The author’s personal musings and imaginings regarding Mary (and I suspect most of us have our own) are based largely on these personal encounters with Nazareth, Bethlehem, Jerusalem and other places of Our Lady’s earthly existence.

One of my very few points of contention with the author is with her quoting (Introduction, p. 13) from David du Plessis, a Pentecostalist preacher, who wrote that “Catholics have adored Mary…” Not so. Catholics reserve adoration only for God. And for Mary, devotion, reverence, and a special place (befitting her role as Mother of God, mother of our and her Lord and Savior) in our prayer life and liturgies – but not adoration! Another (chapter 1, p. 19) is her statement: “Quite likely, she [Mary] was also present at Pentecost…” I believe there is no question; Scripture makes clear her presence , and this is a principal basis for the Catholic teaching on Mary as the “Mother of the Church.”

I must admit that I was enthralled with Mrs. Jepsen’s insights and the questions she posed throughout the book. For example, in Chapter 1, p. 19, she asks “What was that like – to be loved as Jesus’ mother?”, and states that “…Mary was the only human privileged to be present at both Jesus’ birth and death.” If the reader has no time to read the entire work (only 196 pages), I would recommend at least pages 20-30 in which the author describes how she came to write the book, and how Mary came to mean so much to her: “…I’ve concluded that Mary is just the sort of woman I’d like to be.” In these same pages, she asserts that in the Church’s early centuries Mary was regarded as the Mother of God “by all believers” to emphasize the truth that “…Jesus Christ was truly God and truly man” – a fundamental doctrine ch allenged by heretics and successfully defended and affirmed by a fourth century Church Council. She quotes (p.28) comments by a leading evangelical scholar, Kenneth Kantzer, regarding the practice of calling Mary the mother of God: “While the phrase may be awkward, Protestants generally have agreed that it is faithful to the real sense of Scripture, and that to deny it is to suggest that we really do not believe in the full deity of Him who was born of Mary.” Personally, I have never regarded the title “Mother of God” as being “awkward,” but rather as being “awesome” – reflecting the awesome mystery of the Trinity and the Incarnation. To the many questions posed by author Jepsen, I would add one of my own: What if the heresy had not been put down; where would be our “Mariology” today if the divinity of Christ had not been authoritatively asserted seventeen hundred centuries ago?

Like so many more of her chapters, number 2, “A Willing Heart” recounting the Annunciation is a gem, and like the others includes “Questions to Ponder” at its end. Among these are the following: “ If God spoke to me today, would I be ready to hear Him?” “How would I respond?” and “In what ways does Mary’s example speak to my circumstances”? Chapter 3, “Celebrating Truth: Woman to Woman” (i.e., Mary’s Visitation to her cousin Elizabeth) is another treasure of insight and devotion. The accompanying illustration/sketch of Elizabeth kneeling to Mary/Jesus would itself be worth the entire cost of the book. Again, among the questions she poses is the following: “ In my times of worship to the Lord, how may I better reflect the attitude of humility, devotion and praise seen in the Magnificat”?

In the ensuing chapters, Dee Jepsen unfolds, inter alia, the subsequent events in the life of Mary – and inevitably in the life of Christ, for the two are inextricably joined. With beautiful insight she presents the scriptural account and her own musings on the birth of Jesus; the presentation of the Infant Jesus in the temple; the finding of the Child Jesus; the wedding feast of Cana; Mary;s shared suffering on Calvary; Christ’s Resurrection; and Pentecost. Her final chapter she entitles, “ A Model of True Motherhood,” but this might just as well have been entitled “A Model of True Christianity,” for as the author herself affirms (p. 181): “The image of Mary among those disciples intrigues me and seems to suggest a lesson for today.” To this I can only respond “Amen”!

Review by Robie I. Samanta Roy, ESBVM member

The School of Alexandria, Book One – Before Origen

by Father Tadros Y. Malaty

Pope Shenouda III Coptic Theological College, Sydney, Australia, 1995

During the early formative years of Christianity from the 2^nd to the 4^th centuries AD, the theological school of Alexandria was instrumental in developing early Church theology and doctrine. In addition, the school educated scores of leading theologians during that time period – many of whose writings are still with us today. Father Tadros Malaty, a Coptic Orthodox priest, wrote a two volume set a decade ago that outlined the origins of this school, its early deans, and the impact the school had on topics such as the allegorical interpretation of the Bible, and the relationship between early Christianity and Gnosticism. While the title indicates the period before Origen (185-254 AD), Book One also dwells on Origen’s contributions to allegorical exegesis. Book Two of this set (not reviewed here) focuses on Origen and his successors. The book contains numerous footnotes, but no bibliography nor an index – limiting its utility as a rapid reference. In his research, Fr. Malaty relies heavily upon the early Father’s writings, the Coptic Encyclopedia, as well as a wide variety of works by others such as Jean Daniélou.

The origins of the Christian School of Alexandria can be found in the writings of St. Jerome who records that the School was founded by St. Mark himself sometime before he was martyred around 68AD. The school was founded amidst the intellectual fervor of Alexandria, Egypt where numerous schools representative of the various branches of Greek and Jewish philosophy had flourished well before the time of Christ. Indeed, the curriculum of the school was encyclopedic, covering more than just Christian theology, and Fr. Malaty shows the strong influence that Hellenic philosophy had on early Christian thought.

Fr. Malaty outlines the broad characteristics of the teachings of the Alexandrian school as those focused on the grace of renewal (deification), the oneness of life in Christ, the salvation of man (soteriological theology), the importance of penance and repentance, and the importance of a ecumenical spirit. Above all, the school was known for its allegorical interpretation of the scriptures – in contrast to more literal interpretations advocated by the school of Antioch. This emphasis has been traced to the influences of non-Christian scholars, such as Philo (an Alexandrian Jew), who made systematic use of this approach to bridge the Old Testament revelation and Platonic philosophy. A fair amount is spent explaining the evolution of the allegorical interpretation and numerous examples are given included the significance of numbers, names, and events in the Old Testament and how they are linked to foreshadowing of the coming of Christ. Included are references in the Old Testament that were interpreted to foretell the role of St. Mary bearing Christ.

A large chapter is devoted to Gnosticism and the reaction of the school of Alexandria towards the broad range of philosophies and movements that stressed salvation through knowledge (or gnosis). Indeed, Alexandria was a center for some Gnostic activities with philosophers such as Basilides, Carpocrates, and Valentinus being significant contributors to this line of thought.

After 187 pages exploring the broader impact of the School, Fr. Malaty spends the rest of the 501 pages discussing the individual deans of the School up to Origen. He mentions briefly the first three: Yostius, Eumenius, and Marcianius, and then concentrates on life, writings, and theology of Athenagoras the Apologist and St. Clement of Alexandria. Fr. Malaty interestingly notes that Athenagoras is called a philosopher by the Coptic Church, and not a saint, due to some theological mistakes.

In summary, Fr. Malaty has created a wonderful resource that gives insight in the role that the School of Alexandria played in early Christianity.

Both Book One and Two can be found on-line at: www.orthodoxbookstore.org

Blessed One, Protestant Perspectives on Mary, edited by Beverly Roberts Gaventa and Cynthia L. Rigby, with a Foreword by Kathleen Norris. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2002. ISBN 0-664-22438-5

A Must Read for all ESBVM members
By Virginia Kimball

Beverly Gaventa and Cynthia Rigby's new book on Mary, the Mother of Christ, is a must read for any serious Christian who considers the ecumenical dialogue on the Blessed Virgin Mary to be important. It presents a kaleidoscope of ideas and Protestant re-constructionist thought on the true meaning of the life of Christ's mother.

For Catholic and Reformation theology, it is a challenge to traditional thought. The book is a collection of essays by leading Protestant thinkers, including a fine piece by Nancy J. Duff, professor of Theological Ethics at Princeton Theological School. Duff, in her article "Mary, Servant of the Lord," describes the Protestant dislike of Roman Catholic thinking that seeks an idealistic level of perfection in regard to Mary. She claims what bothers theologians of the Reformed Tradition are statements concerning the angel's words at the Incarnation. She writes that although Mary was "full of grace," the biblical phrase doesn't necessarily mean she was "created without sin in order to be worthy of giving birth to the Son of God, for God enters a world that is unworthy of the presence of God." Duff describes Catholic thought on claiming Mary's perfection as an "extension of docetism." And, the author offers a solution in this apparent gap between Protestant and Catholic thought, with her own new vision. Duff writes: "Mary, like all of us, was called not into perfection but into discipleship." For ecumenical thinkers, this is food for thought.

Each article included presents challenging thoughts on traditional views, both Catholic and Protestant. Although some of the writing represents Protestant feminist claims that theology of Mary has traditionally demeaned the role of women, Joel B. Green, New Testament Professor at Ashbury Theological Seminary, looks at Luke's profile of Mary and sees a new meaning in the words of Angel Gabriel to the Virgin. Instead of God's call showing that the new realm of Christianity demeans the family importance of first century Palestine, he suggests that Mary's "partnership in the aims of God transcends the claims of family." Christ is using the strong Jewish claim to family life to build God's community. And, "Mary shows the way." This, in turn, provides us "access to a way of perceiving the world and life in it that runs counter to the world of normal perception." Green has just described the approach to mystery, a pattern of thinking that enters the theological trajectory of Orthodox Christian thinking on the meaning of the Incarnation, although not mentioned by Green.

Nora O. Lozano-Diaz, professor of Theological Studies at the Hispanic Baptist Theological School, offers "New readings of the Lady of Guadalupe," suggesting a unique vision of the Guadalupe Virgin and her importance for all Latino Christians. She lays claim to the phrase heard from childhood, "todos los mexicanos somos Guadalupanos," perhaps falling on the ears of unaware women who have not seen this Mary as "a subject with a strong will and social consciousness -- a woman who was active, assertive, and involved with functions other than motherhood." Lozano-Diaz sees the Lady of Guadalupe as a woman who offers liberation, not only social but spiritual.

There's a wealth of riches in reading this book. Bonnie J. Miller-McLemore, professor of pastoral theology and counseling at Vanderbilt University, points out the value of new feminine considerations of Mary. Referring to Susan Rubin Suleiman, she says "Mothers dont write, they are written." Perhaps, over centuries Virgin Mary was not regarded herself as a source of theological knowledge. But Miller-McLemore claims that Mary's motherhood is itself a theological statement. And, Mary's pondering is an "act of mothering," a thought mentioned in other articles in this book.

The riches of the entire collection are too vast to cover in this brief summary. But, it should be noted that music buffs will enjoy the article that moves from Tina Turner's song "Proud Mary" to a deeper understanding of the ancient term "Theotokos," bearer of God. It is a creative piece by Cheryl A. Kirk-Duggan, Executive Director of the Center for Women and Religion at the Graduate Theological Union. In a woman's way, Kirk-Duggan provides "Contextual Constructions of a Divine Diva."

This book should grace every bookshelf of those interested in the ecumenical exploration of understanding the mother of Christ. It not only informs, but it provides a platform for dialogue and discussion, for the feminist, the non-feminist, the Reformation theologians, Roman Catholics and indeed all Christians.