Sinlessness of Mary

The sinlessness of Mary refers to the doctrine in which Mary, mother of Jesus chose not to sin.[1][2] It is upheld by the Eastern Orthodox Church, as well as by high church Lutherans.[3][2]

A fresco of The Marriage of the Virgin
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Eastern Orthodoxy

The Eastern Orthodox Churches teach that while Mary "inherited the same fallen nature, prone to sin" as with other humans, "she did not consent to sin through her free will."[1] Due to being conceived in ancestral sin, Mary still needed "to be delivered by our Savior, her Son" according to Eastern Orthodox teaching.[1]

Lutheranism
Further information: Lutheran Mariology

Martin Luther taught the lifelong sinlessness of Mary, a doctrine inherited by those of the high church Lutheran tradition.[2] The Smalcald Articles, a Lutheran confession of faith, declare "that the Son became man in this manner: he was conceived by the Holy Spirit, without the cooperation of man, and was born of the pure, holy, and ever-virgin Mary."[4] Lutheran writer Kristofer Carlson in explicating the Book of Concord, writes that "When Lutherans confess Mary as pure & holy, it is a reference to the chastity and sinlessness of Mary."[5]

Comparison with Roman Catholic dogma
Further information: Catholic Mariology

The Catholic Church teaches the Immaculate Conception, that Mary was conceived without original sin.[6] Kenneth Baker writes that:

Two special factors rendered Mary impeccable or unable to sin. The first was her constant awareness of God, living always in his presence, and the second was her reception of special and extraordinary graces. These special graces made it possible for Mary to maintain a perfect harmony in her mind, will and emotions and to recognize always what was the right thing to do and then to do it.[6]

The Encyclical Mystici Corporis from Pope Pius XII (1943) holds that Mary was also sinless personally, "free from all sin, original or personal".[7]

References
  1. Pavlatos, Timothy (18 July 2013). "The Sinlessness of Mary the Mother of God". St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
  2. Divozzo, R. (2019). Mary for Protestants. Wipf and Stock Publishers. ISBN 978-1-5326-7585-0.
  3. "Sinlessness of Mary - Questions & Answers". Orthodox Church in America. Retrieved 21 January 2020. I can say, in short, that the Orthodox Church believes that Mary, as a human being, could indeed have sinned, but chose not to.
  4. Chapman, Mark E. (1997) "A Lutheran Response to the Theme of the Virgin Mary as Mother of God, Icon of the Church and Spiritual Mother of Intercession," Marian Studies: Vol. 48, Article 12. Page 4.
  5. Carlson, Kristofer J. (2014). Why Mary Matters: Protestants and the Virgin Mary. Dormition Press.
  6. Baker, Kenneth (2016). Fundamentals of Catholicism, Vol. 2. Ignatius Press. ISBN 978-1-68149-732-7.
  7. Encyclical Mystici Corporis, 110 Archived March 17, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
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