Just as our Lord Jesus Christ is the true and Second Adam — the true man, through whom all humanity can become truly human — so also is Mary, the Mother of God (Theotokos) the true and second Eve. She is The Woman, through whose womb was salvation and the restoration of the cosmos to be wrought.
We see Jesus call upon his mother in this way in the Gospel According to John:
“And the wine failing, the mother of Jesus saith to him: ‘They have no wine.’ And Jesus saith to her: ‘Woman, what is that to me and to thee? my hour is not yet come.’ His mother saith to the waiters: ‘Whatsoever he shall say to you, do ye.’”
According to John 2:3-5 (Douay Rheims)
While some interpret this passage through modern language and culture — wrongly believing that Jesus has “rebuked” his own mother (which is a blasphemous accusation) — what Jesus is saying here is actually a great sign of respect. And indeed, Jesus obeys his mother, and does exactly as she says. The Mother of God in turn gives us the most important of precepts as followers of Christ: “Do whatever He tells you.”
David Bazan is an indie-rock musician that once fronted and originated a musical group called “Pedro the Lion,” an easy-listening indie band with some distinctly religious overtones.
The Holy Gospel According to John is the most “mystical” of all the holy scriptures.
Textual Criticism is a discipline that has gained much popularity over the last one hundred years or so, especially as related to the so-called “Bible” of the Christian faith.
Let’s be honest — most converts to the Orthodox Faith that have arrived from an evangelical or Protestant background are faced with quite a challenge when it comes to the subject of Icons.
The High Priest of Israel entered into the holiest recesses of the Temple while wearing a breastplate (Hebrew חֹשֶׁן or “choshen“) adorned with precious stones and jewels, along with the mysterious Urim and Thummim. The scriptures record:
One of the most distinguished characteristics of the Orthodox Church is the nuanced (some might say “eastern” or “Greek”) understanding of “symbol” that is transcendant and goes beyond mere externals or the recesses of one’s brain. The concept of “symbol” for most people in the west today is — in the words of the reposed Fr Alexander Schmemann: “an illustration whose purpose can be termed pedagogic or educational.” In other words, a symbol merely points to or teaches about an idea or concept, but offers no real or transcendant connection to anything beyond itself. In Orthodoxy, however, a symbol is a gateway or “window” to something beyond itself; it is something that truly connects the person with the thing signified.
