Mary and Grace

Abstract

The chapter explores the topic of Mary and grace in light of its biblical background, especially the Gospel of Luke and the letters of Paul. On the topic of Mary’s grace and her sanctification, I examine the perspectives of four notable Fathers of the Church: Irenaeus, Origen, Augustine, and John of Damascus. Treating the Western development of doctrine on this topic, I very briefly describe the positions of Thomas Aquinas and John Duns Scotus, as well as the reflections of Matthias Scheeben and John Henry Newman after the 1854 promulgation of the dogma of Mary’s Immaculate Conception.