Part I Mariology Series: MARY AS THE NEW EVE
Mary as revealed through the Scriptures from The Old Testament to The New Testament
In our first part of this series, we will be be discussing how Mary is described as the New Eve. As I mentioned in our introduction, in order to understand who Mary is and what her calling was, we first need to look at who Jesus is.
Jesus is known as the new Adam. He is the man that comes to undo the effects of Adam’s sin and the fall of man.
New creation as a new Adam:
“For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.” Romans 5:19
“So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 1 Corinthians 15:45
If Jesus is the new Adam, then who is the new Eve? Mary is revealed in scripture as the new Eve. Our thoughts or denial on this idea isn't of importance as it is the Scriptures themselves and the early Christians that identify her as such. In Genesis chapters 1-3 is the story of the first woman in Eden; Eve. We will be working on 3 basic points about Eve and the book of Genesis and how she points ahead to Mary.
I: Eve is only called by her name “Eve” once in Genesis. However, she is called “woman” over ten times. That was the name of choice for the first woman; for Eve.
II: When Adam and Eve take the fruit, they do it together. They fall together. They commit the first sin, together. They cooperate in eating the fruit from the forbidden tree.
III: After the fall, God pronounces this mysterious prophecy when he punishes the serpent. Genesis 3:15 has four characters in this prophecy. The serpent, the woman, the serpent's offspring and the woman’s offspring.
"And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
The serpent vs the woman.
The serpent’s offspring strikes the heel of the woman’s offspring.
The woman’s offspring crushes the head of the serpent's offspring.
This battle shows that both will lose.
If you want to kill a snake, you have to go to the head. It is very effective to crush the head. However, it is also very dangerous to do so with your foot. The snake will strike your heel and if it is poisonous, you can die.
In Ancient Jewish tradition, the Jews interpreted this as a prophecy of the upcoming Messiah. When the Messiah would come, one of the things that he would do, would be to conquer evil; the devil. With that background of Genesis in mind, certain passages of Mary in the New Testament come alive in a new light and reveal that she isn't just the mother of Jesus the Messiah. In light of the Old Testament, you find that Mary is revealed as the new Eve.
We will look at 2 key books. The Gospel of John at the Wedding at Cana and the book of Revelation at the foot of the Cross.
When Jesus addresses Mary in the Gospels, he doesn’t address her as mother, he addresses her as “woman”.
“Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.” John 2:4
"When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. John 19:26-27
Many like to claim that him calling her "woman" shows us that she was of little significance. This is far from true. He was identifying Mary. Jesus, being God, obeyed and followed the Ten Commandments completely, including honoring our mother and father. We have no accounts of any Jewish man ever in ancient Judaism calling his mother “woman”. Jesus was revealing to us that Mary isn’t just his mother, she's also the new woman of the new covenant. The new Eve and showing us her role in salvation. Let's take a look at the Typology with regards to this.
Mary’s identity in the Gospel of John is revealed as the new Eve. This has been confirmed by scholars.
Let’s see what Revelation 12:1-5, 9 says about the woman clothed with the sun,
“A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne… The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
The mysterious woman. Many say this is a symbol for:
The people of God
Israel
The Church
Definitely not Mary (usually other commentators who are anti-catholic)
Why are the serpent and the child an individual but the woman isn't? It is contradictory to the context. It is problematic. There are 3 characters in this verse. John is having a vision.
The serpent/Satan
Woman, Mary. (why not Mary?)
Male child, Jesus.
Mary becomes the mother of all. The mother of the church. If we speak of this collectively.
We see the serpent and woman in Genesis. Revelation 12 reveals that Mary’s role in salvation history is not only to be the mother of the Messiah, but also the new Eve.
What are the theological implications of this conclusion? It is very ancient and it is very important. You can read this also in the writings of the early church fathers. These were Bishops and Priests in the first, second and all the way through the third century. While the Bible was being formed and put together and the church was spreading throughout the Roman Empire. There was widespread agreement that Mary in the New Testament was not only the mother of God (Jesus the son of the second person of the Trinity), but also the new Eve.
Let’s take a look at what the early Christians, Church Fathers, wrote about this in the first four centuries A.D.
Against Heresies by: Irenaeus of Lyons (between 174 and 189 CE)
“And thus also it was that the knot of Eve’s disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary. For what the virgin Eve had bound fast through unbelief, this did the virgin Mary set free through faith.”
Catechetical Lectures by: Cyril of Jerusalem (distinguished Theologian of the early church in the 3rd Century A.D)
“Death came through a virgin, Eve. It was necessary that life also should come through a virgin…”
Commentary on the Psalms by: John Chrysostom (around 4th Century A.D.)
“A maiden expelled us from paradise, through a maiden we find eternal life.”
Today, many say, “Mary was just an ordinary woman”. However, this isn’t how ancient Christians regarded her. They recognized that she plays a unique and pivotal role in the History of Salvation. She’s not just an ordinary woman!
If Mary is the new Eve, then she is free from from the stain sin. She isn't divine in nature, but a woman with a greater calling. Let’s see what these early century writers have to say about this.
Nisibene Hymns by: Ephrem the Syrian around 306-373 A.D.
“Only you [Jesus] and your Mother are more beautiful than everything. For on you, O Lord, there is no mark; neither is there any stain in your Mother.”
On Nature and Grace by: Augustine of Hippo in 415 A.D.
“We must except the holy Virgin Mary… And that means except with an ‘E’, not accept with an ‘A’. We must except the holy Virgin Mary, concerning whom I wish to raise no question when it touches the subject of sins, out of honor to the Lord; for from Him we know what abundance of grace for overcoming sin in every particular was conferred upon her who had the merit to conceive and bear Him who undoubtedly had no sin.”
She was created in a state of freedom of sin just as the original Eve was. It is the identity God gives her because of her role in salvation history.
One verse that protestants and anti-catholics use against us to say it contradicts our Catholic beliefs on Mary is Romans 3:23 which states:
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…”
Let’s go ahead and put this into context.
Who is ALL? Are there any exceptions?
Jesus
The Unborn
Mary. Just because she’s the new Eve, not because she’s divine. All for God’s final purpose.
Let’s read what the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches on this matter and I will close this part with that. In future parts, I will explain all I just said in further detail.
CCC 411
“The Christian tradition sees in this passage an announcement of the "New Adam" who, because he "became obedient unto death, even death on a cross", makes amends superabundantly for the disobedience of Adam. Furthermore many Fathers and Doctors of the Church have seen the woman announced in the Protoevangelium as Mary, the mother of Christ, the "new Eve". Mary benefited first of all and uniquely from Christ's victory over sin: she was preserved from all stain of original sin and by a special grace of God committed no sin of any kind during her whole earthly life.”
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