The Unitive Principle of Marian Theology

THE THOMIST A SPECULATIVE QUARTERLY REVIEW OF THEOLOGY AND PHILOSOPHY EDITORS: THE DOMINICAN FATHERS OF THE PROVINCE OF ST. JOSEPH Publishers: The Thom.ist Press, Washington 17, D. C. VoL. XVIII OCTOBER, 1955 No. 4 THE UNITIVE PRINCIPLE OF MARIAN THEOLOGY BEFORE the end of the last century there were very few theological works treating all of Marian Theology as a separate unit. The Spanish Jesuit, Father Bover, writes that the definition of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception was the signal for a tremendous growth not only of Marian piety, but also the Mariological science.1 Previous to this period of Mariological history, doctrines concerning the Blessed Virgin were usually treated as an integral part of Christology. Also a great deal of theological literature was devoted to particular Marian problems, such as the Immaculate Conception. A few exceptions are to be found, for instance, the Mariological writings of St. Albert the Great and St. Bonaventure, but as a general rule the exclusively Mariological works came into being at the begining of this 1 Bover, S. J., Sinteais organica de la Mariologia, p. S. 443 444 PAUL MAHONEY century. This, being the age of specialization, such a development is quite understandable. Theological specialization is rather common today; this is the age of Mariology, Ecclesiology and other such special studies of doctrine. With this development of Mariology, the theologians have naturally attempted to build the tract as an organic whole. Consequently the problem of a primary Mariological principle has been of great concern to the Marian theologian. The prime principle is the foundation and the unifying element of any systematic and scientific treatment of a subject. Science, we must remember, is not a mere collection of facts, but rather it is the organization of these facts into an intelligible whole, the indication of a relation of one fact upon another. In Theology the positive theologian may be quite content to find the facts in the sources of revelation, but the speculative theologian demands that a logical order be established among these facts of faith. So quite naturally the speculative Mariologist has sought a prime principle for his tract. Some have asserted that there is no one prime principle in Mariology, rather the whole tract can be reduced to two irreducible principles; the Divine Maternity and Mary's association in the Redemptive activity of her Son.2 Yet, others claim that one Marian doctrine or the other serves the purpose of a primary principle. Some of these propose the doctrine of the New Eve, which is a biblical-patristic analogy indicating Mary's association in the Redemption. The vast majority, who hold to but one Mariological principle, favor the Divine Maternity as the seminal and fundamental doctrine of the tract. We do not intend to examine in detail each of these opinions, but rather to seek out the principles of solution for the problem. However, there are certain necessary points that must be first looked into: namely, the nature of Mariology, its relation to Theology and the nature of a theological principle. Once having arrived at the principles of solution, we will consider the two principal Marian doctrines in the light of these principles. • Roschini, Mariologia, tom. I, pp. 324-337. Father Roschini gives a complete p1·esentation of all the opinions offered in solution of the problem. THE UNITIVE PRINCIPLE OF MARIAN THEOLOGY 445 1. THE NATURE OF MAru:OLOGY According to the classic Aristotelian-Thomistic method of arriving at the knowledge of the nature of a subject, one must proceed from the more known to the less known. Thus time and time again in the Summa Theologiae the Angelic Doctor begins his investigation of a subject with its nominal definition and ends with the real definition. ,Having established the real definition, he points out the logical consequences which necessarily follow. This is the method which we will here utilize in the investigation of t4_e nature of Mariology. The word, Mariology, quite obviously is derived from the Greek words: Ma.p£a and A.6yo~. Their latin equivalents are Maria and sermo, and in English, Mary and discourse. An investigation of these two words will shed much light upon the nature...