I would like to thank my worthy opponent AHiggs for having this Christian debate with me. May the Lord bless and keep him always! And may our Triune God help us understand each others position and appreciate each other in love even when we disagree politely. May the Lord Jesus help me to articulate a good defense of his mothers Immaculate Conception!
Ahiggs my brother in Christ Jesus, I know you had a few really good questions you wanted to ask. I would like to answer those questions and any other objections you may bring up in the second round. In this first opening statement (first round) I am going to try to systematically explain from scripture and early church history why Catholic Church thinks that Mary was Immaculately Conceived in her mother Anns womb.
So here is a Catholic explanation of why Mary is Immaculately conceived:
Immaculate Mary
First off I want to say the Immaculate Conception is implicit in scripture and not explicit. There are many doctrines that the bible teach that are implied but not fully spelled out such as the Trinity, the two natures of Christ, and the Immaculate conception. In order to understand the implicit doctrines we must look to the bible as a whole and in context and put the pieces of the puzzle together.In order to understand the Immaculate Conception a non-Catholic must first understand what is meant by the doctrine. Contrary to popular beliefs, it does not refer to Christ's conception in Mary's womb. The Catechism of the Catholic church quotes Pope Pius IX in 1854 in the Constitution Ineffabilis Deus saying "the Blessed Virgin Mary in the first instance of her conception, by a singular privilege and grace granted by God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved exempt from all stain of original sin". This means that the Blessed Virgin Mary was given a gift by Jesus of being free of all sin personal and original since the conception of her in her mother's womb. She is the holy one: spotless, stainless, without blemish, and sinless, immaculate according to many of the early Christians such as St. Ambrose and early scripture scholar Origen.
Some Protestants would argue that Mary could not be sinless because she proclaimed that she herself had a savior. The Catholic Church teaches that Mary did have a savior, Jesus Christ, but there are two ways to be saved. One can be saved by being pulled out of the mud or one can be saved by being prevented from falling in the mud. Mary's salvation was given by Christ at her conception, anticipation for what all Christians hope for at the second coming.
Another common objection that non-Catholics raise is Romans 3:23 which says "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God". The context of St. Paul's writings explains how this message does not pertain to Mary. Paul, when he used the word "all", was not describing every single person but rather he was using a general meaning. One can tell this by the context. Paul was speaking of personal sin and arguing that just because one was a Jew does not give him special claim to salvation. All have fallen short, both Jews and Gentiles. If St. Paul were speaking of every single human being that was born he would have to include infants, the mentally handi-capped, and Jesus, all of whom cannot sin. They are exceptions. Mary is also an exception because of her roles as the Ark of the Covenant and new Eve.
Typing away
To understand this dogma one must first understand biblical typology. Biblical typology is the study of how people and things in the Old Testament foreshadow certain fulfillments in the New Testament. Every typological fulfillment in the New Testament is greater and more real and powerful then its Old Testament type. For example, St. Paul reminds us that Jesus is a typological fulfillment of Adam (1 Cor 15:22, 45). One can see parallels between Adam and Christ. For through Adam all death comes and through Christ all life comes(Jn 3:15-16). Jesus is everything that Adam was and more. Jesus obeyed the Father perfectly, unlike Adam. Jesus fulfills and destroys Adams curse.
Mary in the New Testament is also a fulfillment of certain types namely Eve and the Ark of the Covenant. In Genesis Eve is described as a "Women" who disobeyed God. Genesis describes one woman (Eve) and one man (Adam) who are created initially immaculate. The woman and man are approached by one angel (who is fallen, the Devil) and they choose freely to disobey God and eat one food from one tree that would cause death for a whole race. In Luke's gospel the same is seen but only in reversed and redemptive way. In Luke one woman (Mary) is visited by one angel (who is holy, Gabriel) and this one woman freely chooses to obey and accept God's plan for her, unlike Eve. This one women would give birth to one man Jesus Christ who would die for all on a tree and give the world one food to eat that would give life to the whole human race (Holy Communion Jn 6:54-58).
Mary is truly the fulfillment of Eve as Jesus is of Adam. Catholic Scripture scholar Dr. Scott Hahn demonstrates that Mary is called by the title "woman" by Jesus himself(Jn 2:4, Jn 19:26-27) and in Rev 12:1-17 one discovers that the "woman" who is described as a fulfillment of Eve is the Mother of God herself.
The Fathers of the Church saw Mary as the fulfillment of Eve too. St. Justin Martyr in 155 A.D. made direct comparisons to Mary and Eve on a redemptive level. St. Ireneuas spoke of Mary as a fulfillment of Eve stating that in Luke's Gospel Mary loosed the knot of sin that Eve bound the world in. Even as early as the late 1st century the writings of Mathetes spoke of a new “incorrupt”[not corrupted by sin] Eve who was a Virgin.
The typology of Mary as New Eve is important to the Immaculate Conception because it shows implicit evidence for the doctrine. Remembering that all New Testament fulfillments are far greater and more powerful than their Old Testament types one can only conclude that Mary is immaculately conceived. Eve and Adam were created without sin; Jesus and Mary fulfill their types. Just as the new Adam, Jesus is sinless, so too the new Eve, Mary. If Mary was not conceived sinless she would be a inferior type to Eve. This is why many fathers of the church, such as St. Augustine in his work "Nature and Grace" , freely and confidently proclaimed Mary to be sinless.
New Ark of the Covenant
Another type Mary fulfills is the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark of the Covenant contained three things: the Manna from heaven, the rod of Aaron (a sign of high priestly Authority), and the ten words (or Ten Commandments) of God. Mary carried in her womb the fulfillment of all three of those things. Jesus Christ is the new manna from heaven(Jn 6:48-51) and is the new covenant high priest who rules the new kingdom, the church with a rod of iron(Rev 12:5). Like the ten words carried in the Ark, Jesus is the Word of God incarnate himself(Jn1:1,14). The United States Catholic Bishops show how St. Luke presented Mary as the new Ark of the Covenant in parallels in their pastoral letter. For example, if one compares 2 Sam 6 with Luke 1 they will find Mary being presented as the new Ark. In 2 Sam 6:2 David arose and went to Judah; in Luke 1:39 Mary arose and went to Judah. In 2 Sam 6:9 David ask "How can the ark of the Lord come to Me". In Luke 1:43 Elizabeth uses almost identical language saying " why is this granted me that the Mother of my Lord should come to me." In 2 Sam 6:11 the Ark remained for three months. In Lk 1:56 Mary stays three months with Elizabeth. In 2 Sam 6:12 David rejoices; in Lk 1:47 Mary's spirit rejoices. In 2 Sam 6:16 there is leaping and dancing. In Lk 1:41 the babe leaps in Elizabeth's womb. Also interesting to note is the Ark of the Covenant was overshadowed by the Spirit of God(Ex 40:34). Luke used the same Greek word that the Septuagint (Greek translations of the Old Testament) use in Exodus describing the Ark being overshadowed to describe Mary being overshadowed by the Holy Spirit(Lk:1:35). Clearly St. Luke sees Mary as typologically the fulfillment of the Ark.
Scripture Scholar Dr. Scott Hahn also shows how gospel writer John reveals Mary as the New Ark in the Book of Revelation(Rev 11:19). The ark of God's heavenly covenant is revealed, and in the very next verse(Rev 12:1) the woman, Mary, who gave birth to Jesus, appears. Dr. Hahn reminds readers that when Scripture was written there were no chapters and verses, and when the Book of Revelation is read in its immediate and typological context the Ark is revealed as Mary.
The Early Christian Fathers of the Church like St. Hippolytus, St. Jerome, and St. Ambrose had openly proclaimed Mary as the new Ark of the Covenant and many of the fathers of the church also spoke of her being sinless. One of the earliest hymns [The Nisibene Hymn 4th century] written in praise of Mary spoke of Mary as "without stain or blemish" and more early hymns of the early church also spoke of her as the "Ark Gilded by the Holy Ghost"[Akathist hymn 5th century]. If Mary is truly a fulfillment of the Ark then her Immaculate Conception makes sense. What the old ark contained could not be touched by sin. One had to be sanctified from sin just to carry the ark due to its precious cargo(1 Chron 15:12-14). Uzzuh was himself killed because he was a sinful man who touched the ark (2Sam 6:6-8). If the old covenant ark could not be touched by sin because of what it carried, how much more would the new covenant fulfillment of the ark (Mary) not be touched by sin for what she carried (the fulfillment of that cargo, Jesus who was far more holier). For the wisdom of God will not dwell in a body under the debt of sin(Wis 1:4), and Jesus Christ is wisdom personified(1 Cor 1:24). Combine this with St. Gabriel's proclamation to Mary giving her the title "Full of grace"(Lk 1:28) or as many Greek bible scholars have shown a more proper translation of that passage is "one who has been perfected and completed in Grace". If a person is perfected or completed in grace there is no room for sin. Hence Mary's Immaculate Conception is biblically implicit.
Conclusion
The arguments that non-Catholic scholars attempt to make disregarding the Biblical evidence for the Immaculate Conception are shown to be folly when one studies the Scripture on a deeper typological level. The Fathers of the Church proclaim Mary as the New Eve, the Ark of the Covenant, and the Immaculate. Scripture and apostolic tradition bear witness to this dogma that Protestants tend to misunderstand. Through the use of Scripture, apostolic tradition, and the Magisterium, the truth of this dogma is cemented.
Well I hope that was understandable. I look forward to your objections and questions and to hearing your understanding of this Dogma. May God bless you always Ahiggs!
Gratefully In Jesus the King through Mary the Immaculate Queen Mother,
Athanasias