The idea
First, the birth is a sign of Jesus' divinity without loss of his humanity: Leo's Tome, acclaimed at Chalcedon, says he 'is generated in a new order and a new birth' yet does not 'have a nature different from ours just because his birth was miraculous.' Second, it is a sign of the new creation: if Mary is the New Eve, it is fitting she bear the new Adam without the pain of Eve's curse — Ephrem: 'If Mary was blessed of women, she would have been exempt from the curse'; Gregory: 'the Mother of life… should give birth in joy.' Third, the resurrection is a kind of birth. The tomb was still sealed when the angel rolled the stone, and ancient Jews compared wombs and tombs (Jeremiah 20; Sirach 40:1; 51:5). Ephrem: 'the seal of the tomb witnessed in favour of the seal of the womb'; 'the womb and the sepulcher being sealed were witnesses unto you.' So the risen Jesus is 'the firstborn among many brethren' — and if he is firstborn of many, is Mary not our mother too?
Key verses
- Luke 1:42 — 'blessed among women' — Ephrem's premise.
- Genesis 3:16 — the curse the New Eve is spared.
- Matthew 27:66 — the tomb sealed.
- Matthew 28:2 — the stone rolled back after the rising.
- Sirach 51:5 — 'the womb of Hades.'
- Romans 8:29 — 'the firstborn among many brethren' (cited by Pitre as 8:28).
The connection
| Old Testament root | New Testament fulfilment | |
|---|---|---|
| Sealed womb, sealed tomb | → | Virgin birth and resurrection — two signs of one power |
Every belief about Mary points back to Jesus: the miraculous birth guards his divinity, announces the new creation, and foreshadows the resurrection — which in turn makes his mother the mother of his many brethren, the theme of the next chapter.
Sources
- Leo the Great — Tome to Flavian 2, 4 (pp 134–135) · read
- Council of Chalcedon (451) (p 135) · read
- Ephrem the Syrian — Commentary on the Diatessaron 2.6; 21.21; Hymns on the Nativity 10.6–8 (pp 135, 137) · read · read · read
- Gregory of Nyssa — On the Song of Songs 13 (p 135) · read
- Severus of Antioch — Homily 108 (p 137) · read
- Augustine of Hippo — Sermon 215.3 (p 137) · read