Mary the Mother of God: Her Purity and Holiness - EOTC Perspective - Part II

Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC) holds a deep reverence for the Holy Virgin Mary, acknowledging her unparalleled purity and holiness. In this essay, we will continue to explore the profound significance of Mary’s purity and sanctity, expanding on the insights shared in Part I.

When we proclaim that the Holy Virgin is pure and holy, we are not suggesting that she descended from heaven or that she is without human nature, resistant to hunger, thirst, fatigue, and death. Instead, we emphasize that she maintained perfect purity, having preserved herself from all sins. This understanding aligns with the teachings of the Holy Fathers, who asserted that apart from sin, Christ adopted human nature through His incarnation (ሥጋዌ). Jesus Christ Himself experienced hunger, fatigue, suffering, and death in the body and soul He inherited from the Holy Virgin Mary, and He referred to Himself as a son of man to express this shared nature (John 3:14-15).

When God desired to redeem humanity by becoming human, He found no other woman like the Holy Virgin Mary, who was a treasury (ግምጃ ቤት) of all virtues: holiness, purity, honesty, humility, hope in God, and love. Abba Hiriyakos illustrates this in the Liturgy of the Holy Virgin: “እግዚአብሔር አብ በሰማይ ሆኖ ምስራቅንና ምዕራብን ሰሜንና ደቡብን ዳርቻዎችን ሁለ በእውነት ተመለከተ ተነፈሰ አሸተተም እንደ አንቺ ያለ አላገኘም የአንቺን መዓዛ ወደደ ደም ግባትሽንም ወደደ የሚወደውን ልጁንም ወደ አንቺ ሰደደ፡፡” This statement testifies that no other creature can compare to her in holiness. The Holy Virgin's purity and sanctity are matchless. She stands apart from the rest, chosen among the chosen, superior to all creatures yet beneath the Creator, possessing a remarkable purity and holiness (Luke 1:26-55).

The glory (ክብር) of Mary surpasses that of all saints; she bore in her womb the One whom the Cherubim (አራቱ እንስሳት/ የጌታ መንበር ተሽካሚዎች), the twenty-four priests of heaven and angels praise with fear and unceasing devotion in heaven (Rev. 4:7-9).

The holiness and purity of the Virgin Mary are truly exceptional. Angel Gabriel praised her, saying "ጸጋን የተመላሽ ሆይ" St. Elizabeth also praised her, saying "የጌታዬ እናት" (Luke 1:28,43). Such profound honor has never been bestowed upon any other human being.

Mary's sanctity is not merely a matter of verbal acknowledgment. In Psalm 45:11, it is written, “ንጉሥ ውበትሽን ወድዶአልና፥ እርሱ ጌታሽ ነውና”. Here, King David speaks of her inner purity and sanctity. The beauty that God, the King, cherished, and what made our Lady extraordinary, was her perfect combination of a pure body, mind, and soul. In Psalm 87:3, David further acknowledges her, stating, “ነኪር ነገሩ በእንቲአኪ ሀገረ እግዚአብሔር፣ የእግዚአብሔር ሀገር ሆይ በእውነት በአንቺ የተደረገ የእግዚአብሔር ሥራው ዕፁብ ድንቅ ነው”

In summary, the EOTC’s perspective on the Holy Virgin Mary underscores her extraordinary purity and holiness. Her life and virtues set her apart as the purest and most holy among all human beings, chosen by God to bear His Son and revered by all creation.

 

Mary the Mother of God: Her Purity and Holiness - EOTC Perspective - Part I

 

Mary, the Mother of God, holds a revered place in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC), representing profound purity and holiness. The scripture from the Song of Solomon beautifully summarizes this belief: “ኩለንታኪ ሠናይት አልብኪ ነዉር ወኢምንትኒ ላዕሌኪ- ወዳጄ ሆይ ሁለንተናሽ ውብ ነው ነውርም የለብሽም” (Song Sol 4:7). According to the EOTC interpretation, this verse reflects King Solomon's prophecy, emphasizing Mary's unique state of grace: ነውርም የለብሽም, meaning she is free from shame, criticism, and blame. It proclaims her beauty and sinlessness in actions, speech, and thoughts, underscoring her holiness as the Mother of God.

God, in His essence, is holy, and where he dwells is holy and all that He blesses is holy. This extends to the Virgin Mary, who is not only blessed by God but is also His dwelling place—a vessel through which God took on flesh. Due to this, she is known as the “holy of the holies (ቅድስተ ቅዱሳን).” Mary's holiness is truly exceptional; she embodies purity in her body, soul, and thoughts. (Song Sol 4:7).

The Scriptures affirm her holiness through the words of St. David, who states, “ልዑል ማሪያውን ቀደሰ” (Ps. 46:4-5), signifying that she was holy even before her calling. The angel Gabriel further confirms her blessed state by proclaiming, "ከሴቶች ተለይተሽ የተባረክሽ ነሽ የማኅጸንሽም ፍሬ የተባረከ ነው" (Luke 1:28), testifying to her unparalleled purity and holiness.

Isaiah 1:14 prophesies, “እግዚአብሔር ዘርን ባያስቀርልን ኖሮ እንደ ሰዶም በሆንን እንደ ገሞራም በመሰልን ነበረ፡፡” This verse signifies that Christ will be born of the Holy Virgin Mary, taking her flesh and soul to save the world from suffering. While the term "seed –(ዘር)" refers to the faithful people of Israel, who were spared from the plague through God's mercy, ultimately, this prophecy speaks to the Holy Virgin Mary and the birth of Christ.

Scripture reveals that holy individuals are not labeled holy by chance; it is the result of deep struggle and unwavering love for God. True holiness comes from rejecting worldly sins through righteous living. St. David underscores this in “እግዚአብሔር በጻድቁ እንደተገለጸ እወቁ” (Psalm 4:3), highlighting that God reveals Himself through the righteous.

Our Lord Jesus Christ further repeats this principle, stating, “የሚወደኝ ቃሌን ይጠብቃል አባቴም ይወደዋል ወደ እርሱም እንመጣለን በእርሱም ዘንድ መኖሪያ እናደርጋለን” (John 14:24). By choosing Mary as His dwelling place, God recognized the purity and holiness central to her life. Her sanctity exceeds that of all holy individuals, positioning her as an essential participant in the divine plan for humanity's salvation.

In conclusion, reflecting on the words, “ወዳጄ ሆይ ሁለንተናሽ ውብ ነው ነውርም የለብሽም” (Song Sol 4:7), we recognize that the Holy Virgin Mary represents purity, free from all sin in speech, action, and thought. Her life stands as a testament to divine love and grace, serving as a timeless model of holiness for believers and establishing a standard for a life devoted to God.