In this lecture, we examine how methodological assumptions about Scripture—rather than explicit theological disagreement—have shaped Protestant views of the Virgin Mary. Specifically, we analyze how reading the New Testament in its printed order rather than its historical order of composition creates a misleading impression of Marian doctrine as an early, fading element of Christianity rather than a mature and authoritative teaching of the Church.
The talk begins by identifying commonly held assumptions in Protestant biblical interpretation: that the Gospels represent primitive narrative theology, that the Epistles represent later doctrinal maturity, and that frequency of mention indicates theological importance. These assumptions appear reasonable when Scripture is read from beginning to end as a bound volume—but they collapse once the actual chronology of the New Testament is taken seriously.
Drawing on historical evidence accepted by Protestant scholarship itself, this presentation demonstrates that the Epistles and Acts were written before the Gospels, and that the Gospels therefore represent the Church’s mature, reflective, and authoritative testimony to Christ. When read chronologically, the apparent “silence” about Mary in Acts and the Epistles no longer suggests marginality, but rather presupposition.
Special attention is given to the Gospel of St. John, the final Gospel written, which deliberately places Mary at two decisive moments in salvation history:
- at Cana, where her intercession inaugurates Christ’s public ministry
- at the Cross, where her motherhood is extended to the beloved disciple and, by extension, to the Church
Rather than correcting or minimizing Marian doctrine, John confirms and deepens it in Scripture’s most theologically developed witness.
This talk concludes by arguing that the Protestant reading order of Scripture produces an illusion of doctrinal regression that disappears once Scripture is read as it was written—over time, within the living Church. Far from being an optional or emotional early devotion, Marian doctrine emerges as an integral consequence of the Incarnation itself.
Topics covered include:
- Scripture reading order vs. historical chronology
- Gospels as authoritative conclusions, not primitive beginnings
- Why silence in the Epistles does not imply doctrinal unimportance
- The decisive Marian theology of the Gospel of John
- Mary as essential to a concrete, historical understanding of the Incarnation
This presentation is intended for Catholics, Protestants, and anyone interested in serious biblical theology, Church history, and the proper interpretation of Sacred Scripture.
Mr. William C. Michael, O.P. Headmaster Classical Liberal Arts Academy https://classicalliberalarts.com
Feb 17 202659 min