Mother of God: A History of the Virgin Mary

by Miri Rubin

How did the Virgin Mary, about whom very little is said in the Gospels, become one of the most powerful and complex religious figures in the world? To arrive at the answers to this far-reaching question, one of our foremost medieval historians, Miri Rubin, investigates the ideas, practices, and images that have developed around the figure of Mary from the earliest decades of Christianity to around the year 1600. Drawing on an extraordinarily wide range of sources—including music, poetry, theology, art, scripture, and miracle tales—Rubin reveals how Mary became so embedded in our culture that it is impossible to conceive of Western history without her. In her rise to global prominence, Mary was continually remade and reimagined by wave after wave of devotees. Rubin shows how early Christians endowed Mary with a fine ancestry; why in early medieval Europe her roles as mother, bride, and companion came to the fore; and how the focus later shifted to her humanity and unparalleled purity. She also explores how indigenous people in Central America, Africa, and Asia remade Mary and so fit her into their own cultures. Beautifully written and finely illustrated, this book is a triumph of sympathy and intelligence. It demonstrates Mary’s endless capacity to inspire and her profound presence in Christian cultures and beyond.

Genres: Religion, History, Nonfiction, Christianity, Feminism, Catholic, Spirituality

533 pages, Hardcover

First published April 13, 2007

About the author

Miri Rubin (born 1956) is a medieval historian who is Professor of Early Modern History at Queen Mary University of London. She was educated at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the University of Cambridge, where she gained her doctorate and was later awarded a research fellowship and a post-doctoral research fellowship at Girton College. Rubin studies the social and religious history of Europe between 1100 and 1500, concentrating on the interactions between public rituals, power, and community life.

Reviews

[Sarah]

Ok, I think it's time to admit that I'm never going to finish this book. It's very thorough, very scholarly, and if I was using it for academic purposes I'm sure I'd love it. But I'm not, and I don't. Rubin's writing, though very clear, is not engaging enough to carry me through 600 pages of dry academia in teeny-tiny font. Also (this is going to sound ridiculous), the book is more theology-focused than I was expecting. I was expecting more sociology and art/literary history, rather than explanations of why some sect in the 4th century decided that Mary was impregnated by God through her ear (it's because she was redeeming Eve's sin of having listened to the serpent through her ear. And that fact is pretty interesting compared to some of the really abstruse stuff on whether her flesh was imbued with or just contained the Holy Spirit, etc etc.) I didn't finish it, so I won't rate it. Also it would seem a little unfair, as I am clearly not the target audience.

[Roger DeBlanck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rubin’s erudite study of the Blessed Mother Mary is about as comprehensive and detailed a book as you’ll ever encounter. If you want to gain a historical understanding about how and why Mary’s significance to people around the world has not waned, but rather grown, over the centuries, this book is an impressive piece of scholarship to consult.

[Liam Ostermann · Rating 4 out of 5]

VG but has it replaced 'Alone of All Her Sex: The Myth and the Cult of the Virgin Mary' by Marina Warner?I don't think so but that doesn't mean there isn't room for many books about the 'mother' of God. I particularly liked the way Rubin showed how Mary's identity became a way of framing Jewish-Christian debate. Mary was clearly Jewish – indeed, for some Christians, archetypally Jewish; she is the exemplary Jewish person, the one who does what God meant the Jewish people to do. It makes sense that she would be especially concerned for her own kin but, in legend after legend, that concern is shown chiefly in procuring conversions, often after threats and violence. That medieval Jewish polemicists were abusive and defamatory towards Mary but how many of us know that the Koran has more about Mary than the Bible does, and Islamic tradition is often extravagant in her praise.

By exploring the history of Marian beliefs and devotion from its early roots in the Biblical texts until the close of the 16th century the book is fascinating and insightful but also a cope out. By ending in the 16th century it ignores the immensely potent continuing role of 'Mary' not least the whole area of Marian apparitions.

Rather like saints, relics, etc. Mary did not cease to exist because of the Reformation. In so many ways she became an even greater cultural force. Rubin's work is typical of medieval historians in dealing with religion as a sub heading along with the development of law, the decline of serfdom etc. They do not move beyond their time period which leaves the story of Mar's influence disappointingly curtailed.

[Rick Stuckwisch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comparable in scope to the Pelikan book on Mary across the centuries. But this one is more dense and detailed, and consequently much longer. Scholarly and erudite, yet well written and enjoyable. It does take some focus and concentration, but Rubin includes an engaging focus on popular piety, art, and literature (again, not unlike Pelikan's work). I should say, by way of caveat, that her opening chapter on Mary in the Scriptures included some mistakes, even in citation, which could either be poor editing or else an unfortunate sloppiness. Similarly, in her chapter on Luther, some of her statements concerning his overall theological enterprise were inaccurate; and she blurred Luther too closely to the Protestant Reformers in a way that was misleading. Such things cause me to wonder about the accuracy of her information in other chapters, as well. But, all things considered, a solid book.

[Martha]

This book is wonderful especially for Catholics. I have
always been interested The Virgin Mary because I went to a Catholic school for 7 years and came to love her.

I would recommend this to anyone that has an interest in the story of our beloved Mother of God and Jesus Christ.

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The reading is tedious at times, but it's fascinating to realize the controversy that took place over the years concerning doctrines that I had accepted without question, such as the Immaculate Conception, and the Assumption.

[Carlos · Rating 1 out of 5]

Let me start by pointing out what Rubin focuses on: popular culture in Europe from the 12th to the 15th century. While she gives a good introduction of the role of the Virgin up to the 12th century, the book really slows down once she reaches this period and she only gives cursory attention to anything past the 15th century. While this period was undoubtedly one of high Marian influence, especially in popular culture, some fascinating aspects of Marian global influence only occur after it. Similarly, the balance with which she deals between detailed and overarching developments in the understanding of the Virgin during the first millennium becomes completely lopsided towards minutia once she reaches the 12th century. While I had appreciated the discussions of the theological discussions that raged in the Byzantine empire during the 4th and 5th century, I was quite bored with the chapters long analysis of the metaphors used in poetry and songs in the first half of the 12th century.

[Alexandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I expected less art history and more social history. I learned a lot of interesting, bizarre, and occasionally terrible things, but it was all a bit of a slog. (And after all that, the past 400 years breeze by in one concluding chapter.) One thing that seems common across the centuries is that Christians shaped Mary into what they needed from her at a time, comfort or cudgel. (Or chaste elephant?)

I would be remiss to leave out the great entertainment value to be gained by texting your priest friend strange Mary facts-of-the-day. Said friend says I can no longer choose my own reading material, but what does she know?

[Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't usually add my non-fiction reading to Goodreads but this one came from the library and I wanted to be able to recall the title later on.

It took me since May to finish it but I am glad I did. Big take away is that Mary has and continues to be a product of her time. Her value and meaning shift constantly depending on the era she is in. Much of what we know about her back story didn't emerge until hundreds of years after JC died.

[Nic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cultural (and to some extent social) history of the 'Virgin Mary' idea, which tilts increasingly - and less interestingly, at least to me - towards art history as the book goes on. A thoughtful survey for the trade market.

[Justinian Guan · Rating 4 out of 5]

comprehensive but pretty dry in parts, especially where Rubin is describing pieces of art I have no chance of ever seeing. would have preferred a more interventionist, constructionist approach but this more objective-ish slant has its merits too

[Simon van der Lugt · Rating 4 out of 5]

zeer informatief; later verder.

[Maria Gomberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kind of terfy

[elbren · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thanks to this book, I now have a more solid understanding of how tightly veneration of Mary and antisemitism were linked in Europe. Representations of violence against Jews describe the acts in almost approving terms. Assertions of violence by Jews are never described as the slanders the historical record often proves them to be. Apparently this is required to maintain the respectful tone toward Mary that the book establishes.
I kept wanting this book to be "Alone of All Her Sex" by Marina Warner, but it kept on not being that book, but rather being the inferior book that it was. You should read that book instead.

[ABleu · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book for lovers of art and history.

The Virgin Mary is recounted only very briefly in the Gospels, so it is a wonder that she has become a pillar of the Christian faith. Rubin recounts a vivid and in depth story of the story of the Virgin Mary and how her image evolved over time.

Granted this book isn't for everyone. I picked it up because I was doing a paper on the Virgin in Medieval art, but I was so taken aback I forgot I was doing research. I don't know if I'll finish it (it's quite long), but it's a wonderful resource for those who enjoy this topic.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was excited to read this: it's a brick of a book and tackles the subject of Mary's worship from the earliest Christians through the Reformation. A ton of information I thought, about a fascinating subject.

Instead: meh.

I found the information to be sparce and spotty where I had any knowledge of it at all. This is by a rising star and has blurbs from all the right people, so I'm sure it's set to be a standard text for a while, but it seems better suited to a Barnes and Noble shelf to me.

[Roland Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mother of God is full of fascinating stories about Mary and the various practices and traditions that have emerged around her over the past 2,000 years. Rubin’s gift with words and her skill as a storyteller bring these traditions to life and in the process she manages to give us a compelling history of Christianity as a whole, from its origins to the present day.

See my full review at http://wordsbecamebooks.com/2014/12/1...

[Andy Field · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was hard going and I resorted to a fair bit of skimming. The earlier part of the book was interesting as it explained where the non biblical views of Mary originated and why. I also enjoyed the explanation of Luther's "back to basics" approach to Mary.

[Sarah Finch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-read one of my favorite books. Highly recommending it (again) to anyone who likes studying history and/or theology.

[Ali · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's just so...dense. And I'm a history major.