How did the early church fathers honour Mary since there was no Rosary then

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How did the early church Fathers (first 400 years) honour Mary since there was no Rosary then. What did they do instead? Did they say the Hail Mary at mass? If not did they say something else instead like the orthodox church.
 
Actually, the Hail Mary does not honor Mary alone but Jesus in, with, and through Mary…

There is actually a written prayer from that time period (remember, this is when the entire Church was underground, meeting in catacombs, persecuted, etc. not to mention that since most of society was illiterate, a lot of what was said and taught was oral and comes to us from Sacred Tradition.)

But we also do have written prayers. Here is the oldest addressed to Mary: An ancient prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the oldest known version of which is found on an Egyptian papyrus from the 3rd century. This prayer is used in Litanies to the Blessed Mother and as a concluding prayer to Compline. A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful who recite it.

SUB tuum praesidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genetrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus1, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.

English ( WE fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of God; despise not our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us always from all dangers, O glorious and blessed Virgin. Amen.
 
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Beneath your compassion,

We take refuge, O Mother of God:

do not despise our petitions in time of trouble:

but rescue us from dangers

only pure, only blessed one.

Technically can this be used instead of the Hail Maryin corporate and private setting.
 
So, the first 400 years would cover, say, to 433 AD’ish? We can call it 450 AD for a nice round number.

Visually, you have things like the Catacombs of St. Priscilla (2nd-5th c.), where you have some of the earliest surviving Marian imagery-- Virgin & Child (with Isaiah?); an Epiphany; an Annunciation.

Architecturally, you have things like the Santa Maria Antiqua, which was built in the mid-5th c and is the earliest surviving Christian monument within the Roman forum. (Remember that the Edict of Milan, which de-criminalized Christianity [and other religions] only dated to 313.) Likewise, the Church of Mary in Ephesus dates to the early 5th c (possibly built in anticipation of the Council of Ephesus in 431, which solidified the concept of the Theotokos, which was first documented to have been used by Origen, who died c. 254). And there are other Roman churches, like the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere (floor plan and wall structure date to the 340’s) and the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore (built sometime between 432-440).

Liturgically, I’m seeing references to her being included in Eucharistic prayers as early as 225 A.D., although I’m not seeing the exact wording written down.

Privately, there’s the prayer that starts off “Sub tuum praesidium Sancta Dei Genetrix”, which has been dated to a 3rd c. Egyptian papyrus called the Rylands Papyri.

You have Epiphanus writing c. 400, “Let Mary be held in honor. Let the Father, Son and Holy Ghost be adored, but let no one adore Mary”, which is pretty clearly saying, “Whoa, people, remember who Mary is pointing the way to-- she’s not an end unto herself.” Which is showing that she’s popular enough to require a warning. And similarly, Ambrose writes around 381, “Mary is the temple of God and not the God of the temple”. Ambrose is also the one who first documented the Mater Ecclesiae title.
 
You also have a bunch of other people writing, like St. Dionysius (d. 264), who said, “Not in a servant did he dwell, but in his holy tabernacle not made with hands, which is Mary the Theotokos.” Or you have St. Basil the Great (d. 379) spelling out Mary’s intercessory role pretty clearly– “God has ordained that she should help us in everything.” Or you have a nifty prayer like St. Ephrem of Syria (d. c. 361), “O Lady, cease not to watch over us under the wings of your compassion and mercy, for, after God, we have no other help but you.”

Plenty of other things. Off to work.
 
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