Mary-the New Eve?

[Neithan]

I was discussing the Faith with a Protestant friend and mentioned the Catholic teaching on the Virgin Mary being seen as the New Eve, as Jesus is the New Adam. He responded something like:
“That sounds messed up. Adam and Eve were husband and wife, but Mary was Jesus’ mother!”
As it turns out, I didn’t entirely understand the teaching myself, so I tried to answer that actually Mary is kinda the ‘wife’ of the Holy Spirit, and the spiritual Mother of us all, but couldn’t clarify her relationship with Jesus being in any way similar to Eve with Adam.

So how exactly is Mary the New Eve if the New Adam is her son?

 

[poetryforjesus]

I was discussing the Faith with a Protestant friend and mentioned the Catholic teaching on the Virgin Mary being seen as the New Eve, as Jesus is the New Adam. He responded something like:
“That sounds messed up. Adam and Eve were husband and wife, but Mary was Jesus’ mother!”
As it turns out, I didn’t entirely understand the teaching myself, so I tried to answer that actually Mary is kinda the ‘wife’ of the Holy Spirit, and the spiritual Mother of us all, but couldn’t clarify her relationship with Jesus being in any way similar to Eve with Adam.

So how exactly is Mary the New Eve if the New Adam is her son?

In the New Creation through Christ, the spiritual reality is different than the first creation. Remember Jesus said that in the new heaven and new earth (when everything He promised has come to fulfillment) there will no longer be marriages, that we will all be like angels in heaven? The kingdom of heaven is different than the first creation. That’s why there is no confusion whatsoever to call Mary the new Eve. In the Kingdom of heaven, relations are no longer confined to the physical. Jesus begets all of us as His children, even though we are not His physical children. Same thing with Mary. We are her offspring also even though she didn’t give birth to us physically.

I’m sure someone else can offer a better explanation than mine.

 

[Joe_5859]

I think it’s best not to get too hung up on logistics when we are speaking about analogies and/or spiritual realities. Mary is Daughter of the Father, Mother of the Son, and Spouse of the Spirit. And yet, Father, Son and Spirit are one God. If you try to force these terms into definitions based on our own limited understanding, it will severely hamper one’s ability to delve deeper into these great mysteries.

It is not necessary for Mary to literally be the spouse of Jesus for there to be a parallel between Mary and Eve. To require such things would be to strip the Old Testament of nearly all it’s Christological significance. (Not to mention the fact that such an approach would nearly eliminate the significance of any piece of Literature… “Oh, Aslan can’t be a Christ figure because he’s an animal, not a person…”)

The idea that Mary is the New Eve is an old one. The Early Church Fathers recognized the parallels between Eve (and her disobedience) and Mary (and her obedience). Here are some quotes:

“He became man by the Virgin, in order that the disobedience which proceeded from the serpent might receive its destruction in the same manner in which it derived its origin. For Eve, who was a virgin and undefiled, having conceived the word of the serpent, brought forth disobedience and death. But the Virgin Mary received faith and joy, when the angel Gabriel announced the good tidings to her that the Spirit of the Lord would come upon her, and the power of the Highest would overshadow her: wherefore also the Holy Thing begotten of her is the Son of God; and she replied, ‘Be it unto me according to your word.’ (Luke 1:38).”
-St. Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho 100 (ca. A.D. 155)

“In accordance with this design, Mary the Virgin is found obedient, saying, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to your word. Luke 1:38 But Eve was disobedient; for she did not obey when as yet she was a virgin. And even as she, having indeed a husband, Adam, but being nevertheless as yet a virgin (for in Paradise they were both naked, and were not ashamed, Genesis 2:25 inasmuch as they, having been created a short time previously, had no understanding of the procreation of children: for it was necessary that they should first come to adult age, and then multiply from that time onward), having become disobedient, was made the cause of death, both to herself and to the entire human race; so also did Mary, having a man betrothed [to her], and being nevertheless a virgin, by yielding obedience, become the cause of salvation, both to herself and the whole human race…. And thus also it was that the knot of Eve’s disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary. For what the virgin Eve had bound fast through unbelief, this did the virgin Mary set free through faith.”
-St. Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies 3, 22, 4 (ca. A.D. 190)

“For it was while Eve was yet a virgin, that the ensnaring word had crept into her ear which was to build the edifice of death. Into a virgin’s soul, in like manner, must be introduced that Word of God which was to raise the fabric of life; so that what had been reduced to ruin by this sex, might by the selfsame sex be recovered to salvation. As Eve had believed the serpent, so Mary believed the angel. The delinquency which the one occasioned by believing, the other by believing effaced.”
-Tertullian, On the Flesh of Christ 17 (ca. A.D. 210)

Also, consider the fact that Eve is “Woman”, and Mary is also referred to as “Woman” (at the Wedding of Cana and also at the foot of the Cross). The Scriptural parallel is readily apparent. I think it can be a knee jerk reaction for some Protestants to not want to give an inch to Catholics in terms of Marian theology. Understandable, but not correct.

 

[crazzeto]

I was discussing the Faith with a Protestant friend and mentioned the Catholic teaching on the Virgin Mary being seen as the New Eve, as Jesus is the New Adam. He responded something like:
“That sounds messed up. Adam and Eve were husband and wife, but Mary was Jesus’ mother!”
As it turns out, I didn’t entirely understand the teaching myself, so I tried to answer that actually Mary is kinda the ‘wife’ of the Holy Spirit, and the spiritual Mother of us all, but couldn’t clarify her relationship with Jesus being in any way similar to Eve with Adam.

So how exactly is Mary the New Eve if the New Adam is her son?

I recommend you read this book, exerpts available on google books:
books.google.com/books?id=pbJC5sFucY0C&printsec=frontcover&dq=the+second+eve&cd=3#v=onepage&q=&f=false

Still findable on Amazon, but it’s out of print so I would snatch it while you can.
amazon.com/Mary-Second-John-Henry-Newman/dp/0852440162/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265728708&sr=8-3