Alone Of All Her Sex: The Myth and the Cult of the Virgin Mary Book

An informative book, possibly the definitive book on Mariology - scholarly, comprehensive, and surprising objective. Wagner begins with a textual analysis of what little is written about Mary in the New Testament - and then, using her impressive knowledge of ecclesiastical and cultural history, tells the story of the two thousand year evolution of Marian thought and devotional practices, tracing the exuberant growth of this tradition as it was influenced by the demands of popular piety, theological controversy, or cultural change. The real joy of the book is in the descriptions of this evolution, its exuberant growth, its strange fruits - especially the beliefs developed in the patristic or middle period, that are no longer mentioned, are forgotten - e.g. the fact that she was a virgo intacta post-partem - that drops of her milk had wonder-working powers, were given as gifts - that Joseph was a lifelong virgin, nothing less (according to St. Jerome) being worthy of a step-father of divinity -that the conception of Jesus was through Mary's ear, that being the obvious way to receive the Word. Whatever the reader thinks about these and similar stories, Wagner is always respectful - explains the origins of the beliefs, their purpose, their value in popular piety. This is fascinating, little known material - at least, unknown to me. Kept me turning the pages. A subsidiary theme of the book is the social implications of the Mary tradition, the significance of Mary as the ideal woman - of her character as normative - the influence that this has had on the status and role of women in western culture. Wagner provides a thoughtful survey of this influence - free of polemics. This is a wonderful book.