I am in love with the Virgin!

Her 4 dogmas:
the paradox of divine motherhood and virginity;
the Immaculate Conception (HER conception -- uncorrupted by sin);
the assumption of her body and soul into heaven (her body -- uncorrupted by death);
and her position as mediator between heaven & earth, being a creature of both

"A myth of such dimension is not simply a story, or a collection of stories, but a magic mirror like the Lady of Shalott's, reflecting a people and the beliefs they produce, recount, and hold." (xxiii)

"the Platonic yearning towards the ideal ... is the core of the cult of the Virgin Mary.... Of course the belief that man should constantly aspire to higher things has been fundamental to western moral philosophy since Plato.... Metaphysical mysteries must defy reason, for if the human mind could compass them, they would lose their sacred character. So Christ the God-Man and Mary the Virgin-Mother blot out antinomy, absolve contradiction, and manifest that the impossible is possible with God." (Epilogue)

This book has proven indispensable in my study of Mary. It is one of the few books that is constantly referenced, by myself and others. While highly critical in tone, it is an excellent starting point for those who wonder about Mary's influence in the world. ( )

Notable, for me, chiefly for one of the appendices - A muddle of Marys, iirc - which attempts to untangle the various Marys present in the New Testament... eg Mary of Magdala was NOT the woman caught in adultery and so on.

Don't tell the people who make all the money writing all those books based on that confusion, however...