1.

The Four Dogmas of the Virgin Mary:

1. The perpetual virginity of Mary - expressed in 3 parts: in her virginal conception of Christ; in

giving birth to Christ, and her continuing virginity after His birth = virginitas ante partum;

virginitas in partu; virtinitas post-partum. The usage of this triple formula to express the fullness

of this mystery of faith became standard with St. Augustine [354-430], St. Peter Chrysologus [c.

400-450], and Pope St. Leo the Great [440-461]

2. Mary the Mother of God - defined as a dogma in the very city where Mary had lived for

several years at the Council of Ephesus in 431

3. Immaculate conception of Mary - defined as dogma by Pope Pius IX in 1854

4. Assumption of Mary into heaven - defined as dogma by Pope Pius XII in 1950

Doctrine refers to all of the Church's teaching on moral and religious issues. More specifically, doctrine
that has been divinely revealed and that the Church has publicly defined and declared to be believed as
revealed constitutes dogma.

2. The four dogmas show that Mary's role in the Incarnation as Mother (humanity of Jesus Christ) and
Virgin (the divinity of Jesus Christ) was first. The interest in her person (Immaculate Conception and
Assumption) came later. All four dogmas stress Mary's unique relationship with God.

3. The son of Mary, Jesus, was said by the Church to embody both the Divine and Human natures. Mary
can therefore be referred to as Theotokos because Jesus, the son she carried in the flesh, is actually one
of the Divine members of the Trinity.