In the early days of Christianity, there were distinct traditions about the deaths of virtually all of the chief Biblical characters, but complete silence about Mary, the mother of Jesus. In the year 375 AD, the great Christian teacher, Epiphanius, played "coy" by saying that her final fate was something "wondrous" and "beyond the comprehension" of people, admitting that the collection of New Testament scriptural books could not be expected to "record" every event in the life of Jesus or any of his comtemporaries. Epiphanius refered to "hints" that her final fate was deliberately a mystery--she may have been a martyr, or she may be the "Woman" of Revelation 12 (flown to paradise), or she may have "remained alive" because "God can do what he pleases." Did the woman who allegedly gave her own flesh & blood to the Living God become riddled with maggots? Or, did something special happen? Enoch and Elijah were prematrely "raptured" because of "favor." What happened to the "favored" Mary?
2006-07-09 10:58:22 · 13 answers · asked by Ian R 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Mary was a very Godly woman with the enormous task if being the Mother of the Son of God. But She was not supposed to be worshiped or prayed to. Catholics have elevated her to, Queen of Heaven, Mother of God and co redemptress.
God hid the Body of Moses because He knew it would be worshiped. If we knew where Mary"s body was, It would have a multimillion dollar shrine and pilgrimages to it.
She died and was buried. Yes the Body decayed but will be raptured up with the rest of us.
2006-07-09 11:22:53 · answer #1 · answered by Answer_dude 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Like all religiosioty, this is but one more inane question. If she lived, she died. Probably lies somewhere in an unmarked grave unknown to the world and only her legend within the Catholic church lives on. The Protestants pay no mind to the fate of Mary, and neither should any one else. Chances are that the whole story was a fabrication, too much borrowing from other dying and resurrected gods - Dionysus and Osiris to name just two. Why do adherents of religion refuse to recognize the cross-pollenization (or downright stealing) of pre-existing religions' doctrines that got rolled into what became Christianity?
2006-07-09 11:04:43 · answer #2 · answered by amartouk 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
She died a natural death. I think I heard something of someone finding a tomb in Jerusalem with the inscription "HERE LIES MARY MOTHER OF JESUS", google it.
The Roman Catholic Church teaches on the "Glorious assumption of Mary" which is NOWHERE in the Bible. If one belives she was "favored" and was taken to heaven, that's extra-scriptural.
In the book of Judges 5:24, another woman by the name of Jael was also called "most blessed" but there is no implication that anything happened to her. Mary, among Elijah or any of us by that matter, were servents called to duty. The statement, "Did she become riddled w maggots", isnt the way i would put it. What about David, Paul, John and EVERYONE else??? What do you think they did to Stephen's body after the Jews stoned him?
2006-07-09 11:13:03 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mary spent her final days is Ephesus, a large, important city at the time, in what is now Turkey. If you ever travel, that is one amazing city to see. It is now in ruins, of course, but you can just feel the energy of the place. And her body? It rotted, and again gave up the $18.00 worth of chemicals that it had used for the duration of her life. It is likely you have some of those molecules in your body along with some of Beethoven's as well. (But Elvis hasn't been dead long enough for you to have any of those.....). As for the rest of your comments -- "rapture" and all of that -- fairytales. Face it guy, when you're dead, you're dead....we all end up the same....dead. But you get about 80 good years to have a great time. Do that, and leave this planet a better place than you found it by helping others....
2006-07-09 11:08:25 · answer #4 · answered by April 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mary died. Her role was to be the mother of Jesus.
Catholics, no offense here, have made her into an icon and worship her and elevate her more than Jesus.
Constantine's sister, I do believe, was the one who made Mary a big deal so that the pagans could replace Gaea and the Earth Mother with someone and make them happier to be sucked into Christianity (Catholicism).
2006-07-09 11:05:26 · answer #5 · answered by parsonsel 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The tradition of the Catholic Church is that at the end of her earthly life, Mary was taken to Heaven without her body decaying -- that she is there now, body and soul. This is called the Assumption (she was "assumed," meaning drawn up), and we celebrate this on August 15.
2006-07-09 11:03:05 · answer #6 · answered by catintrepid 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It could be that God hid her body the same as he did with Moses so as to keep people from preserving her body as a shrine to worship at which would be idolatry. She now is in heaven as one of the 144,000 serving as associate kings and priests with Christ Jesus.
2006-07-09 11:11:21 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think wgr missed the point of the question and that's not all he's missed. You should read some Catholic literature on the subject of Marian devotion (not worship as you suppose). You won't get the biased explanation, just belief.
2006-07-09 11:08:20 · answer #8 · answered by Andrew R 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You see, God knew that people would instead of worshiping Him as they are commanded to in His 10 commandments that they would worship mary which the catholic church as done in direct violation to the commandments saying not to have any other gods before Him, www.itiswritten.com for free bible lessons. Contact me as well wgr88@yahoo.com
2006-07-09 11:03:26 · answer #9 · answered by wgr88 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mary, like any other mother to a normal son-probably died a natural death
2006-07-09 11:02:54 · answer #10 · answered by appo 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋