Incarnation

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY APR 26, 2004

Christians from liturgical traditions like Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy have long venerated Jesus' mother Mary as a miraculous intercessor, icon of holy life and God's closest human relative. Believers from Protestant denominations, on the other hand, have attempted to appreciate Mary within the boundaries of what is known about her from the New Testament, seeing her as worthy of respect but not devotion. In this study of Mary as prophet, matriarch, theologian, disciple, intercessor and paradigm, Duckworth, an Episcopal priest and poet, encourages readers to approach her from the classic Anglican perspective of the middle way, which "allows us to understand Mary as a model, a pattern, a paradigm and, as such, a soul friend as we proceed toward the perfection that is Christ." It may be jarring for more conservative readers to discover that Duckworth views the Gospels not as historical documents, but as witnesses of faith anchored in the "truth" of myth and folklore. On the other hand, her evident affection for the subject and her even-handed approach to some of the more controversial aspects of Marian devotion will appeal to those seeking a well-rounded portrait of one of the major figures in Christian history and worship. Each meditation is enriched by personal anecdotes, Duckworth's poetry and her multicultural perspective on art history, folklore and Marian tradition.