The Immaculate Conception in Holy Scripture and the Oriental Tradition

A landmark work of Catholic Mariology, this comprehensive theological study by the distinguished Assumptionist scholar Fr. Martin Jugie traces the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception through centuries of Eastern Christian thought — from the earliest Church Fathers to the theologians of 19th and 20th century Russia and Greece.Far from being a purely Western or Latin doctrine, Jugie demonstrates with meticulous scholarship that the belief in Mary's original holiness and freedom from original sin was peacefully held and celebrated throughout the Byzantine tradition for over a millennium. Drawing on an extraordinary breadth of primary sources — including patristic writings, liturgical texts, homilies, and theological treatises — this work examines the witness of figures such as St. Cyril of Alexandria, St. John Damascene, Gregory Palamas, Nicolas Cabasilas, and scores of other Eastern theologians.Organized into three major parts, the book covers:The Scriptural and Oriental Foundations of the doctrine, including evidence from the ante-Nicene Fathers and the early Byzantine ChurchThe Byzantine Tradition from the 9th to 15th centuries, exploring both supporters and critics of the Marian privilegeThe Greco-Russian Church from the 16th century to modern times, documenting the dramatic theological controversies that emerged after the ReformationThis English translation makes Jugie's magisterial research accessible to a new generation of readers — whether Catholic, Orthodox, or simply curious about the deep roots of Marian theology. Essential reading for students of theology, Church history, and ecumenism, this is an indispensable resource for anyone seeking to understand one of Christianity's most beautiful and debated doctrines.“How could a Church that is so proud of its past and that speaks so often of its immutability have been able to break so thoroughly with the ancient tradition, and condemn, through the voice of a great number of its theologians and through that of the first of its prelates, a doctrine peacefully taught throughout the entire Byzantine period?”- Fr Jugie Read more