Early Titles of Mary
| English | Latin | Greek | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mary | Maria | Mariam (Μαριάμ), Maria (Μαρία) | Arabic: Maryām (مريم), Chinese: (瑪利亞), Coptic: Mariam, French: Marie, German: Maria, Italian: Maria, Judeo-Aramaic: Maryām (מרים), Maltese: Marija, Portuguese: Maria, Russian: Marija (Мария), Spanish: María, Syriac: Mariam, Vietnamese: Maria; Marija |
| "Full of Grace", "Blessed", "Most Blessed" | Gratia plena, Beata, Beatissima | kecharitomene (κεχαριτωμένη) | from the angel's greeting to Mary in Luke 1:28; |
| "Virgin", "the Virgin" | Virgo | Parthenos (Παρθένος) | Greek parthenos used in Matthew 1:23; Ignatius of Antioch refers to Mary's virginity and motherhood (ca. 110); |
| "Cause of our Salvation" | causa salutis | according to Irenaeus of Lyons (150–202); | |
| "Advocate of Eve" | advocata Evæ | " " ; | |
| "Mother of God" | Mater Dei | Meter Theou (Μήτηρ Θεοῦ) | often abbr. ΜΡ ΘΥ in Greek iconography; |
| "God-bearer" | Deipara, Dei genetrix | Theotokos (Θεοτόκος) | lit. "one who bears the One who is God"; a common title in Eastern Christianity with christological implications; adopted officially during Council of Ephesus (431) in response to Nestorianism, which questioned the Church's teaching that Jesus Christ's nature was unified; |
| "Ever-virgin" | semper virgo | aie-parthenos (ἀειπάρθενος) | |
| "Holy Mary", "Saint Mary" | Sancta Maria | Hagia Maria (Ἁγία Μαρία) | Greek invocation is infrequent in contemporary Eastern Christianity; |
| "Most Holy" | Sanctissima, tota Sancta | Panagia (Παναγία) | |
| "Most Pure" | Purissima | ||
| "Immaculate" | immaculata | akeratos (ἀκήρατος) | |
| "Lady", "Mistress" | Domina | Despoina (Δέσποινα) | related, "Madonna" (Italian: Madonna, from ma "my" + donna "lady"; from Latin domina); also, "Notre Dame" (French: Notre Dame, lit. "our lady"); |
| "Queen of Heaven" | Regina Coeli, Regina Caeli | Mary is identified with the figure in Revelation 12:1; | |
| "Star of the Sea" | stella maris | attributed to St. Jerome; | |
| "Seat of Wisdom" | Sedes sapientiae | ||
| "Cause of Our Joy" | Causa nostrae laetitiae | ||
| "Help of Christians" | Auxilium christianorum |
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Famous quotes containing the words early and/or titles:
“As I went forth early on a still and frosty morning, the trees looked like airy creatures of darkness caught napping; on this side huddled together, with their gray hairs streaming, in a secluded valley which the sun had not penetrated; on that, hurrying off in Indian file along some watercourse, while the shrubs and grasses, like elves and fairies of the night, sought to hide their diminished heads in the snow.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“I have known a German Prince with more titles than subjects, and a Spanish nobleman with more names than shirts.”
—Oliver Goldsmith (1728–1774)