Nova Eva
Encyclopedia
Nova Eva is a devotional name for the Virgin Mary
, mother of Jesus Christ, and is possibly the most ancient doctrinal title of Our Lady in the Early Church. Eastern and Western Fathers of the Church alike express the doctrinal message that goes back to Apostolic times and which constituted the universal teaching of the Early Church: the doctrine of Mary’s necessary participation in the redemption
of humanity as the New Eve. (Miravalle, Mary: Coredemptrix, Mediatrix, Advocate) Mary as Nova Eva represents the first theological reflection of the Mother of God, the title’s remote origins tracing back to Papias, Bishop of Hierapolis in Asia Minor
at the turn of the first century. The title’s development can be broken into three stages: it’s remote origins before Nicaea, the enthusiasm and contributions by Church Father Ephraem
, and the full flowering of the patristic vision in the homiletic literature
of the fifth century.(Gambero, Mary and the Fathers of the Church)
Our Lady as the Nova Eva finds its origin in the Bible
, stemming first from the Pauline doctrine of the second Adam: “since by man came death…in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15: 21-22) Dogma of the Church recognizes Christ
as the New Adam, as the One who redeemed mankind from the original sin
inflicted by Adam and Eve
on all.
“When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.”
The Eve of the Old Testament
is tempted by the serpent and disobeys God. Eve became for mankind a cause of death, and it is through her that death came into the world. The human race, through Eve who is a virgin, is lost: as death had come through Eve, still a virgin, it was proper that life should come again through a Virgin, or rather of a Virgin; and because the serpent had deceived that one, it was but right that Gabriel
should bear the good tidings to the other. It is Mary’s obedience to the God that makes up for the disobedience of Eve. In the mystery of the Annunciation
the Virgin Mary takes the role of the New Eve:
“And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob
for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.” And Mary said to the angel, “How shall this be, since I have no husband?” And the angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God…And Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to be according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. (Genesis 3)
The Virgin Mary was found obedient, Eve disobedient. While Eve was a virgin, she did not obey, becoming the cause of death to herself and humanity, so Mary, being obedient became for herself and all of humanity the cause of salvation. (St. Irenaeus, Adversus Haereses) Irenaeus of Lyons is one of many Church Fathers
to give insight on the Eve-Mary parallel when he states: “Even though Eve had Adam for a husband, she was still a virgin…by disobeying, she became the cause of death for herself and for the whole human race. In the same way, Mary, though she also had a husband, was a still a virgin, and by obeying, she became the cause of salvation for herself and for the whole human race…the knot of Eve’s disobedience was untied by Mary’s obedience. What Eve bound through her unbelief, Mary loosed by her faith.” (Gambero, Mary and the Church Fathers)
Consequently, the Eve-Mary parallel is one that contrasts ‘disobedience and obedience, sorrow and joy, woman cursed and woman blessed, a despot devil and a captive devil, darkness and light, sin and salvation, fall and restoration, condemnation and redemption, death and life, paradise lost and paradise regained.’ Church dogma
, Sacred Tradition, and the modern life of the Church reflect ongoing belief in, and devotion to Mary as the New Eve. Throughout the history of the Church, people have turned to the Blessed Virgin Mary as a spiritual mother, as the one who is cause of their invitation to life because she ‘gave birth to Him who lives, to Life itself, the Lamb of whose glory, as of fleece, a garment of immortality has been fashioned…’ Justin Martyr
, the first author to use the Eve-Mary parallel writes ‘In Holy Scripture, Eve is called mother of the living.’ (Gambero, Mary and the Church Fathers) It is Mary who fulfills this title in her obedience to God in becoming the bearer of the Redeemer.
The Virgin Mary is, in some genuine sense, responsible for the redemptive effects achieved by her Son; she co-operated in the objective Redemption. In the tradition of the patristic East the Second Eve is “cause of salvation,” “gate of salvation,” she paid Eve’s debt to sin
, “helped justice enter in.” She is “cause of life”; she “brought immortality to the world.” Through her “Eve has been redeemed”; through her “the world has been set free.” She has deposed the devil from his despotic rule; she trampled Satan
underfoot, through her the “demons have been hurled into hell.” (Mariology v. II)
She appears in this way as the Coredemptrix, “with the Redeemer.” Within Church teaching lies the doctrine of Mary as Coredemptrix, as she who was the instrument with which mankind was redeemed. Drawing upon the Old Testament the Church finds Eve to be co-peccatrix, “with the Sinner,” because it was Eve who freely gave the “instrument” of the Fall
. It is Eve who gave the “forbidden fruit” to Adam, the Peccator, “the Sinner,” whose sin as father of the human race led to the loss of grace for the human race. This makes Mary Coredemptrix because she freely gave the instrument of the Redemption in her Fiat, in giving her body to bear Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. St. Ephraem called Mary “the price of the redemption of captives,” and it is in this way that the Church looks to her as “Mother of the Living.” Through her obedience and faith, Mary became the New Eve as the Coredemptrix. (St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica)
Further Quotes and Poetry on the Nova Eva:
“A virgin, a bit of wood, and now death symbolize our defeat. See now how these three things have become for us a principle of life. For Eve there is Mary; for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil there is the wood of the Cross; for the death of Adam there is the death of Christ. Do you see the demon prostrated by the very weapons which had rendered him victorious?”
Amphilochius of Iconium
, On Christmas
…O Mary, O Mary, the Maker of all things was your firstborn Son! O humanity, who became the bodily substance of the Word and for that reason became more honorable than the spiritual virtues of heaven!
For Christ did not want to clothe himself in the form of archangels or in the form of the immaterial figures of the principalities, virtues, and powers; rather, through you, he clothed himself in your form, which had fallen and become like that of the brute animals.
…but where now is that hostile and bewildered dragon? Where is that cursed and execrable dragon, who had claimed that this throne would be raised to the heights of heaven?
Caelius Sedulius (d. ca. 440-450)
Because of one man, all his descendents perished;
And all are saved because of one man.
Because of one woman, the deadly door opened;
And life returned, because of one woman. (Elegia)
We are the blind offspring of the children of pitiful Eve,
Bringing with us the shadows born of an age-old error.
But when God deigned to assume the mortal form
Of a human nature, then came forth from the Virgin
A world of salvation…
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
, mother of Jesus Christ, and is possibly the most ancient doctrinal title of Our Lady in the Early Church. Eastern and Western Fathers of the Church alike express the doctrinal message that goes back to Apostolic times and which constituted the universal teaching of the Early Church: the doctrine of Mary’s necessary participation in the redemption
Redemption (theology)
Redemption is a concept common to several theologies. It is generally associated with the efforts of people within a faith to overcome their shortcomings and achieve the moral positions exemplified in their faith.- In Buddhism :...
of humanity as the New Eve. (Miravalle, Mary: Coredemptrix, Mediatrix, Advocate) Mary as Nova Eva represents the first theological reflection of the Mother of God, the title’s remote origins tracing back to Papias, Bishop of Hierapolis in Asia Minor
Asia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
at the turn of the first century. The title’s development can be broken into three stages: it’s remote origins before Nicaea, the enthusiasm and contributions by Church Father Ephraem
Ephrem the Syrian
Ephrem the Syrian was a Syriac and a prolific Syriac-language hymnographer and theologian of the 4th century. He is venerated by Christians throughout the world, and especially in the Syriac Orthodox Church, as a saint.Ephrem wrote a wide variety of hymns, poems, and sermons in verse, as well as...
, and the full flowering of the patristic vision in the homiletic literature
Homiletics
Homiletics , in theology the application of the general principles of rhetoric to the specific department of public preaching. The one who practices or studies homiletics is called a homilist....
of the fifth century.(Gambero, Mary and the Fathers of the Church)
Our Lady as the Nova Eva finds its origin in the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, stemming first from the Pauline doctrine of the second Adam: “since by man came death…in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15: 21-22) Dogma of the Church recognizes Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
as the New Adam, as the One who redeemed mankind from the original sin
Original sin
Original sin is, according to a Christian theological doctrine, humanity's state of sin resulting from the Fall of Man. This condition has been characterized in many ways, ranging from something as insignificant as a slight deficiency, or a tendency toward sin yet without collective guilt, referred...
inflicted by Adam and Eve
Adam and Eve
Adam and Eve were, according to the Genesis creation narratives, the first human couple to inhabit Earth, created by YHWH, the God of the ancient Hebrews...
on all.
“When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.”
The Eve of the Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
is tempted by the serpent and disobeys God. Eve became for mankind a cause of death, and it is through her that death came into the world. The human race, through Eve who is a virgin, is lost: as death had come through Eve, still a virgin, it was proper that life should come again through a Virgin, or rather of a Virgin; and because the serpent had deceived that one, it was but right that Gabriel
Gabriel
In Abrahamic religions, Gabriel is an Archangel who typically serves as a messenger to humans from God.He first appears in the Book of Daniel, delivering explanations of Daniel's visions. In the Gospel of Luke Gabriel foretells the births of both John the Baptist and of Jesus...
should bear the good tidings to the other. It is Mary’s obedience to the God that makes up for the disobedience of Eve. In the mystery of the Annunciation
Annunciation
The Annunciation, also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary or Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the announcement by the angel Gabriel to Virgin Mary, that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus the Son of God. Gabriel told Mary to name her...
the Virgin Mary takes the role of the New Eve:
“And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob
Jacob
Jacob "heel" or "leg-puller"), also later known as Israel , as described in the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud, the New Testament and the Qur'an was the third patriarch of the Hebrew people with whom God made a covenant, and ancestor of the tribes of Israel, which were named after his descendants.In the...
for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.” And Mary said to the angel, “How shall this be, since I have no husband?” And the angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God…And Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to be according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. (Genesis 3)
The Virgin Mary was found obedient, Eve disobedient. While Eve was a virgin, she did not obey, becoming the cause of death to herself and humanity, so Mary, being obedient became for herself and all of humanity the cause of salvation. (St. Irenaeus, Adversus Haereses) Irenaeus of Lyons is one of many Church Fathers
Church Fathers
The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were early and influential theologians, eminent Christian teachers and great bishops. Their scholarly works were used as a precedent for centuries to come...
to give insight on the Eve-Mary parallel when he states: “Even though Eve had Adam for a husband, she was still a virgin…by disobeying, she became the cause of death for herself and for the whole human race. In the same way, Mary, though she also had a husband, was a still a virgin, and by obeying, she became the cause of salvation for herself and for the whole human race…the knot of Eve’s disobedience was untied by Mary’s obedience. What Eve bound through her unbelief, Mary loosed by her faith.” (Gambero, Mary and the Church Fathers)
Consequently, the Eve-Mary parallel is one that contrasts ‘disobedience and obedience, sorrow and joy, woman cursed and woman blessed, a despot devil and a captive devil, darkness and light, sin and salvation, fall and restoration, condemnation and redemption, death and life, paradise lost and paradise regained.’ Church dogma
Dogma
Dogma is the established belief or doctrine held by a religion, or a particular group or organization. It is authoritative and not to be disputed, doubted, or diverged from, by the practitioners or believers...
, Sacred Tradition, and the modern life of the Church reflect ongoing belief in, and devotion to Mary as the New Eve. Throughout the history of the Church, people have turned to the Blessed Virgin Mary as a spiritual mother, as the one who is cause of their invitation to life because she ‘gave birth to Him who lives, to Life itself, the Lamb of whose glory, as of fleece, a garment of immortality has been fashioned…’ Justin Martyr
Justin Martyr
Justin Martyr, also known as just Saint Justin , was an early Christian apologist. Most of his works are lost, but two apologies and a dialogue survive. He is considered a saint by the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church....
, the first author to use the Eve-Mary parallel writes ‘In Holy Scripture, Eve is called mother of the living.’ (Gambero, Mary and the Church Fathers) It is Mary who fulfills this title in her obedience to God in becoming the bearer of the Redeemer.
The Virgin Mary is, in some genuine sense, responsible for the redemptive effects achieved by her Son; she co-operated in the objective Redemption. In the tradition of the patristic East the Second Eve is “cause of salvation,” “gate of salvation,” she paid Eve’s debt to sin
Sin
In religion, sin is the violation or deviation of an eternal divine law or standard. The term sin may also refer to the state of having committed such a violation. Christians believe the moral code of conduct is decreed by God In religion, sin (also called peccancy) is the violation or deviation...
, “helped justice enter in.” She is “cause of life”; she “brought immortality to the world.” Through her “Eve has been redeemed”; through her “the world has been set free.” She has deposed the devil from his despotic rule; she trampled Satan
Satan
Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
underfoot, through her the “demons have been hurled into hell.” (Mariology v. II)
She appears in this way as the Coredemptrix, “with the Redeemer.” Within Church teaching lies the doctrine of Mary as Coredemptrix, as she who was the instrument with which mankind was redeemed. Drawing upon the Old Testament the Church finds Eve to be co-peccatrix, “with the Sinner,” because it was Eve who freely gave the “instrument” of the Fall
The Fall of Man
In Christian doctrine, the Fall of Man, or simply the Fall, refers to the transition of the first humans from a state of innocent obedience to God to a state of guilty disobedience to God. In Genesis chapter 2, Adam and Eve live at first with God in a paradise, but the serpent tempts them into...
. It is Eve who gave the “forbidden fruit” to Adam, the Peccator, “the Sinner,” whose sin as father of the human race led to the loss of grace for the human race. This makes Mary Coredemptrix because she freely gave the instrument of the Redemption in her Fiat, in giving her body to bear Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. St. Ephraem called Mary “the price of the redemption of captives,” and it is in this way that the Church looks to her as “Mother of the Living.” Through her obedience and faith, Mary became the New Eve as the Coredemptrix. (St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica)
Further Quotes and Poetry on the Nova Eva:
“A virgin, a bit of wood, and now death symbolize our defeat. See now how these three things have become for us a principle of life. For Eve there is Mary; for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil there is the wood of the Cross; for the death of Adam there is the death of Christ. Do you see the demon prostrated by the very weapons which had rendered him victorious?”
Amphilochius of Iconium
Amphilochius of Iconium
Amphilochius of Iconium was a Christian bishop of the fourth century, son of a Cappadocian family of distinction, b. perhaps at Caesarea, ca. 339 or 340; d. probably some time between 394 and 403...
, On Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
…O Mary, O Mary, the Maker of all things was your firstborn Son! O humanity, who became the bodily substance of the Word and for that reason became more honorable than the spiritual virtues of heaven!
For Christ did not want to clothe himself in the form of archangels or in the form of the immaterial figures of the principalities, virtues, and powers; rather, through you, he clothed himself in your form, which had fallen and become like that of the brute animals.
…but where now is that hostile and bewildered dragon? Where is that cursed and execrable dragon, who had claimed that this throne would be raised to the heights of heaven?
Caelius Sedulius (d. ca. 440-450)
Because of one man, all his descendents perished;
And all are saved because of one man.
Because of one woman, the deadly door opened;
And life returned, because of one woman. (Elegia)
We are the blind offspring of the children of pitiful Eve,
Bringing with us the shadows born of an age-old error.
But when God deigned to assume the mortal form
Of a human nature, then came forth from the Virgin
A world of salvation…