In the East the worship of female divinities was older and more
spontaneous than in the Western world, and thus the cult of Mary existed
in the Orient long before it penetrated to Italy and thence into the
newly Christianised countries. The Virgin, who for the first few hundred
years had held a clearly defined position in evangelical history, had
become an independent object of worship. Festivals were held in her
honour; churches were dedicated to her; the will of the people triumphed
in the litany; art took possession of the grateful subject. The
tendency to make Mary the equal of Christ grew steadily. Metaphors
originally intended for Christ alone were used indifferently for either.
We constantly find her addressed as the "archetype, the light of the
world, the vine, the mediator, the source of eternal life, etc." Finally
she ceased being regarded as a passive participator in the work of
salvation, as the Mother of the Saviour, and was accredited with
independent saving power.
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