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Rating: 
Summary: A Necessary Source...
Review: ...for anyone who is interested in learning about the manner in which theology surrounding the Virgin Mary developed in the Church from the earliest of times. This book covers the first 8 centuries of the Church which are generally referred to as 'The Patristic Period'. The importance of this work is it is a textbook example of the concept of development of doctrine. In this aspect alone it is valuable but it also aids in dealing with a subject (Mary) that is often so problematical for those our Protestant brethren whose faith paradigms are so far afield from Christianity as understood by those closest to the Apostles. Fr. Gambero's work highlights Newman's dictum of history being fatal to Protestantism well including pointing out the all-important Christological underpinnings of almost all Marian doctrines (including the pivotal core doctrine from which all Marian developments spring from: The role of the 'Second Eve'). To not confuse the reader, development is not understood in the sense of evolution (at least not of the Darwinian sense) where a teaching develops outside the body of beliefs (this is properly termed a 'corruption'). No, development is (to quote St. Vincent of Lerens - one of Newman's primary Patristic influences): "The growth of religion in the soul must be analogous to the growth of the body, which, though in process of years it is developed and attains its full size, yet remains still the same. There is a wide difference between the flower of youth and the maturity of age; yet they who were once young are still the same now that they have become old, insomuch that though the stature and outward form of the individual are changed, yet his nature is one and the same, his person is one and the same. An infant's limbs are small, a young man's large, yet the infant and the young man are the same. Men when full grown have the same number of joints that they had when children; and if there be any to which maturer age has given birth these were already present in embryo, so that nothing new is produced in them when old which was not already latent in them when children. This, then, is undoubtedly the true and legitimate rule of progress, this the established and most beautiful order of growth, that mature age ever develops in the man those parts and forms which the wisdom of the Creator had already framed beforehand in the infant... In like manner, it behooves Christian doctrine to follow the same laws of progress, so as to be consolidated by years, enlarged by time, refined by age, and yet, withal, to continue uncorrupt and unadulterate, complete and perfect in all the measurement of its parts, and, so to speak, in all its proper members and senses, admitting no change, no waste of its distinctive property, no variation in its limits... This rather should be the result,--there should be no discrepancy between the first and the last. From doctrine which was sown as wheat, we should reap, in the increase, doctrine of the same kind--wheat also; so that when in process of time any of the original seed is developed, and now flourishes under cultivation, no change may ensue in the character of the plant. There may supervene shape, form, variation in outward appearance, but the nature of each kind must remain the same."[Commonitory Ch. 26 circa AD 434] This book highlights the Lerens/Newman process viz. Marian doctrines/devotions admirably. A must have both for every bookshelf and anyone who seeks to witness to others about the authentic and truly ancient Christian Faith (and the role of Mary in the economy of salvation as understood by antiquity).
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Summary: Nice book BUT compare it to the Bible
Review: interesting book but with all religious works you must compare the contents to the only book inspired by God himself, the Bible. Yes buy this book [...] and read it, it is put together nice but read the holy bible and buy that now [...] as well. As a former catholic of 31 years i can tell you the way to heaven is through Jesus Christ NOT the virgin mary- this is not my opinion it is the word of God. You should purchase [...] A vhs movie titled "messages from heaven" (eternal productions, copyrite 2000 / ISBN# 1-57341-119-1 which is an investigation into the catholic dogmas and messages from a spirit claiming to be mary as they compare to gods word. You will be shocked at the deception the catholic church has fallen for , totally disregarding the warnings in the bible. [....]
Rating:
Summary: Nice book BUT compare it to the Bible
Review: interesting book but with all religious works you must compare the contents to the only book inspired by God himself, the Bible. Yes buy this book [...] and read it, it is put together nice but read the holy bible and buy that now [...] as well. As a former catholic of 31 years i can tell you the way to heaven is through Jesus Christ NOT the virgin mary- this is not my opinion it is the word of God. You should purchase [...] A vhs movie titled "messages from heaven" (eternal productions, copyrite 2000 / ISBN# 1-57341-119-1 which is an investigation into the catholic dogmas and messages from a spirit claiming to be mary as they compare to gods word. You will be shocked at the deception the catholic church has fallen for , totally disregarding the warnings in the bible. [....]
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Summary: Incredibly Informative
Review: This book is a very good survey of Marian theology in the early church. Though I do have a few issues with Gambero's interpretation of and commentary on the Patristics, I can certainly overlook these defects in light of how informative this work has been to my understanding of this subject. In this study, the reader will find an excellent collection of first-hand early-Church resources that speak of the Virgin Mary. I have read four books on the development and content of Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant Mariology, and have yet to find a work as comprehensive as this one. Gambero divides the early church into four periods. Each period covers one stage of the early church, and contains first-hand excerpts of many early Church Fathers. Each of the excerpts is surrounded and complimented by historical background and theological commentary by Gambero. Perhaps the only major flaw of this anthology is Gambero's frequent and noticeable Roman Catholic bias regarding Marian doctrines. Sometimes, the author interprets a first-hand resource as lending support to the current Roman Catholic doctrines of Mary's Assumption, Perpetual Virginity, Intercession, and Immaculate Conception when that interpretation is clearly "a stretch" in many of the cases. Other times, the Patristic writings do clearly support some aspects of current Roman Catholic Marian thought, though not near as often as Gambero would have the reader believe. In fact, there were times during my reading during which I feared that Gambero might have chosen which Church Fathers to include in his work based on their reputation for having produced what later became pro-Roman Catholic Marian perspectives. However, being a relative novice in Marian historical theology, I would not know for certain if my opinion about Gambero's selections for his anthology were true. For any person interested in learning more about how Marian doctrines developed in the early church, and who does not mind occasional Roman Catholic bias on the part of the author, I highly recommend this book. The reader is certain to learn more about Mary than they previously believed could be collected in just one volume.
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Summary: Treasure for any Christian
Review: This book is absolutely wonderful! Any Christian open to discover the historical beliefs of the Church about Mary must read this book. It is stuffed with information. If you are a non-Catholic, the early Church Fathers make it clear what is the proper role of Mary. If you are a Catholic somewhat tepid about Mary's role because of poor explanations or things you've heard from other Christians, this book makes everything so clear.
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Summary: Enjoyable and Informative
Review: This book is quite a good (and honest) evaluation of the teachings of the Church fathers regarding the Theotokos. It covers basically everything from St. Ignatius to St. John of Damascus. The author (a Roman Catholic) indeed admits that there is really no evidence for the Catholic doctrine of the Immaculate Conception but instead maintains that the fathers taught that Mary was purified of original sin at the annunciation (which is what the Orthodox Church still teaches to this day). A good and scholarly work.
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