Twelfth International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

Previous studies have discussed the role of women in the rise of Christianity, yet the role of Virgin Mary remains to be explored. The purpose of the article is to show how characters of Mary shaped by male theologians of the early church could contribute to strengthening patriarchy, and therefore could be considered as an important factor for the victory of Christianity. While some scholars regard Mithraism as the main rival of early Christianity, often in such context sacred feminine is overlooked in religious rivalries. This paper compares Mary with an important goddess in Roman Empire, Isis, in respect to experience, function, character and position in belief systems, and summarizes Mary’s characters with Patristic literature. The study proposes that Mary’s virginity, maternity and obedience enable Christianity to be an appealing choice for the Roman Empire. The submissive image of Mary could serve as an ideological tool of patriarchy.