Tracing History: Did the early Christians pray to Mary?

Although comforting, the idea that Mary intercede for us deserves scrutiny to see if it rests on actual facts. Historically and biblically, Mary, mother of Jesus, does not assist nor intercede with anyone to Yahweh. The New Testament only records her as a servant of God from the seed of David, chosen to bear the son of God whom is Jesus Christ.

Here is the reality of the New Testament:

1. Their Claim: "The archangel Gabriel called Mary 'Full of Grace'".

The Reality: The archangel Gabriel honored Mary. Honoring someone is not equal to "praying to them". By that logic, David honored Jonathan, that does mean David actually prayed to Jonathan?

2. Their claim: "The Bible doesn't say that the angel went looking all of Judea for a virgin and happened to come across Mary. Mary is a key part in God's salvation plan."

The Reality: The Israelites are the people of God, and each Israelite is given a particular purpose. Moses was called as a prophet; Jeremiah was called as a prophet. By contrast, Mary was an Israelite woman chosen to be the mother of God. That was her specific calling. God often chooses individuals for a particular task within their lifetime, and once that purpose is fulfilled, the individual is not assigned an ongoing or continuing function.

3. Their Claim: "The fact that Jesus Christ listen to Mary during the Wedding in Cana proves that Mary holds special authority."

The Reality: We are taught in the Bible that Jesus is both man and God in nature. When Jesus answered the request of his beloved Mother at the Wedding of Cana, it was simply an act of an obedient child. This only illustrates a normal mother and son relationship in his humanity.

4. Their Claim: "The woman clothed with the sun and on her head a crown of 12 stars is Mary. So she is special."

The reality: Revelation 12 is about the 12 tribes of Israel, and their future tribulation. The woman in the Book of Revelation fled to the desert and stay there for 1260 days. By contrast, Mary and Joseph fled to Egypt, and historians estimated their escape for only about 2 years. 1260 days is translated into 3.5 years which does not align with 2 years of Mary and Joseph.

5. Their Claim: "We are taught to pray to one another."

The reality: This is true. We are taught in the Bible to pray to one another while on Earth. But it was never said you can pray to the dead in either Paradise and Hades. And it was never said in the Bible, the dead can actually hear us from heaven. This would contradict Ecclesiastes 9:5-6, which imply the dead can no longer partake in the affairs of the living.

6. Their Claim: "All are alive in God. The dead can hear us."

The reality: Biblically, Luke 20:38 tells us about the discussion between Jesus and the Sadducees. In this verse, Jesus was conversing with the Sadducees who does not believe in three things: resurrection, angels, and spirits. (Acts 23:8) Jesus explains to the Sadducees that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, were actually alive before God in heaven, because God is the God of life, and death does not end His covenant with the saints. Reading the whole chapter, Jesus never said the dead can hear us from heaven.

If Mary holds special divine authority alongside with Jesus, then Jesus should have mention her when he meet with the apostles on the mountain of Galilee. He should’ve said: “baptized people in the name of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, and Mary.” Instead, he proceed with: “baptized people in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19)

This strongly suggests that Jesus did not place Mary on the same level as them.

The first three century Christians likewise demonstrate honoring Mary for bringing forth the Lord to the world, but they did not pray to her.

Justin Martyr, for instance, in his Dialogue with Trypho, ch.100, written around 155–160 CE, 

“For Eve, who was a virgin and undefiled, having conceived the word of the serpent, brought forth disobedience and death. But the Virgin Mary received faith and joy, when the angel Gabriel announced the good tidings to her that the Spirit of the Lord would come upon her, and the power of the Highest would overshadow her: wherefore also the Holy Thing begotten of her is the Son of God; and she replied, 'Be it unto me according to your word.' Luke 1:38

Another is Irenaeus of Lyons, in his Against Heresies 3.22.4 written around 175 CE-185 CE, 

“And thus also it was that the knot of Eve's disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary. For what the virgin Eve had bound fast through unbelief, this did the virgin Mary set free through faith.”

Also by Irenaeus in his Against Heresies 5.19.1, 

“That the Lord then was manifestly coming to His own things, and was sustaining them by means of that creation which is supported by Himself, and was making a recapitulation of that disobedience which had occurred in connection with a tree, through the obedience which was [exhibited by Himself when He hung] upon a tree, [the effects] also of that deception being done away with, by which that virgin Eve, who was already espoused to a man, was unhappily misled — was happily announced, through means of the truth [spoken] by the angel to the Virgin Mary, who was [also espoused] to a man. For just as the former was led astray by the word of an angel, so that she fled from God when she had transgressed His word; so did the latter, by an angelic communication, receive the glad tidings that she should sustain (portaret) God, being obedient to His word. And if the former did disobey God, yet the latter was persuaded to be obedient to God, in order that the Virgin Mary might become the patroness (advocata) of the virgin Eve. And thus, as the human race fell into bondage to death by means of a virgin, so is it rescued by a virgin; virginal disobedience having been balanced in the opposite scale by virginal obedience.”

On the Flesh of Christ, ch.17 (written by Tertullian of Carthage around 208–210 CE), 

“As Eve had believed the serpent, so Mary believed the angel. The delinquency which the one occasioned by believing, the other by believing effaced. But (it will be said) Eve did not at the devil's word conceive in her womb. Well, she at all events conceived; for the devil's word afterwards became as seed to her that she should conceive as an outcast, and bring forth in sorrow. Indeed she gave birth to a fratricidal devil; while Mary, on the contrary, bare one who was one day to secure salvation to Israel, His own brother after the flesh, and the murderer of Himself. God therefore sent down into the virgin's womb His Word, as the good Brother, who should blot out the memory of the evil brother.”

On this basis, calling Mary the New Eve describes her obedience, not her role as a mediator. 

1st-3rd century Christian writers like Irenaeus of Lyons, Justin Martyr, and Tertullian of Carthage, honored Mary but they never prayed to her during this period. They only depicted her as a model of faith rather than as an intercessor.

It was only the late 3rd century CE when Christians start praying to Mary,  the mother of Jesus. The proof is recorded in Sub Tuum Praesidium which is written around 250 CE. The text thus says:

"We fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of God; despise not our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us always from all dangers, O glorious and blessed Virgin. Amen."

The first official Marian dogma is in the early 5th century at the Council of Ephesus around 431 CE. In this council, they formally affirms Mary as Theotokos, or Mother of God. Section 1 runs:

If anyone will not confess that the Emmanuel is very God, and that therefore the Holy Virgin is the Mother of God, inasmuch as in the flesh she bore the Word of God made flesh [as it is written, the Word was made flesh] let him be anathema.

In conclusion: From the time of the apostles to the early centuries of the church, Mary, the mother of Jesus, was approached as a model of faith, not as a heavenly queen or intercessor. The development toward Marian prayer and dogma came much later, which only proves that these ideas were only inventions of the 5th century Christians rather than teachings of Christ Jesus or the apostles.