Typology of Mary in the Writings of East Syriac Fathers
Mary is to Christ as the moon is to the sun; she is the reflection of Christ. You can only stare at the sun for half a second, but you may gaze at the moon for the whole night; this analogy also applies to the intensity of Christ. He is overwhelming, but in His reflection, we can see, reflect, and meditate on Mary. All the Marian doctrine and titles are Christological in purpose. They were meant to draw our attention to Christ. This is the privilege of Mary as derived from her special relationship to Christ as a mother. She conceived Him by the power of the Holy Spirit and gave birth to him; hence, his flesh is from her flesh. I shall attempt to reflect on Mary's biblical role in the history of salvation by providing biblical types and titles of Mary found in the literary works of four Syriac fathers: Ephrem (4th century), Narsai (5th century), Gewargis Warda' (13th century) and Elia III (12th century).