How do you defend the Assumption of Mary?

A short guide to answering common objections

Today is the feast of the Assumption.

Naturally, many Protestants are objecting to the doctrine today. Here’s a quick guide for you if the conversation comes up throughout your day.

This is an excerpt from my book, Defending Mary. You can get a PDF version of this book here—name your own price.

1. The Assumption is not found in the Bible

Objection

There is no passage in Scripture that describes or mentions Mary being assumed body and soul into heaven. Since the Bible is the inspired word of God, any doctrine not found in it should not be believed as dogma.

Response

Not every revealed truth is written explicitly in Scripture. The Assumption is found in Sacred Tradition, the lived memory of the Church, which predates the final canon of Scripture. The Church defined this dogma in 1950 as a truth already believed from the earliest centuries, rooted in biblical typology and the unique role of Mary in salvation history. However, the Assumption of Mary can be seen implied in scripture, as well as logically deduced from it.

References

2 Thessalonians 2:15 (RSVCE-2) – “So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter.”

Revelation 12:1 – “A woman clothed with the sun… she was with child…” (interpreted as Mary in glory)

CCC 966 – “Finally the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory…”

2. Mary’s Assumption puts her on the same level as Jesus

Objection

Christ ascended into heaven. If Mary was assumed, this places her on the same level as Jesus

Response

Mary was assumed by an act of God while Christ ascended by His own power. Enoch and Elijah were also “taken up” to heaven. Mary’s Assumption is unique because her role is unique. She is the Mother of God, the New Eve, and the Ark of the New Covenant—entirely united to her Son in grace. It is fitting that the one who bore the Word made flesh and remained sinless would not see bodily corruption, just as Enoch and Elijah were taken up as signs of hope.

References

Genesis 5:24 (RSVCE-2) – “Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.”

2 Kings 2:11 – “Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.”

Psalm 16:10 – “For thou dost not give me up to Sheol, or let thy godly one see the Pit.”

CCC 966 – “The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is a singular participation in her Son's Resurrection.”

St. John Damascene – “It was fitting that she, who had kept her virginity intact in childbirth, should keep her own body free from all corruption even after death.”

3. The Assumption was invented in 1950

Objection

The Assumption was only declared a dogma in 1950. If this teaching were true, it should have been defined much earlier. Its late dogmatic definition makes it seem like a modern invention.

Response

The Church often defines doctrines formally only after they have been universally believed and venerated for centuries. The Assumption was celebrated liturgically from at least the 6th century. Pope Pius XII solemnly defined it in 1950 not to create the teaching, but to affirm it infallibly in response to the needs of the time.

References

Luke 1:48 (RSVCE-2) – “For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.”

CCC 966 – “The Assumption of Mary… was the logical crown of her Immaculate Conception.”

Munificentissimus Deus – “This dogma… is based on Sacred Scripture, deeply rooted in the hearts of the faithful, and celebrated in the Church's liturgy from the earliest times.”

Lumen Gentium 59 – “She was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things.”

4. The Assumption undermines the resurrection of the body

Objection

The general resurrection of the dead happens at the end of time. If Mary’s body was assumed into heaven beforehand, does this not contradict the teaching that all must wait until the final resurrection?

Response

Mary's Assumption is a special participation in Christ’s Resurrection, not a contradiction of it. Rather than undermining the general resurrection, it anticipates it. Just as Christ is the first fruits of the dead, so Mary, being uniquely united to Him in body and soul, is the first fruit among the redeemed, showing us the destiny of the faithful.

Modern theologians point out that in the natural course of pregnancy, a child’s cells remain in the body of the mother for life. Mary’s Assumption completes the Ascension, bringing Christ’s cells back to heaven with Him.

References

1 Corinthians 15:20 (RSVCE-2) – “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.”

Romans 8:30 – “Those whom he justified he also glorified.”

CCC 966 – “The Assumption is a singular participation in her Son’s Resurrection and an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians.”

Lumen Gentium 68 – Mary is “a sign of certain hope and comfort to the pilgrim people of God.”

5. The Assumption is based on legends, not apostolic teaching

Objection

The earliest written accounts of Mary’s Assumption come centuries after the time of the Apostles and are mixed with legends and apocrypha. Without apostolic witness, it cannot be considered a reliable doctrine.

Response

Though not preserved in canonical Scripture, the Assumption was handed down through the Sacred Tradition of the Church and celebrated liturgically in both East and West for over a millennium. The Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, guards and defines truths that may not be written in Scripture, but are rooted in apostolic faith and universally believed.

References

John 21:25 (RSVCE-2) – “There are also many other things which Jesus did; were every one of them to be written… the world itself could not contain the books…”

2 Thessalonians 2:15 – “Hold fast to the traditions… whether by word or by letter.”

CCC 97 – “Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture make up a single sacred deposit of the Word of God.”

CCC 966 – “The Church gives the title ‘The Dormition of the Blessed Virgin’ to Mary’s falling asleep in the Lord and her assumption.”

Byzantine Liturgy (6th century) – “The holy Mother of God has been lifted up above the choirs of angels to the heavenly kingdom.”

This is an excerpt from my book, Defending Mary. You can get a PDF version of this book here—name your own price.