Responding to Elijah Yassi's use of Theoteknos of Livias in support of the Immaculate Conception

The following is an approximately 20 second clip from Elijah Yassi's opening argument (the second speech for the side in favor of the immaculate conception).  All my references to Daley and his introduction to and translation of Theoteknos of Livias sermon are from On the Dormition of Mary (Popular Patristic Series, no. 18, St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1998).  

The above still is taken from the presentation slides being shown.  The following is a transcript of what Elijah Yassi said (bracket is shown on the slide, but the word was simply read as-is): 

So, Theoteknos says, "For she was begotten like the Cherubim from pure and spotless [clay]. For while she was still in the loins of her father Joachim her mother and Anna received a message from a Holy Angel who said to her your seed shall be spoken of throughout all the world'." And this is uh a sixth Century work um where it talks about Mary having a spotless seed.

As far as I could tell, this quotation was provided in Elijah's speech and then never directly mentioned again throughout the debate.  At most, as far as I could tell, there were occasional references to the word "spotless," and some broad brush claims about the fathers.

The Detailed Rebuttal

1. The General Irrelevance of the Quotation to the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception

There is no mention here of Mary experiencing a privilege that was singular, or that Mary was "most blessed," or that she was preserved from the stain of original sin, nor are the merits of Jesus mentioned or alluded to.

2. Theoteknos is not a "Church Father"

We do not know whether Theoteknos was orthodox or heterodox, mostly because all that we really know about him is that he is attributed this work and is identified with the small town of Livias, which was near Jericho.  One assumes that the reason for taking this attribution as genuine is that he is otherwise unknown.  One challenge to this theory, however, comes from the ascription of this work, in two Arabic copies, to Theophile of Landra.  While Livias is a known town, Landra is not, which makes its citation even less suspect of invention.

  

Brian E. Daley, S.J., in his introduction to his translation, On the Dormition of Mary, p. 13, writes: "Roughly contemporary with John of Thessalonica's homily, it seems, is a shorter sermon attributed to an otherwise unknown Palestinian bishop, Theoteknos of Livias." Daley goes on to point out that Livias was a "small city across the Jordan from Jericho, at the foot of Mt. Nebo (today Tel er-Ramah)." (p. 13) Daley later explains that this sermon is "not mentioned in other ancient sources and known to us only from one badly damaged manuscript at St. Catherine's monastery ...."(p. 14)  

Daley's statement seems to be mistaken.  As I've pointed out in a separate post (link to post), there are actually two Arabic manuscripts of this sermon.

3. Probably Seventh Century (or later) not Sixth Century

Daley explains, p. 14, "[Livias] disappears from the extant lists of Christian sees after the Muslim invasions of the 630s. Theoteknos's homily, which has the early seventh-century feature of locating Mary's house and the place of her death on Mount Sion ...." 

Unfortunately, even this seventh-century dating is potentially too early, if the "Livias" attribution is not correct, which does not appear to have been carefully studied.  If the correct location is Landra (a know unknown town), the dating may still be around the same time (with the disappearance of the town due, one might surmise, to the Islamic expansion), or could be somewhat later.

In this post, I stick with the Theoteknos attribution, without concluding that it is correct.

Stephen J. Shoemaker, The Ancient Traditions of the Virgin Mary's Dormition and Assumption (2003), p. 65 states (footnotes omitted):

Another atypical narrative probably from the period here under consideration is the homily on the Dormition by Theoteknos of Livias. In Greek the text is known only from a single manuscript, edited by Wenger in his volume on the early Byzantine Dormition traditions, although there is also an Arabic version, still unedited, from which Wenger has completed several lacunae. The homily's author is identified as an otherwise unknown bishop, Theoteknos, who lived in the small town of Livias, at the foot of Mount Nebo, just across the Jordan river from Jericho. Since there ceased to be a bishopric in Livias sometime before 649, we may be fairly certain that Theoteknos delivered his homily sometime before this year, perhaps around the turn of the seventh century, if not slightly earlier.

Shoemaker's more precise statement seems to be correct, although the recent work mentioned in my separate post (link to post) has moved the study of the Arabic in the right direction.

4. Complimenting Mary vs. the Immaculate Conception

Theoteknos has lofty words to describe and praise Mary.  He first introduces her as "Mary, the holy Mother of God," (p. 71) and shortly afterwards describes her as "that spotless, holy one who never knew marital union" (p. 71), "she who had become wider than the heavens and higher than the cherubim was to receive the palm of reward to which she had been called, and to be taken up into heaven." (p. 71)

On the other hand, Theoteknos states (p. 71):

His purpose was that the power of the Prince of Evil should be destroyed through her by whom he had deceived us, and that through her all women should find freedom from the curse that bound them; "for she shall be saved through childbearing," as the Apostle says. (1 Tim 2:15)

This wording is hard to reconcile with the Immaculate Conception dogma, because it seems to imply that Mary remained in unity with Eve and was under the curse and under the power of the Prince of Evil, which power and curse was then broken and destroyed through Mary's conception and birth of Jesus, in some way further connected with her own death and resurrection.

At least in Daley's translation (which I have been unable to check), the power and curse were not destroyed "for her" but "through her."  This is a significant difference for the dogma of the immaculate conception, because it implies Mary was under the power and curse but escaped them, leading the way for the rest of womanhood.

This comes from Daley's section [1], which is then followed by section [2], which starts with the quotation Elijah Yassi offered.

5. The Quotation: a Contextual Analysis

The quotation in question is provided thus by Daley (p 72, endnotes, p. 81, double-bracket is my substitute for what seems to be a confusing attempt to partially transliterate the Greek):

[2.] She was begotten like the cherubim, from pure and spotless [clay].[EN3] For while she was still in the loins of her father Joachim, her mother Anna received a message from a holy angel, who said to her, "Your seed shall be spoken of throughout all the world."[EN4] Therefore Anna brought her to the temple of the Lord as an offering.[EN5] And during all her time there, the maiden stood alongside Christ the king, "at his right hand, splendidly clothed in a robe of gold," as the prophet says: "Listen, daughter, and see, and incline your ear; forget your people and your father's house. The king desires your beauty; he is your Lord--pay homage to him." (Ps. 44:10-13)

She was found worthy of unspeakable joy, which the prophets had foretold for her; her heart was penetrated both by a sword (Lk 2:35) and by joy. When she considered her conception [of Jesus] without seed, and the divine overshadowing, and [when she thought of] his human career--of how the invisible one had become visible, how the incomprehensible one shared her nature and reclined with publicans, stood before Pilate like a slave and was nailed to a cross and sealed in a tomb--and was in great confusion at the thought, surely a sword did pass through her soul. But joy filled her at his resurrection from the dead... and his ascension... and at the thought that the flesh that had come forth from her own womb, without seed, now sits enthroned with the Father; and this joy is great, and gladness has taken hold of the blameless one.

EN3. "Clay" here is conjectural, reading [[πηλοῦ]] for a lost word in the manuscript beginning with [[π]].

EN4. This is a quotation from the Protoevangelium of James 4.1. The whole paragraph on Mary's birth is inspired, in fact, by the Protoevangelium.

EN5. See Protoevangelium 7.1f.

For comparison, I offer the following translation of sections 4 and 7 of the Protoevangelium of James:

4. And, behold, an angel of the Lord stood by, saying: Anna, Anna, the Lord has heard your prayer, and you shall conceive, and shall bring forth; and your seed shall be spoken of in all the world. And Anna said: As the Lord my God lives, if I beget either male or female, I will bring it as a gift to the Lord my God; and it shall minister to Him in holy things all the days of its life. 1 Samuel 1:11 And, behold, two angels came, saying to her: Behold, Joachim your husband is coming with his flocks. For an angel of the Lord went down to him, saying: Joachim, Joachim, the Lord God has heard your prayer. Go down hence; for, behold, your wife Anna shall conceive. And Joachim went down and called his shepherds, saying: Bring me hither ten she-lambs without spot or blemish, and they shall be for the Lord my God; and bring me twelve tender calves, and they shall be for the priests and the elders; and a hundred goats for all the people. And, behold, Joachim came with his flocks; and Anna stood by the gate, and saw Joachim coming, and she ran and hung upon his neck, saying: Now I know that the Lord God has blessed me exceedingly; for, behold the widow no longer a widow, and I the childless shall conceive. And Joachim rested the first day in his house.

...

7. And her months were added to the child. And the child was two years old, and Joachim said: Let us take her up to the temple of the Lord, that we may pay the vow that we have vowed, lest perchance the Lord send to us, and our offering be not received. And Anna said: Let us wait for the third year, in order that the child may not seek for father or mother. And Joachim said: So let us wait. And the child was three years old, and Joachim said: Invite the daughters of the Hebrews that are undefiled, and let them take each a lamp, and let them stand with the lamps burning, that the child may not turn back, and her heart be captivated from the temple of the Lord. And they did so until they went up into the temple of the Lord. And the priest received her, and kissed her, and blessed her, saying: The Lord has magnified your name in all generations. In you, on the last of the days, the Lord will manifest His redemption to the sons of Israel. And he set her down upon the third step of the altar, and the Lord God sent grace upon her; and she danced with her feet, and all the house of Israel loved her.

5.1 The Question of "Clay"

While I appreciate the effort to provide a suitable word starting with π (the letter "pi"), a more obvious choice would be father (πατήρ) or a related word like "fatherhood/paternity" (also starts with "pi")  After all, in the Protoevangelium of James, Joachim is characterized as being purified through the offering of sacrifices etc.  

The Arabic seems to have gone with clay, although it seems at least potentially possible that the Arabic was based on the same manuscript, and consequently was faced with the same gap-filling.

Nevertheless, we should consider the real possibility that the Greek original was "clay," given the Arabic translation that exists.

5.2 The "Begotten like the Cherubim"

This is an obscure saying.  It is reminiscent of Jesus' answer to the Sadducees, which explained that those in heaven "neither marry, nor are given in marriage" (Matthew 22:30, Mark 12:25, Luke 20:35) but instead "are as the angels of God in heaven" (Matthew 22:30) or "are as the angels which are in heaven" (Mark 12:25) or "are equal unto the angels" (Luke 20:36).  Presumably, the reasoning chain is that angels in heaven reproduce without the impure sexual thoughts (and possibly also without physical coupling at all) associated in the late patristic mind with the way humans normally reproduce.

Another option would make this an obscure allusion to the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, in which birds were made of clay.  This seems less likely at least from the standpoint that no other parallels to that apocryphal work have been noted.

Wenger's French translation of this passage declares, "She was born [pure and immaculate, like the cherubim]." (L'Assomption dans la Tradition Byzantine, p. 275)

The Greek, however, merely has the following:

Ginetai is usually translated as "become."  In the context, "ek p..." would seem to refer to Mary father, not clay.  Wenger argues that Ginetai can refer to "born" or "conceived," but acknowledges the challenges of saying that she was born or conceived cherubically.  Wenger argues that the "pure and spotless" that follows must refer to Mary, not Joachim, claiming that there is no reason they would apply to Joachim.  On the contrary, however, in the Protoevangelium of James, which this sermon draws from, Joachim's righteousness is a point of concern for the author, so it should not be ruled out.

The understanding of Mary becoming cherubic could be a reference to her early life, but could be an introduction to her entire life, culminating in her ascension (or if you prefer, assumption) into heaven.

5.3 The Loins of Joachim

Theoteknos seems ready to acknowledge Joachim as the actual biological father of Mary, with the emphasis being (as in the Protoevangelium of James) on his purification before her conception.  Her presence in his loins hints at a traducianist understanding, which - of course - is incompatible with the dogma of the immaculate conception.  On the other hand, it could simply be Theoteknos using the Biblical phrasing applied to Levi by the author of Hebrews, or the like, without having a specific conception model in mind.  

5.4 Famous Seed 

In the debate, the quotation, "Your seed shall be spoken of throughout all the world," was taken as having some alleged relevance to the immaculate conception.  I don't see the connection.  The statement, directly taken from the Protoevangelium of James, only means that Mary (Anna's seed) will be famous world-wide.  That's all it means in the source, and it seems to be all that is meant in Theoteknos as well.  The link between the famous seed and the temple is best explained by the connection provided in the Protoevangelium of James, which makes Anna like Hannah in offering up her offspring to God as a gift.

Elijah's characterization of "spotless seed" seems to be a blending of the characterization of her father (or mother, if the clay of her mother's womb is what is intended) and the famous seed.  I cannot see justification for such an interpretation.

5.5 Sword Penetrating Her Heart

While Theoteknos (or minimally Daley's translation thereof) softens a seeming criticism of Mary, nevertheless Theoteknos does attribute to her "great confusion" and associates that with the sword piercing her heart.  One can hardly see "great confusion" as a virtue, and it seems to represent at least in some way a very minor criticism of Mary.  Whether or not Theoteknos would specifically identify such "great confusion" as a sin, it seems to be a kind of moral failing that is inconsistent with the dogma of the immaculate conception. 

Pilar González Casado, as part of his doctoral thesis (Complutensian University of Madrid, 2013) has translated the Arabic to Spanish (pp. 529-36) as mentioned in my separate post (link to post).  In the Arabic, the sword is described as being one of "doubt."  This would certainly be consistent with a wide swath of ancient writers.

Conclusion

As you may have already deduced, I did not find the argument from Theoteknos to be very persuasive.  While the quoted portion may not be inconsistent