4. Mary the goddess?

‘Mary the goddess?’ considers the question of whether the Virgin Mary is a goddess. According to official Christian theology throughout the centuries, Mary is not and cannot be a goddess. Nevertheless, Christian piety has at times followed a separate track from official theology by treating Mary as a goddess. It is worth considering here the oft-noted parallels between the Virgin Mary and Graeco-Roman goddesses, the history of the Black Madonna, and contemporary forms of goddess-centred spirituality.