It seems quite difficult to do justice to a collected volume of this size and breadth of subject in such a short review, particularly as Chris Maunder has gathered together so many different contributions from various backgrounds. The first thing to say is that this is not a textbook on mariology and it does not trace, in any systematic way, developments in mariology or consider doctrinal or dogmatic definitions regarding the life and role of the Blessed Mother. In some sense this perhaps makes this collection slightly different to other Oxford Handbooks on, for example, the Trinity or Christology, which are framed in terms of the history of dogma from the Scriptures, through the Fathers, to the Middle Ages and beyond. To be sure, something of this clearer approach remains in the volume's division into Eastern and Western Christianity, as well as a consideration of Mary from a Reformation and Counter-Reformation perspective. In these sections there are good introductory chapters from Andrew Louth on patristic and contemporary Orthodox considerations of Our Lady, as well as John McGuckin's introduction to Mary in the Hymnody of the East. For the West, good contributions come from Matthew Levering on Mary and Grace and Robert Fastiggi on Mary in the Work of Redemption and Mariology in the Counter Reformation. However even these contributions grouped under Eastern and Western Christianity do not give a doctrinal history but seem rather to focus on the liturgical celebration of Marian feasts or the devotional practices of particular Christian communities throughout history and in different cultural settings. In many of the contributions, authors simply highlight the difference between Eastern and Western theology on questions like the Immaculate Conception, and after highlighting the difference, do not go on to clarify what these differences actually are, nor do they fruitfully engage with the opposing view. In this sense the volume is something of a lost opportunity.
More fundamentally the different approach taken by Maunder means that this volume loses something of the coherence which the more standard structure provides. But on the other hand, taking this different approach, which focuses more on piety, liturgy, and cultural appropriation of the person of Mary, offers a more varied perspective on the topic. So while those hoping for a systematic exposition of mariology will be disappointed, those who are interested in Our Lady as what we might call a cultural icon will find interesting perspectives here.
Much of what is dealt with in this Handbook is sociological or anthropological investigation into the cultural appropriation of Our Lady in various different situations around the world. One particular theme which comes out strongly is her appropriation by migrant groups and the disadvantaged around the world, and of particular interest here is Elina Vuloa's chapter on female converts from Lutheranism to Orthodoxy among the Skolt Sámi in Finland. Many of these chapters could profitably be read by those in formation for, or those already in, active pastoral ministry, particularly in diverse urban contexts, and might help us to reconsider the place of Marian piety in our liturgical celebrations, particularly when ministering to migrant communities.
One theme dealt with in the final section of the volume is the continued popularity of Marian pilgrimage, apparition, and miracles. Dionigi Albera's chapter on multi-faith pilgrimage is especially enlightening. The pattern of Muslim pilgrimage to Marian shrines will be familiar to anyone who has travelled to the Middle East or North Africa, and this chapter brings to prominence something which is perhaps forgotten more recently with the rise of the rate of persecution of the Christian minority in the Middle East and Africa. Her chapter offers a new perspective on Muslim pilgrimage, particularly as it has been assimilated by these communities as a form of ziyara or pious visit, to the tombs of Islamic saints. But the chapter does not simply paint the picture of a golden age of tolerance before the twentieth century's increase in violence between communities, and Albera does show how this practice has always been viewed in a dim light by what she calls ‘rigorists.’
In this final section of the volume we see something of the appropriation of Mary by migrant communities, particularly in Catrien Notermans's chapter on pilgrimage and African ‘Mary-craft’ in Europe. Notermans's chapter explores the way in which migrant women with an African Catholic background appropriate knowledge of Marian apparitions and various Marian devotional practices in order to combat witchcraft in their own communities. By doing so, they actually appropriate these Christian practices in a way similar to the witchcraft they seek to fight. This worldview helps them to live in a transnational context, where their families are dispersed to different parts of the world, and gives them a privileged context to live their sometimes lonely lives in a community where they feel safe and respected.
So while this collection is something of a missed opportunity for a real engagement between East and West on theological questions through a historical account of dogmatics, there is still much that can be gained from it. This volume, unlike other Handbooks, has very few chapters which could really usefully be used as introductory texts, but there are some such as Matthew Levering's on Mary and Grace. The real strength of this collection is the way that it shows something of the universality of devotion to Our Lady, something which unites Orthodox and Catholic, but also shows Christianity's ability to stretch to contain a bewildering variety of devotional structures and practices.
