What is Reddit's opinion of Behold Your Mother - A Biblical and Historical Defense of the Marian Doctrines?
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>Fully human and fully God, so Paul isn't talking about him.

Of course. But following the logic of what was said it would implicate him. So you are left with a couple of choices; either Paul is wrong, or it's not meant to mean literally everyone. Additionally there are other who have not sinned: all who died before the age of accountability: Those in the womb, babies, and very young children. I think you would agree they have committed no sin themselves.

>My short answer is, Mary didn't do anything for me.

Oh, but she did. She said yes to God. That was a very powerful choice on her part and it directly affected the course of human history.

> but there's no point focusing on her or any other saints when we have the Son of God to look at and compare to

Not everyone is ready to look directly to God, God can use others in our lives to steer us towards him, whether that be a mentor, a friend, or a saint. Additionally each saint reflects God, indeed each human does. How could we not? We were made in his image. The saints are just clearer reflections since they are closer to God, and Mary is the human closest to God. She will point to her son unfailingly.

I really recommend you look into why we believe as we do.

https://www.amazon.com/Behold-Your-Mother-Historical-Doctrines/dp/1938983807

is a good starting place.

I haven't read it, but I have heard good things about it -- <em>Behold Your Mother</em> by Tim Staples. This may give you help you understand why we venerate the Virgin Mary like we do (it's also biblical -- Lk. 1:48).

edit: formatting

It's not, that's just a fraction of it. Here's a book, Check it out if you want the full biblical defense.

Behold Your Mother - A Biblical and Historical Defense of the Marian Doctrines https://www.amazon.com/dp/1938983807/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_navT_g_66WZWRKH80E6SPWP8AV2

A couple book recommendations:

Behold Your Mother: A Biblical and Historical Defense of the Marian Doctrines by Tim Staples - A great 350 page Marian apologetics book published in 2014. Here are the sections from the Table of Contents relevant to the Immaculate Conception:

Part II: Full of Grace • What's in a Name? - p. 55 • Revelations and Ancient Promises: Evidence for the Immaculate Conception - p. 71 • The New Eve and the Immaculate Conception - p. 95 • Answering Objections - p. 115-130

The Dogma of the Immaculate Conception: History and Significance - Edited by Edward D. O'Connor - Published in 1958, reprinted in paperback in 2017, a ~700 page collection of articles by different authors on the following topics:

Introduction • Scripture and the Immaculate Conception: A Problem in the Evolution of Dogma Part I. History of the Dogma • The Fathers of the Church and the Immaculate Conception • The Byzantine Church and the Immaculate Conception • The Immaculate Conception in Liturgy • The Mediaeval Controversy over the Immaculate Conception • The Controversy after Scotus to 1900 • The Role of the Papal Magisterium in the Development of the Dogma

Part II. Theology • The Meaning of the Immaculate Conception • The Immaculate Conception in God's Plan of Creation and Salvation • The Immaculate Conception and the Divine Motherhood, Coredemption and Assumption • The Immaculate Conception and the Spirituality of the Blessed Virgin

Part III. Supplementary Studies and Appendices • Islam and the Immaculate Conception • The Immaculate Conception in art • Documents: 1. Protogospel of St. James: Legend of Anne and Joachim, 2. Pseudo-Matthew: Legend of Anne and Joachim, 3. Liber de Nativitate Mariae: Legend of Anne and Joachim, 4. Mediaeval sermon on the Conception of Blessed Mary, 5. The Aurora of Peter Riga: Biblical Symbols of the Blessed Virgin.

I think the best approach to convincing a Protestant about the Marian dogmas is to not begin with them directly, but instead to focus on three ways Mary is the fulfillment of Old Testament realities, using typology: Mary as the New Eve, the Ark of the New Covenant, and the Queen Mother of the Davidic Kingdom.

Here is a dropbox link to teaching handouts I made with extensive Scripture quotations on each of these three titles, along with a fourth summary handout that then approaches the Marian dogmas.

A couple book recommendations:

Behold Your Mother: A Biblical and Historical Defense of the Marian Doctrines by Tim Staples - A great 350 page Marian apologetics book published in 2014.

>Introduction • Scripture and the Immaculate Conception: A Problem in the Evolution of Dogma Part I. History of the Dogma • The Fathers of the Church and the Immaculate Conception • The Byzantine Church and the Immaculate Conception • The Immaculate Conception in Liturgy • The Mediaeval Controversy over the Immaculate Conception • The Controversy after Scotus to 1900 • The Role of the Papal Magisterium in the Development of the Dogma Part II. Theology • The Meaning of the Immaculate Conception • The Immaculate Conception in God's Plan of Creation and Salvation • The Immaculate Conception and the Divine Motherhood, Coredemption and Assumption • The Immaculate Conception and the Spirituality of the Blessed Virgin Part III. Supplementary Studies and Appendices • Islam and the Immaculate Conception • The Immaculate Conception in art • Documents: 1. Protogospel of St. James: Legend of Anne and Joachim, 2. Pseudo-Matthew: Legend of Anne and Joachim, 3. Liber de Nativitate Mariae: Legend of Anne and Joachim, 4. Mediaeval sermon on the Conception of Blessed Mary, 5. The Aurora of Peter Riga: Biblical Symbols of the Blessed Virgin. Bibliography

> I notice you say disciples (plural) here, but the text only says he was speaking to one disciple. Why is that?

Because John wanted to represent himself for all beloved disciples of Jesus at the foot of the cross. He humbly refers to himself this way throughout his Gospel so that we could see ourselves in his position.

> It seems like this could easily just be Jesus providing for Mary's care by entrusting her to this disciple, like any good son would do. What in this text leads you to believe something more is going on?

Many things. For one, keep in mind the context here that the creator of the Universe is nailed to a cross. This is one of the most defining moments within creation, a turning point in the relationship between humanity, God and those who love Him.

Jesus is in His last moments of life. It would be foolish to treat His precious last words as a mere logistical arrangement. "uh John, i'm kinda tied up here, so can you take care of my mom please?" Jesus's words get more and more solemn, profound and meaningful leading up to and during the crucifixion. Jesus's passion is a Crescendo to sear into our hearts the depth of meaning on display.

Notice that Jesus first teaches "Behold your Son". As Love itself, He is giving credit to Mary and Israel for producing Him. This is an echo of Judith 15:9-10 and other biblical references, the triumph of Israel.

There's a lot more to it that can be found in scripture, but ultimately, I think it takes a deep understanding of the profound love that God has for humanity, and our relationship to sin. I'd recommend former Baptist Tim Staples' book for biblical references:

https://www.amazon.com/Behold-Your-Mother-Historical-Doctrines/dp/1938983807

> Paul's focus is on two things: persecution and inheritance

I agree with the inheritance part and would recommend that Christians consider what sin and freedom represents with Sarah and Hagar.

> To be frank, applying Eve and Mary here seems eisegetical, not exegetical. I'm open to having missed something here, though.

Again, I think that understanding it is a matter of how much one understands about the depth of God's love. Pardon the crude analogy, but to demonstrate how compassion works, to an atheist, the whole scene would just look like some criminal that got caught.

Here are my book recommendations:

Part II: Full of Grace

What's in a Name? - p. 55
Revelations and Ancient Promises: Evidence for the Immaculate Conception - p. 71
The New Eve and the Immaculate Conception - p. 95
Answering Objections - p. 115-130

Introduction

Scripture and the Immaculate Conception: A Problem in the Evolution of Dogma - p. 3

Part I. History of the Dogma

The Fathers of the Church and the Immaculate Conception - p. 51
The Byzantine Church and the Immaculate Conception - p. 87
The Immaculate Conception in Liturgy - p. 113
The Mediaeval Controversy over the Immaculate Conception - p. 161
The Controversy after Scotus to 1900 - p. 213
The Role of the Papal Magisterium in the Development of the Dogma - p. 271

Part II. Theology

The Meaning of the Immaculate Conception - p. 327
The Immaculate Conception in God's Plan of Creation and Salvation - p. 347
The Immaculate Conception and the Divine Motherhood, Coredemption and Assumption - p. 363
The Immaculate Conception and the Spirituality of the Blessed Virgin - p. 413

Part III. Supplementary Studies and Appendices

Islam and the Immaculate Conception - p. 447
The Immaculate Conception in art - p. 463
Documents: 1. Protogospel of St. James: Legend of Anne and Joachim, 2. Pseudo-Matthew: Legend of Anne and Joachim, 3. Liber de Nativitate Mariae: Legend of Anne and Joachim, 4. Mediaeval sermon on the Conception of Blessed Mary, 5. The Aurora of Peter Riga: Biblical Symbols of the Blessed Virgin.
Bibliography (about 100 pages)

I would highly recommend Behold Your Mother - A Biblical and Historical Defense of the Marian Doctrines by Tim Staples in regards to specifically Marian questions.

Although, if you are caught up on praying "to Mary" you probably are struggling with praying to Saints in general, here are a couple links I'd recommend.

Praying to Mary and the Saints
Praying to Mary - A Biblical Defense
Why Praying To Saints Is Not Like Praying To Other Gods