Yale University Library Research Guides: Mary, Blessed Mother of Jesus: History & Subject Headings

Historical Overviews

Mary Through the Centuries: Her Place in the History of Culture by Jaroslav Pelikan Relates how the Virgin Mary has been depicted and venerated through the ages in different forms of Christianity.
Mother of God: A History of the Virgin Mary (Online) by Miri Rubin A historical overview of the ideas, practices, and images that have developed around the figure of Mary from the earliest decades of Christianity to around the year 1600.
In Search of Mary: The Woman and the Symbol by Sally Cunneen Follows the history and development of her image over the last two thousand years, and explores the different ways that Mary has transformed the lives of people today.
Origins of the Cult of the Virgin Mary by Chris Maunder (Editor) Collection of essays on the development of devotion to the Virgin Mary, beginning with early Christian scriptures and texts up to the 8th century.
Mary in Early Christian Faith and Devotion by Stephen J. Shoemaker Explores the story of the emergence and development of the Marian cult in the early Christian centuries.
Mary and the Fathers of the Church: The Blessed Virgin Mary in Patristic Thought by Luigi Gambero; Thomas Buffer Presents a survey of the development of Marian doctrine and devotion during the first eight centuries, focusing on the lives and works of over thirty of the most famous Church Fathers and early Christian writers.