St. Albert the Great

1200 - 1280 AD

Note. St. Albert the Great was one of the early scholastics who helped to build up the systematic approach to theology that would revolutionise theology in the Middle Ages. St. Thomas Aquinas was one of his disciples. St. Albert has been declared a Doctor of the Church.

St. Albert the Great considered Mary a priest.

• Although Mary did not receive the sacrament of Holy Orders, she possessed the dignity and power contained in Holy Orders equivalently and to an eminent degree.
  St. Albert explains his reasons at length and states emphatically that there was no grace, power or dignity possessed by any ecclesiastical minister, including the Pope, that Mary did not possess to the highest degree.
• Mary can rightly be called an Apostle, Prophetess, Evangelist and Pastor.
• Mary acted as a sacrificial priest.

Like his contemporaries, St. Albert the Great enumerates the commonly accepted reasons against the ordination of women. But amazingly, and contrary to what he does regarding other questions, he does not give his own judgement on those reasons! See what St. Albert says about the ordination of women.

Overview of documents in this section

Tradition Mary - why a priest? Theologians and writers Picture gallery Mary and Holy Orders Mary as sacrificial priest Mary, the model of priests

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