"By Sweet Violence": Mary as Empress of Hell, Mary as Bully, Mary of the Big Stick with Vincent V. Saint-Roch

This event will take place in-person in Salem, Massachusetts. Purchase a ticket for online access to this live class to attend via Zoom. This class is approx. 90 min.

About this Presentation:

The Virgin Mary has long-standing as a kind and compassionate intercessor in Christian orthodoxy and praxis. This role is conventionally conceived of as one of sweet advocacy, the Mother of Mercy persuading God the Father or God the Son to intervene into the problems of we mere mortals through the gentle pleading of motherly love.

There is a more dangerous Mary. This side of Mary appears in a 14th century version of the tale of Saint Theophilus (a noted precursor to Faust) telling the Devil “I will trample your belly.” This side of Mary, we are told one text, will use “sweet violence” to compel God to act as she wishes. This side of Mary is seen brandishing…