Does Mother Mary Need a Modern Title?

What title should the mother of a son who is a part of a Divine trinity, have? The Vatican’s doctrinal office said the titles of “Co-Redemptrix” and “Mediatrix” are not appropriate ways to describe Mary’s participation in salvation.

The expression ‘co-redemptrix’ does not help extol Mary as the first and foremost collaborator in the work of redemption and grace, for it carries the risk of eclipsing the exclusive role of Jesus Christ,” according to a doctrinal note, released November 4, 2025.

Mary’s contribution to human salvation, specifically the title of “Co-Redemptrix” (“Co-Redeemer”), has been a point of theological debate for decades, with proponents calling for Mary’s role in redemption to be declared a dogma, while critics say it exaggerates her importance, and could damage efforts for unity with other Christian denominations.

Mary is mentioned by name in the Quran 19 times. The Qur’an states that Mary was chosen twice by God: “And when the angels said, ‘O Mary, God has chosen you and purified you (to be the mother of Jesus) and He has chosen you above the world’s (present) women.” (Quran 3:42); the first chosen was to be the mother of Prophet Jesus, and the second chosen was Mary herself, to be a prophet like Sarah, Miriam, Debrah and Queen Esther.

Mary could also have been the mother of James the Just, who was the leader of the Christian movement in Jerusalem in the decades after Jesus’ death. Information about his life is scarce. Several early sources described him as the brother of Jesus; and historians have variously interpreted this description as a literal brother or perhaps a brother in a spiritual sense.

As the Qur’an states: “O People of the (Christian) Book commit no excesses in your religion: nor say of Allah anything but the truth. Christ Jesus the son of Mary was a messenger of Allah, and His Word, which He bestowed on Mary, a spirit proceeding from Him. So believe in Allah and His messengers (including Prophet Mary) and say not ‘Trinity’: desist: it will be better for you: for Allah is one Allah: Glory be to Him above having a son.” (4:171)

Many first century Jews believed Jesus was not an original prophet; but was a revived Biblical prophet: “Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man [the term Jesus used to describe himself] is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the [other] prophets.” (Matthew 16:13-14, Mark 8:27-28, and Luke 9:18-19)

Jews and Muslims do not have to solve this difficulty. Mary’s son Jesus could have been a servant, a messenger or a prophet from God, but he could not have been divine. Most likely Mary’s son Jesus was God’s suffering servant.

There are two types of suffering servant. The individual servant’s passion initiates the process of individual redemption for those who are not part of Israel, the servant people. Some time later the son of David comes in glory at the flowering of a worldwide personal redemption that brings about universal peace and prosperity. Thus the upheavals that precede the Messianic Age are avoided or minimized and as Franz Kafka wrote, “The (Davidson) Messiah will only come when we do not need him” i.e. to verify and crown the Messianic Age rather than to personally bring it about.

If the world is not saved through individual repentance and rebirth, the cataclysmic upheavals of war and revolution predicted by the prophets will come and suffering and redemption will be on a vast national and international scale.

Many rabbis did identify Isaiah’s individual messianic figure as Messiah, a son/descendant of David, from the tribe of Judah. Most Christians identify this individual as Jesus, the Son of God. I think this individual is a messianic figure called by the rabbis: Messiah, a son of Joseph, i.e. from one of the northern tribes, who precedes David’s son, and is killed in battle by the enemies of Israel.

Christians also believe that Jesus will have to come a second time to fulfill all the messianic prophecies of worldwide peace and prosperity that have not yet come to pass. Thus the first appearance of Jesus could be as a messianic figure like the Josephson messiah. If we keep in mind the Josephson messiah as well as the role of Israel/Jacob as God’s chosen servant, we will understand Isaiah’s suffering servant prophecy.

The belief that there would be two different messiahs, one a moral political leader from the house of David (Davidson) and the other, a religious reformer from the house of Aaron (Aronson), as well as a special “end of days” prophet such as Elijah or Jeremiah (Matthew 16:14) is found in inter-testament literature.

A Dead Sea scroll states that the community must continue to live according to the original discipline “until there shall come a prophet and the Messiahs of Aaron and Israel” (Manuel of Discipline 9:11).

There is also a rabbinic belief in a messianic figure from the northern tribes; a Josephson messiah who is killed by Israel’s enemies. This idea may be modeled on the example of King Saul who reigned before King Prophet David; and who was killed in battle by the enemies of Israel.

Thus there could be as many as four individual messianic figures as well as the people of Israel who act as God’s agents in bringing about the Messianic Age. Gentile rulers also play a role, first as destructive oppressors of the Jewish people, and second when they later acknowledge their error and are ultimately included in helping bring about the Messianic Age’s worldwide blessings. The Persian King Cyrus the great, was such a messiah (Isaiah 45:1)