Collyridianism

Collyridianism (or Kollyridianism) was an alleged Early Christian movement in Arabia whose adherents worshipped the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus, as a goddess, and possibly as a member of the Trinity.^[1][2] The existence of the sect is subject to some dispute by scholars, as the only contemporary source to describe it is the Panarion of St. Epiphanius of Salamis (though some connect it with a Qur'anic verse).^[1][3]

According to Epiphanius, certain women in largely-pagan Arabia syncretised indigenous beliefs with the worship of Mary and offered little cakes or bread-rolls.^[4] The cakes were called collyris (Greek: κολλυρίς) and are the source of the name Collyridians.^[5] Epiphanius stated that Collyridianism originated in Thrace and Scythia although it may have first travelled to those regions from Syria or Asia Minor.^[4]

The adoption of the mother of Jesus as a virtual goddess may represent a reintroduction of aspects of the worship of Isis. According to Sabrina Higgins, "When looking at images of the Egyptian goddess Isis and those of the Virgin Mary, one may initially observe iconographic similarities. These parallels have led many scholars to suggest that there is a distinct iconographic relationship between Isis and Mary. In fact, some scholars have gone even further, and have suggested, on the basis of this relationship, a direct link between the cult of Mary and that of Isis."^[6] Conversely, Carl Olson and Sandra Miesel dispute the idea that Christianity copied elements of Isis's iconography, saying that the symbol of a mother and her child is part of the universal human experience.^[7]

The theologian Karl Gerok disputed the existence of the Collyridians, describing it as improbable that a sect composed only of women could have lasted for as long as described by Epiphanius.^[1] The Protestant writer Samuel Zwemer pointed out that the only source of information about the sect came from Epiphanius.^[1]

In his 1976 book The Virgin, the historian Geoffrey Ashe put forward the hypothesis that the Collyridians represented a parallel Marian religion to Christianity, founded by first-generation followers of the Virgin Mary, whose doctrines were later subsumed by the Church at the Council of Ephesus in 431.^[5] The historian Averil Cameron has been more skeptical about whether the movement even existed and noted that Epiphanius is the only source for the group and that later authors simply refer to his text.^[8]

The Collyridians have become of interest in Christian–Muslim religious discussions in reference to the Islamic concept of the Christian Trinity. The debate hinges on some verses in the Qur'an, primarily 5:73, 5:75, and 5:116 in the sura Al-Ma'ida, which have been taken to imply that Muhammad believed that Christians considered Mary to be part of the Trinity.^[9] That idea has never been part of mainstream Christian doctrine and is not clearly and unambiguously attested among any ancient Christian group, including the Collyridians.

However, research in Islamic studies claims that "the Quranic accusations that Christians claim Mary as God can be understood as a rhetorical statement."^[10][11] For example, David Thomas states that verse 5:116 need not be seen as describing actually professed beliefs but rather as giving examples of shirk (claiming divinity for beings other than God) and a "warning against excessive devotion to Jesus and extravagant veneration of Mary, a reminder linked to the central theme of the Qur'an that there is only one God and He alone is to be worshipped."^[12] When read in that light, it can be understood as an admonition: "Against the divinization of Jesus that is given elsewhere in the Qur'an and a warning against the virtual divinization of Mary in the declaration of the fifth-century church councils that she is 'God-bearer'." Similarly, Gabriel Reynolds, Sidney Griffith and Mun'im Sirry argue that the verse is to be understood as a rhetorical statement to warn from the dangers of deifying Jesus or Mary.^[13][14]