Early Mariology is defined as teaching on Mary, notions of Mary and the cult of Mary. It includes ideas concerning devotion to Mary and the imitation of Mary. The project definition is distinct from a strict literal meaning of the term Mariology, namely orthodox views of Mary, related to the question of the nature of Christ.
Of the texts examined, both “strictly” Christian literature and apocryphal material are considered, while Gnostic texts are excluded.
The temporal scope extends to the Council of Ephesus (431), or Chalcedon, depending on the material, but the focus is on the pre-Ephesian period.
Investigation is based on the early fifth-century theological and ideological understanding of Mary.