St. Gregory of
Tours said: "Finally when Blessed Mary having completed the course of this
life, was to be called from the world, all the apostles gathered to her house
from their different regions. And when they had heard that she was to be taken
from the world, together they kept watch with her; and lo, the Lord Jesus came
with His angles, and taking her soul, he gave it to the archangel Michael and
withdrew. At dawn the apostles raised her body with a pallet and they placed it
in a vaul and they guarded it awaiting the coming of the Lord. And lo, a second
time the Lord stood by them and he ordered the holy body to be taken and borne
to paradise; there having rejoined the soul exultant with His elect, it enjoys
the good things of eternity which shall know no end." (Liber Miraculorum)

This testimony (of which we all agree on the facts of history) is quite amazing
as to the widespread belief in the Dormition and Assumption of the Theotokos.

There is also the 3rd century hymn, that we use in our none office as an
antiphon. It is called Sub Tuum. "Under thy protection, Do we flee, Where
oftimes, the fainting have regained vigour, and therefore do we hymn thee,
Virgin Bearer of God."



--- In OrthodoxWest@yahoogroups.com, "Augustinos" <theophylact2002@...> wrote:
>
> The two most important doctrines concerning Our Lady Theotokos are that she
was a Perpetual Virgin and that she is the Mother of God. However, other
doctrines concerning her, seem to flow from these two points. For example, when
we speak of her being Perpetual Virgin, it means she was a virgin before,
DURING, and after childbirth, not just that she had not other children besides
Christ (or the frightful notion that she had carnal relations!).
>
> There are also the doctrines concerning her purification by the Holy Ghost as
the Annunciation, her special conception, her Dormition and Assumption into
Heaven, her crowning as Queen of heaven, and her title as Queen of the Universe
and Supreme Proctress and Advocate of all Christians.
>
> There seem to be some currents in modern time, some inside Orthodoxy, others
outside of it, that sometimes seek to belittle or alter two of these beliefs.
For example, there are some Greek writers from the 50s that seem to say that
only her soul was assumed, and their was no bodily assumption and resurrection
of Our Supreme Lady. Others also seem to say that she had a perfectly natural
birth, but, without pain. But, what do they mean by perfectly natural. Human
birth today is in a fallen state, and is not natural as God intends it.
>
> Any comments?
>