I notice that whenever solid, physical archeological evidence is presented proving the early church was Catholic in belief and practice, Marian devotion is the standard DERAILER. Devotion does not mean worship, and neither does prayer, but the anti-Catholic refuses to see it any other way. OK, I'll go along with
@FHII rosary derailer and present more evidence that authentic Marian devotion (not worship) existed in the early Church.
This 3rd Century Marian prayer contains the roots of a central dogma and an enduring devotion.
The oldest known prayer to Mary is the Sub Tuum Praesidium. It was discovered in Egypt on a fragment of papyrus. It is believed the prayer dates back to mid-late 200's A.D.
The prayer follows:
We fly to your patronage, O holy Mother of God; despise not our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us always from all dangers, O glorious and blessed Virgin.
This ancient prayer holds the origins of a central Marian dogma, theotokos, and one of the most enduring Marian devotions, Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
One of the great controversies in the early Church was a question. Is it more proper to speak of Mary as simply the mother of Jesus, or can she have as her title mother of God, theotokos (God bearer)? In 431 the Council of Ephesus agreed that giving Mary the title of mother of God
affirmed the divinity of Jesus. (because the doctrine of the Trinity was challenged by heretics)
Sub Tuum Praesidium: The Most Ancient Marian Prayer | Saint Mary's Press (smp.org)
"oldest known prayer" does not mean the devotion was invented at the time it was written, it proves what the earliest Christians always believed. Here's more evidence:
Title: First Known Image of Mary
Artist: Unknown
Location: Catacombs of Priscilla (Rome, Italy)
Medium: Fresco
Time: 170 BC
Dimensions: 14.79 x 16.42
“There is one Physician who is possessed both of flesh and spirit; both made and not made; God existing in flesh; true life in death; both of Mary and of God; first possible and then impossible, even Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Ignatius, To the Ephesians, 7 (c. A.D. 110).
“[T]hey blessed her, saying: O God of our fathers, bless this child, and give her an everlasting name to be named in all generations. And all the people said: So be it, so be it, amen. And he brought her to the chief priests; and they blessed her, saying: O God most high, look upon this child, and bless her with the utmost blessing, which shall be for ever.”
Protoevangelium of John, 6:2 (A.D. 150).
“He became man by the Virgin, in order that the disobedience which proceeded from the serpent might receive its destruction in the same manner in which it derived its origin. For Eve, who was a virgin and undefiled, having conceived the word of the serpent, brought forth disobedience and death. But the Virgin Mary received faith and joy, when the angel Gabriel announced the good tidings to her that the Spirit of the Lord would come upon her, and the power of the Highest would overshadow her: wherefore also the Holy Thing begotten of her is the Son of God; and she replied, ‘Be it unto me according to thy word.’ And by her has He been born, to whom we have proved so many Scriptures refer, and by whom God destroys both the serpent and those angels and men who are like him; but works deliverance from death to those who repent of their wickedness and believe upon Him.”
Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, 100 (A.D. 155).
The Bible, Luther, & Calvin on Calling Mary “Blessed”
Questions Re Catholic Mariology & the Rosary
Martin Luther Was Extraordinarily Devoted to Mary
Serious objections to Catholic Mariology was NOT a reformist issue until the mid 18th century. A bit late, dontcha think???