Refugium peccatorum: The Virgin Mary’s Saving Protection in Medieval Liturgical Hymns
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThe article has a clear structure and is easy to read. It is very rich in content and provides a detailed overview of medieval liturgical hymns about the Virgin Mary, which show, more than the doctrinal level, how the medieval pious man understood and invoked Mary. The author has well systematized the invocations and titles given to the Virgin Mary in the presented hymns. The synthesis of these attitudes shows the huge imagination and love, but also the prayer of the medieval man towards the Virgin Mary, who prayed to her with such diverse expressions, titles and images.
The article is primarily valuable because the author has collected all the relevant liturgical hymns in which a special role of the Virgin Mary towards people is expressed, which is her salvific protection.
However, given that the author emphasizes in the introduction that he will analyze the doctrinal content of these hymns, this is precisely what is missing in this article. I would have liked the author to have analyzed, connected, and considered at least some of the mentioned expressions that appear more frequently, or to have provided a deeper theological dogmatic analysis for each type of marian attitudes, by connecting them with the traditional dogmatic teaching about Mary, about her role in salvation (Mary as co-redemptrix?), about the connection with her Son, her generally "supernatural powers" in which the medieval man believes and therefore prays for her protection. And finally, I would have liked the author to have shown in what way this medieval liturgical richness of expressions about the Virgin Mary could be appropriate or not for today's believer. Here, for xample, are some ideas on how I would deepen this work.
And in the introduction, the author indicated all the theological authors who dealt with the subject of mediation and assistance of the Virgin Mary. Thus, he already had theological foundations and knowledge on which he could give a slightly deeper analysis of all the mentioned attitudes.
I will definitely bookmark that article for enriching my marian/mariological knowledge of the Middle Ages.
Author Response
Please see the enclosed PDF.
Author Response File: 
Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThis study falls within the fields of liturgical theology and Mariology. Using medieval hymn texts as a basis, the author analyzes the titles by which the Virgin Mary is invoked. I consider the study's aim to be beneficial, and the author fulfills it correctly from a methodological standpoint.
The research reveals that the examined liturgical hymns proclaim the Virgin Mary as the merciful helper and protector of humankind. The author also identified four types of hymnographers' attitudes toward the Virgin. These findings are valuable for the fields of Mariology and Marian devotion.
However, it remains unclear to me why the author bases his research on four invocations from the Litany of Loreto. These invocations are not taken into account in the textual analysis. The author should clarify this in the introduction or omit it altogether. Furthermore, he could consider that, in 2020, the invocation "Solacium migrantium" was added to the original four, all of which emphasize the role of the Virgin Mary as protector.
When reviewing excerpts from hymns, it would be appropriate to indicate whether the English translation is from the same source or the author's own translation.
Author Response
Please see the enclosed PDF
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
