Mary, who is especially venerated in Christianity as the mother of Jesus, is also mentioned in the Quran as the Virgin Mother. For many believers, she represents a connection to heaven, though she is never worshipped, but merely venerated. In Islam, Mary also enjoys high esteem and is among the most favored figures for mystics.
The Catholic view considers Mary to be a perpetual virgin—before, during, and after the birth of Jesus. Furthermore, according to this doctrine, she was preserved from original sin (Immaculate Conception) and assumed into heaven body and soul, which is unusual for humans, as normally only the spirit enters heaven. These Marian dogmas belong to Mariology, a branch of Catholic dogmatics that is not recognized by Protestant believers.
In 431 AD, the Council of Ephesus bestowed upon Mary the title "Mother of God," which also appears in the Chalcedonian Creed (451 AD). Interestingly, the Egyptian goddess Isis bore the same title. However, in the Bible, Mary is nowhere referred to as "Mother of God," but rather as the mother of Jesus, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit as the Son of God. Mary gave birth to the human Jesus, while his divine attributes came from his Father, God.