Recently, Catholic priest and scholar
Christaan Kappes has been forwarding the thesis that the use of the Greek
προκαθαρθείσα by Gergory Nazianzus and
others is evidence for belief in the Immaculate Conception of Mary (which was
elevated to a dogma in 1854).
Easter Orthodox apologist Craig Truglia
has an excellent response to Kappes on this issue, showing that the term does
not support an immaculate conception of Mary:
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3 Reasons Fr Kappes’ Prokathartheisa/Prepurification Thesis Is Wrong
For more on the Immaculate Conception, see
my two chapters addressing this dogma in light of the Bible and early Christian
writings (chs. 2-3 [pp.35-82]) of my book: