theological debate. Mariology and Christology Mariology (the study of Mary) has been related to Christology (the study of Christ) and in the Catholic theological and papal writings has been viewed as interwoven with the mystery of Christ. Pope John Paul II discussed the "precise place of Mary" in the plan of salvation in the encyclical Redemptoris Mater and stated: "Following the line of the Second Vatican Council, I wish to emphasize the special presence of the Mother of God in the mystery of Christ and his Church. For this is a fundamental dimension emerging from the Mariology of the Council". Catholic theologians have also explored the necessary connection of Mariology with Christology. Pope Benedict XVI characterized the relationship by stating that "Christology and Mariology are inseparably interwoven" from their very beginnings. In his view, Mariology underscores the nexus of the mysteries of Christology and ecclesiology, and reflects they are intrinsically interwoven. Early Christians and numerous saints focused on this connection and popes highlighted the inner link between Marian doctrines and a fuller understanding of Christological themes. Given the Catholic perspective that the Church lives in its relation to Christ, being the Body of Christ, it also has a relation to his mother, whose study is the subject of Catholic Mariology. Pope Pius X in Ad diem illum stated: "there is no more direct road than by Mary for uniting all mankind in Christ." In Catholic theology the study of Mary, while contributing to the study of Christ, is also a separate discipline in its own right, with an understanding of the figure of Mary contributing to a fuller understanding of who Christ is and what he did. The Congregation for Catholic Education has characterized the situation as follows: "The history of theology shows that an understanding of the mystery of the Virgin contributes to a more profound understanding of the mystery of Christ, of the Church and of the vocation of man." Referring to this, Cardinal Raymond Burke stated that the promotion of a fuller knowledge of the Virgin Mary is the "constant work of the Church". History and development Early Christians focused their piety at first more upon the martyrs; but following that, they saw in Mary a bridge between the old and the new. The earliest recorded prayer to Mary, the Sub tuum praesidium, is dated to around the year 250. In Egypt the veneration of Mary had