Editing Immaculate Conception (section)

===Medieval formulation===
[[File:Lusenberg-Immaculata-1876.jpg|thumb|''Altar of the Immaculata'' by [[Josef Moroder-Lusenberg|Joseph Lusenberg]], 1876, representing Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, at Saint Antony's Church, [[Urtijëi]], Italy]]

By the 4th century the idea that Mary was free from sin was generally more widespread,{{sfn|Shoemaker|2016|p=119}} but original sin raised the question of whether she was also free of the sin passed down from Adam.{{sfn|Coyle|1996|pp=36–37}} The question became acute when the feast of her conception began to be celebrated in England in the 11th century,{{sfn|Collinge|2012|pp=209–210}} and the opponents of the feast of Mary's conception brought forth the objection that as sexual intercourse is sinful, to celebrate Mary's conception was to celebrate a sinful event.{{sfn|Boss|2000|p=126}} The feast of Mary's conception originated in the Eastern Church in the 7th century, reached England in the 11th, and from there spread to Europe, where it was given official approval in 1477 and extended to the whole church in 1693; the word "immaculate" was not officially added to the name of the feast until 1854.{{sfn|Collinge|2012|pp=209–210}}

The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception caused a virtual civil war between [[Franciscan]]s and [[Dominican Order|Dominican]]s during the Middle Ages, with Franciscan '[[Scotism|Scotists]]' in its favour and Dominican '[[Thomism|Thomists]]' against it.{{sfn|Cameron|1996|p=335}}{{sfn|Kappes|2014|p=13}}  The English ecclesiastic and scholar [[Eadmer]] ({{Circa|1060|1126}}) reasoned that it was possible that Mary was conceived without original sin in view of God's omnipotence, and that it was also appropriate in view of her role as [[Mother of God]]: ''Potuit, decuit, fecit'', "it was possible, it was fitting, therefore it was done".{{sfn|Coyle|1996|pp=36–37}} Others, including [[Bernard of Clairvaux]] (1090–1153) and [[Thomas Aquinas]] (1225–1274), objected that if Mary were free of original sin at her conception then she would have no need of redemption, making Christ's saving redemption superfluous; they were answered by [[Duns Scotus]] (1264–1308), who "developed the idea of [[preservative redemption]] as being a more perfect one: to have been preserved free from original sin was a greater grace than to be set free from sin".{{sfn|Coyle|1996|p=38}} 

In 1439, the [[Council of Basel]], in schism with [[Pope Eugene IV]] who resided at the [[Council of Florence]],{{sfn|Kappes|2014|pp=158–159}} declared the Immaculate Conception a "[[Theological notes|pious opinion]]" consistent with faith and Scripture; the [[Council of Trent]], held in several sessions in the early 1500s, made no explicit declaration on the subject but exempted her from the universality of original sin; and also affirmed that she remained during all her life free from all stain of sin, even the venial one.;<ref>Council of Trent, DG 1573. As quoted in {{cite web|author=[[John Paul II]]|title=General Audience of 19th June 1996|url=https://www-vatican-va.translate.goog/content/john-paul-ii/it/audiences/1996/documents/hf_jp-ii_aud_19960619.html?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=it&_x_tr_pto=wapp}} (at n°. 2)</ref> by 1571 the revised [[Roman Breviary]] set out an elaborate celebration of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on 8 December.{{sfn|Reynolds|2012|pp=4–5, 117}}