This will be discussed in more detail below. Again, in opposition to Orthodox practice, it must be said that to elevate Mary is to eclipse Jesus Christ. Here is where the sparks fly. Both the canonical Scriptures and unwritten traditions are held to be authoritative. To put it starkly, while lip-service is paid to the authority of Scripture in Orthodoxy, the reality is that human traditions and the history of the Orthodox church are valued more highly than the Bible, whose language and teachings are continually bent to fit the Orthodox mold.
Scripture is made to be subservient to human teachings and traditions.
It is this debasement of the Scriptures that underlies the problems with icons and Mary, among others. This happens repeatedly in Gillquist's book. She was seen as never having had a sexual union with Joseph, before or after the birth of Christ. In the traditional interpretation of this passage , Mary is the temple and Christ is the Prince of Peace. The gate mentioned is seen as a picture of the door of Mary's womb through which Christ entered our world.