St. John Damascene ca. 676-749
Let us go in adoring, and learn the wondrous mystery by which she is assumed to heaven, to be with her Son, higher than all the angelic choirs. No one stands between Son and Mother. (Homily III, On the Dormition)
St. Gregory Palamas ca. 1296-1359
The Mother of God is so much closer to God than others who draw near to Him that she is able to intercede more powerfully than any of them, and by this I mean not just human beings but even all the ranks of angels. Isaiah writes of the highest order of angels in heaven, ‘And the seraphim stood round about him’ (Isa. 6:2 LXX), whereas David says of the Mother of God, ‘Upon thy right hand did stand the queen’ (Ps. 45:9). (Homily 37 on the Dormition of the Theotokos, Source)
