| This box: view · homoousian to Him: only the persons of the Holy Trinity. He is ontologically separate from all other beings, as Creator to creation. This stands in contrast to classical Greco-Roman religion in particular, where a number of goddesses appear as the physical mothers of other divinities which were considered gods in their own right (cf. polytheism).
On the other hand, most Christians believe God the Son is begotten of God the Father "from all eternity" (see Trinity and Nicene Creed), but is born "in time" of Mary. Theotokos thus refers to the Incarnation, when the Second Person of the Holy Trinity took on human nature in addition to his pre-existing divine nature, this being made possible through the cooperation of Mary.
Since mainstream Christians understand Jesus Christ as both fully God and fully human, they call Mary Theotokos to affirm the fullness of God's incarnation. The Council of Ephesus decreed, in opposition to those who denied Mary the title Theotokos ("the one who gives birth to God") but called her Christotokos ("the one who gives birth to Christ"), that Mary is Theotokos because her son Jesus is one person who is both God and man, divine and human. (Some Protestants still insist that Mary cannot be truly Theotokos, but only Christotokos.[6][7]) Cyril of Alexandria wrote, "I am amazed that there are some who are entirely in doubt as to whether the holy Virgin should be called Theotokos or not. For if our Lord Jesus Christ is God, how is the holy Virgin who gave [Him] birth, not [Theotokos]?" (Epistle 1, to the monks of Egypt; PG 77:13B). Thus the significance of Theotokos lies more in what it says about Jesus than any declaration about Mary.
Within the Orthodox doctrinal teaching on the economy of salvation, Mary's identity, role, and status as Theotokos is acknowledged as indispensable, and is for this reason formally defined as official dogma. The only other Mariological teaching so defined is that of her virginity. Both of these teachings have a bearing on the identity of Jesus Christ. By contrast, certain other Marian beliefs which do not bear directly on the doctrine concerning the person of Jesus (for example, her sinlessness, the circumstances surrounding her conception and birth, her Presentation in the Temple, her continuing virginity following the birth of Jesus, and her death), which are taught and believed by the Orthodox Church (being expressed in the Church's liturgy and patristic writings), are nonetheless not formally defined by the Church, and belief in them is not a precondition for baptism.[citation needed]
Use of Theotokos in the early Christian Church
Many Fathers of the early Christian Church used the title Theotokos for Mary since at least the third century AD.
Origen (d. 254) is often cited as the earliest author to use Theotokos for Mary (Socrates, Ecclesiastical History 7.32 citing Origen's Commentary on Romans) but the text upon which this assertion is based may not be genuine.
Dionysius of Alexandria used Theotokos in about 250, in an epistle to Paul of Samosata.
Athanasius of Alexandria in 330, Gregory the Theologian in 370, John Chrysostom in 400, and Augustine all used Theotokos.
Theodoret wrote in 436 that calling the Virgin Mary Theotokos is an apostolic tradition.
Third Ecumenical Council
The use of Theotokos was formally affirmed at the Third Ecumenical Council held at Ephesus in 431. The competing view, advocated by Patriarch Nestorius of Constantinople, was that Mary should be called Christotokos, meaning "Birth-giver of Christ," to restrict her role to the mother of Christ's humanity only and not his divine nature.
Nestorius' opponents, led by Cyril of Alexandria, viewed this as dividing Jesus into two distinct persons, the human who was Son of Mary, and the divine who was not. To them, this was unacceptable since by destroying the perfect union of the divine and human natures in Christ, it sabotaged the fullness of the Incarnation and, by extension, the salvation of humanity. The council accepted Cyril's reasoning, affirmed the title Theotokos for Mary, and anathematised Nestorius' view as heresy. (See Nestorianism)
In letters to Nestorius which were afterwards included among the council documents, Cyril explained his doctrine. He noted that "the holy fathers... have ventured to call the holy Virgin Theotokos, not as though the nature of the Word or his divinity received the beginning of their existence from the holy Virgin, but because from her was born his holy body, rationally endowed with a soul, with which [body] the Word was united according to the hypostasis, and is said to have been begotten according to the flesh" (Cyril's second letter to Nestorius).
Explaining his rejection of Nestorius' preferred title for Mary (Christotokos), Cyril wrote: "Confessing the Word to be united with the flesh according to the hypostasis, we worship one Son and Lord, Jesus Christ. We do not divide him into parts and separate man and God as though they were united with each other [only] through a unity of dignity and authority... nor do we name separately Christ the Word from God, and in similar fashion, separately, another Christ from the woman, but we know only one Christ, the Word from God the Father with his own flesh... But we do not say that the Word from God dwelt as in an ordinary human born of the holy virgin... we understand that, when he became flesh, not in the same way as he is said to dwell among the saints do we distinguish the manner of the indwelling; but he was united by nature and not turned into flesh... There is, then, one Christ and Son and Lord, not with the sort of conjunction that a human being might have with God as in a unity of dignity or authority; for equality of honor does not unite natures. For Peter and John were equal to each other in honor, both of them being apostles and holy disciples, but the two were not one. Nor do we understand the manner of conjunction to be one of juxtaposition, for this is insufficient in regard to natural union.... Rather we reject the term 'conjunction' as being inadequate to express the union... [T]he holy virgin gave birth in the flesh to God united with the flesh according to hypostasis, for that reason we call her Theotokos... If anyone does not confess that Emmanuel is, in truth, God, and therefore that the holy virgin is Theotokos (for she bore in a fleshly manner the Word from God become flesh), let him be anathema." (Cyril's third letter to Nestorius)
Hymns
Main article: Hymns to MaryTheotokos in often used in hymns to Mary in the Eastern Orthodox, Eastern Catholic and Oriental Orthodox churches. The most common is Axion Estin (It is truly meet), which is used in nearly every service.
Other examples include Beneath thy compassion dating from the third century, the Hail Mary in its Eastern form, and All creation rejoices, which replaces Axion Estin at the Divine Liturgy on the Sundays of Great Lent.
Solemnity
In the Roman Catholic Church, the solemnity of Mary as Mother of God (Theotokos) is celebrated on 1 January, on the same day as the Octave of Christmas. Her maternity was celebrated on 11 October in pre-1970 versions of the General Roman Calendar, which some traditional Catholics still observe.
This solemnity comes from around 500 AD and was originally celebrated in the Eastern Churches.
Icons
See also
- Eleusa icon
- Hymns to Mary
- List of Theotokos of St. Theodore icons
Notes
References
- Cyril of Alexandria, On the Unity of Christ, John Anthony McGuckin, trans. ISBN 0-88141-133-7
- McGuckin, John Anthony, St. Cyril of Alexandria: The Christological Controversy (1994, and reprinted 2004) ISBN 0-88141-259-7 A full description of the events of Third Ecumenical Council and the people and issues involved.
- Saint John of Shanghai and San Francisco,""The Orthodox Veneration of Mary, The Birth Giver of God"(2004, Sixth Printing, Third Edition). ISBN 0-938635-68-9
- Ware, Bishop Kallistos, "The Orthodox Way" (1979, Revised Edition, 1995, and reprinted 1999). ISBN 0-913836-58-3
Recommended Reading
- Maunder, Chris (ed.), The Origins of the Cult of the Virgin Mary , (2008, burns & oates/continuumbooks). ISBN 978-0860-12456-6
External links
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Theotokos — (en griego: Θεοτόκος; en latín: Deipara o Dei genetrix) es una palabra griega que significa Madre de Dios (literalmente, la que dio a luz a Dios ). Su equivalente en español, vía latín, es Deípara. Es el título que la Iglesia cristiana temprana… … Wikipedia Español Theotokos — bezeichnet Einen Hoheitstitel der Jungfrau Maria, dt. Gottesgebärerin Orte: Theotokos (Messapia), Dorf in der griechischen Gemeinde Messapia Siehe auch: Feoktistow, abgeleiteter Familienname Theotokos Kirche (Theotokos (Konstantinopel)),… … Deutsch Wikipedia Theotokos — Théotokos Le titre de Théotokos (en grec Θεοτόκος : celle qui a enfanté Dieu ), attribué à Marie, surgit chez Alexandre d Alexandrie en 325, l année du concile de Nicée ; ensuite, longtemps avant celui d Éphèse (431), il est très… … Wikipédia en Français theotokos — (izg. teòtokos) ž <indekl.> DEFINICIJA kršć. naziv za Mariju, Majku Božju u istočnim crkvama, osobito u doktrinarnim raspravama i liturgijskim tekstovima ETIMOLOGIJA grč. Theotókos: bogoroditeljica ≃ teo + tíktein: rađati … Hrvatski jezični portal Theotŏkos — (gr.), Gottgebährerin, Beiname der Maria, s.d. 1) … Pierer's Universal-Lexikon Theotókos — (griech., russ. Bogoroditza), »Gottgebärerin«, altkirchliche, in der griechischen Kirche übliche Bezeichnung für Maria, der Mutter Jesu … Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon Theotokos — es una palabra griega que significa Madre de Dios . Es el título que la Iglesia cristiana temprana le dio a María en el Concilio de Efeso de 431. El significado teológico en ese momento fue enfatizar que el hijo de María Jesús, era completamente… … Enciclopedia Universal Théotokos — Le titre de Théotokos (du grec Θεοτόκος, « qui a enfanté Dieu »), attribué à Marie, apparaît sous la plume d’Alexandre d’Alexandrie en 325, l’année du concile de Nicée ; ensuite, longtemps avant celui d Éphèse (431), il est très… … Wikipédia en Français Theotokos — /thee euh tok euhs/, n. a title of the Virgin Mary as the Mother of the incarnate Son of God. Also, Theotocos. [1870 75; < LGk Theotókos, equiv. to theo THEO + tokos giving birth to] * * * ▪ Eastern Orthodoxy (Greek: “God Bearer”), in… … Universalium Theotokos — Theotọkos [griechisch »Gottesgebärerin«], erstmals von Hippolyt auf Maria angewandtes Epitheton, das in der vorchristlichen Antike auf die altägyptische Göttin Isis bezogen war. Die christliche Verwendung entstammt dem Denken der… … Universal-Lexikon
 
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