Theotokos
Mary the Mother of Lord Jesus Christ.
All Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and also IS God, being the 2nd Person of the Trinity, along with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Jesus is also the son of Mary. Now many Protestants are quite prepared to say "Mary, Mother of Jesus," but balk at saying "Mary, Mother of God." Why?
This is a serious matter. To call Mary the "Mother of Jesus" and yet refuse to call her "Mother of God" is to diminish Jesus as well as Mary, for it is a denial that Jesus is truly or fully God.
It was this sort of thinking that led to the formal definition of the title Mother of God at the Council of Ephesus in 431AD. Patriarch Nestorius had preached that Mary was not Mother of God, being only the mother of Jesus's physical body, which was then indwelt by God the Word. This was condemned as Heresy, since the Gospels tell us that the Word did not take form of man, but was made man. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.." (John 1.14). This is a crucial difference. Jesus was not two persons: the Son of God, and the Son of Mary, but one person, the Son of God and Mary. If this were not so, his death could not have saved us.
“And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Luk 1:43)
What is the meaning of Mother? What is mean by giving birth?
Mother is the one who gives birth to a child. She brings forth the child in this world. She doesn’t bring the child into existence, but just bring forth already existed child from her womb into this world. Who bring us into existence? Of course God! So, she is the Mother of the Son of God i.e. God the Son, the Word of God, and The God Incarnate.
The Third Ecumenical Council
Held in Ephesus (Turkey), Asia Minor in 431 under Emperor Theodosius II (grandson of Theodosius the Great). 200 Bishops were present.
The Nestorian Controversy It concerned the nature of Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. Nestorius taught that the Virgin Mary gave birth to a man, Jesus Christ, not God, the "Logos" ("The Word", Son of God). The Logos only dwelled in Christ, as in a Temple (Christ, therefore, was only Theophoros: The "Bearer of God". Consequently, Virgin Mary should be called "Christotokos," Mother of Christ and not "Theotokos, "Mother of God." Hence, the name, "Christological controversies".
Nestorius claimed that Mary gave birth only to Jesus' human nature. This split Christ's human nature away from his divine nature and created two separate persons, a major heresy that was rejected by the Council and also rejected by the Protestant Reformers. As Martin Luther wrote, "She is rightly called not only the mother of the man, but also the Mother of God. . . . It is certain that Mary is the Mother of the real and true God" (Martin Luther, Luther's Works, ed. Jaroslav Pelikan). Nestorianism over emphasized the human nature of Christ at the expense of the divine. The Council denounced Nestorius' teaching as erroneous. Our Lord Jesus Christ is one person, not two separate "people": the Man, Jesus Christ and the Son of God, Logos. The Council decreed that Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God (Logos), is complete God and complete man, with a rational soul and body. The Virgin Mary is "Theotokos" because she gave birth not to man but to God who became man. The union of the two natures of Christ took place in such a fashion that one did not disturb the other.
The title "Mother of God," was not given to honour Mary but to protect the orthodox doctrine of the Incarnation.
The Creed "We confess, then, our lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God perfect God and perfect man of a rational soul and a body, begotten before all ages from the Father in his godhead, the same in the last days, for us and for our salvation, born of Mary the virgin, according to his humanity, one and the same consubstantial with the Father in godhead and consubstantial with us in humanity, for a union of two natures took place. Therefore we confess one Christ, one Son, one Lord. According to this understanding of the unconfused union, we confess the holy virgin to be the Mother of God because God the Word took flesh and became man and from his very conception united to himself the temple he took from her" (Formula of Union [A.D. 431]).
THE NATURE OF JESUS
1. To be our Saviour, Jesus needed to be both fully God, and fully man, descended from Adam. He could not be a counterfeit, or someone who just looked human..
2. God the Word has existed as spirit from the beginning of time.
3. At the Incarnation, through the action of the Holy Spirit, God the Word took flesh and full humanity from the Virgin Mary. Both His Human Nature and His human body came from Mary, These united with His Divine Nature in Jesus.
4. This produced one person with one consciousness, both fully God and fully man, who is truly both Son of God and Son of Mary.
5. The Virgin Mary is therefore the Mother of ALL of the PERSON of Jesus Christ, and is therefore truly Mother of God the Son.
To say that Mary was the Mother of Jesus, but not the Mother of God, is denying the reality of the incarnation. Attempts to downgrade Mary seem always lead to a downgrading of the full divinity of Jesus.
The fact that Roman Catholic & Orthodox Churches “honors” Mary, but does not worship her. The Worship or Adoration that is given to God alone is called “Latria” in Latin/Greek. The adoration of latria paid to any creature, including Mary, is idolatry. Special honor, however, is given to the saints, because they are God’s special friends and share in his glory. The honor directed to the saints is called “Dulia” in Greek. Mary, who is a creature like other saints, is given the highest honor because of her unique sharing in her Son’s excellences. This honor given to Mary is called “Hyperdulia” in Greek.
Bible says about God,
"Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You" (1 Kin. 8:27, 2Ch 2:5-6, 2Ch 6:18). But this same God was contained in Virgin Mary's little womb!
The "Burning Bush that is Not Consumed" a reference to the burning bush of Moses and Hebrews 10, our God is a consuming fire. Mary contained God and was not consumed by the fire of His holiness. ( St. Gregory of Nyssa)
This is a serious matter. To call Mary the "Mother of Jesus" and yet refuse to call her "Mother of God" is to diminish Jesus as well as Mary, for it is a denial that Jesus is truly or fully God.
It was this sort of thinking that led to the formal definition of the title Mother of God at the Council of Ephesus in 431AD. Patriarch Nestorius had preached that Mary was not Mother of God, being only the mother of Jesus's physical body, which was then indwelt by God the Word. This was condemned as Heresy, since the Gospels tell us that the Word did not take form of man, but was made man. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.." (John 1.14). This is a crucial difference. Jesus was not two persons: the Son of God, and the Son of Mary, but one person, the Son of God and Mary. If this were not so, his death could not have saved us.
“And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Luk 1:43)
What is the meaning of Mother? What is mean by giving birth?
Mother is the one who gives birth to a child. She brings forth the child in this world. She doesn’t bring the child into existence, but just bring forth already existed child from her womb into this world. Who bring us into existence? Of course God! So, she is the Mother of the Son of God i.e. God the Son, the Word of God, and The God Incarnate.
The Third Ecumenical Council
Held in Ephesus (Turkey), Asia Minor in 431 under Emperor Theodosius II (grandson of Theodosius the Great). 200 Bishops were present.
The Nestorian Controversy It concerned the nature of Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. Nestorius taught that the Virgin Mary gave birth to a man, Jesus Christ, not God, the "Logos" ("The Word", Son of God). The Logos only dwelled in Christ, as in a Temple (Christ, therefore, was only Theophoros: The "Bearer of God". Consequently, Virgin Mary should be called "Christotokos," Mother of Christ and not "Theotokos, "Mother of God." Hence, the name, "Christological controversies".
Nestorius claimed that Mary gave birth only to Jesus' human nature. This split Christ's human nature away from his divine nature and created two separate persons, a major heresy that was rejected by the Council and also rejected by the Protestant Reformers. As Martin Luther wrote, "She is rightly called not only the mother of the man, but also the Mother of God. . . . It is certain that Mary is the Mother of the real and true God" (Martin Luther, Luther's Works, ed. Jaroslav Pelikan). Nestorianism over emphasized the human nature of Christ at the expense of the divine. The Council denounced Nestorius' teaching as erroneous. Our Lord Jesus Christ is one person, not two separate "people": the Man, Jesus Christ and the Son of God, Logos. The Council decreed that Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God (Logos), is complete God and complete man, with a rational soul and body. The Virgin Mary is "Theotokos" because she gave birth not to man but to God who became man. The union of the two natures of Christ took place in such a fashion that one did not disturb the other.
The title "Mother of God," was not given to honour Mary but to protect the orthodox doctrine of the Incarnation.
The Creed "We confess, then, our lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God perfect God and perfect man of a rational soul and a body, begotten before all ages from the Father in his godhead, the same in the last days, for us and for our salvation, born of Mary the virgin, according to his humanity, one and the same consubstantial with the Father in godhead and consubstantial with us in humanity, for a union of two natures took place. Therefore we confess one Christ, one Son, one Lord. According to this understanding of the unconfused union, we confess the holy virgin to be the Mother of God because God the Word took flesh and became man and from his very conception united to himself the temple he took from her" (Formula of Union [A.D. 431]).
THE NATURE OF JESUS
1. To be our Saviour, Jesus needed to be both fully God, and fully man, descended from Adam. He could not be a counterfeit, or someone who just looked human..
2. God the Word has existed as spirit from the beginning of time.
3. At the Incarnation, through the action of the Holy Spirit, God the Word took flesh and full humanity from the Virgin Mary. Both His Human Nature and His human body came from Mary, These united with His Divine Nature in Jesus.
4. This produced one person with one consciousness, both fully God and fully man, who is truly both Son of God and Son of Mary.
5. The Virgin Mary is therefore the Mother of ALL of the PERSON of Jesus Christ, and is therefore truly Mother of God the Son.
To say that Mary was the Mother of Jesus, but not the Mother of God, is denying the reality of the incarnation. Attempts to downgrade Mary seem always lead to a downgrading of the full divinity of Jesus.
The fact that Roman Catholic & Orthodox Churches “honors” Mary, but does not worship her. The Worship or Adoration that is given to God alone is called “Latria” in Latin/Greek. The adoration of latria paid to any creature, including Mary, is idolatry. Special honor, however, is given to the saints, because they are God’s special friends and share in his glory. The honor directed to the saints is called “Dulia” in Greek. Mary, who is a creature like other saints, is given the highest honor because of her unique sharing in her Son’s excellences. This honor given to Mary is called “Hyperdulia” in Greek.
Bible says about God,
"Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You" (1 Kin. 8:27, 2Ch 2:5-6, 2Ch 6:18). But this same God was contained in Virgin Mary's little womb!
The "Burning Bush that is Not Consumed" a reference to the burning bush of Moses and Hebrews 10, our God is a consuming fire. Mary contained God and was not consumed by the fire of His holiness. ( St. Gregory of Nyssa)