Why Settle in the Expression theotokos?

[Timothy O'Brien]

I want to know why the word is used so much to refer to what most other denominations would call the Virgin Mary. Theokos, yes, I understand all of the theology. But that's not what I want to know. It's more of a linguistic or language question. I want to know how that word became so popular it was it just being a different group? Or has it some significance and tried that it's always been done?

 

[mcarmichael]

It's the term that was "settled" upon at the council of Ephesus. Good question.

 

[Phronema]

I agree with mcarmichael. It was affirmed at the Third Ecumenical Council.

Deacon (PhD) Michael Hyatt also mentioned that it had been used in the ancient Church since the 3rd Century. The term had been used by a number of the Church Fathers, such as St. Athanasius, St. Gregory the Theologian, St. John Chrysostom, and St. Augustine.

I'd like to point out that Deacon Hyatt mentioned that it was a tradition, and so it went on to be used until it was affirmed in 431 A.D.

Funny, this was actually just mentioned in the one of the podcasts I heard on AFR

Since you are also referring to the Greek linguistics involved in the creation of the word, then I'm of little help on that point I'm afraid. Though I know "Theos" means "God", and "tokos" means "bringing forth", and so I've heard Deacon Hyatt refer to the Theotokos as the "God-bearer". I'm trying my best there, but I may be a little off, so please forgive me if I've missed the mark!


Edit: Also, Welcome to the Christian Forums!

 

[~Anastasia~]

I want to know why the word is used so much to refer to what most other denominations would call the Virgin Mary. Theokos, yes, I understand all of the theology. But that's not what I want to know. It's more of a linguistic or language question. I want to know how that word became so popular it was it just being a different group? Or has it some significance and tried that it's always been done?

Welcome to CF, and welcome to TAW!

Yes, Theotokos means "God bearer" (or some will give a slightly different translation).

The main reason we tend to use it, I would say, is that it has been written into our theology, our hymns, our prayers, and so much more since very early on, and we tend not to change things.

We have other words we use as well, as some of them translate as "Virgin Mary" so it is not an unknown concept to us by any means. But Theotokos is a title that says more about who CHRIST is than who Mary is, and we tend also to use more heavily those things that point to Christ, so that is another reason.

Others may well be able to elaborate or explain better.

Again, welcome to CF and TAW!

 

[ArmyMatt]

yes, as others said, it affirms Who she gave birth to and why she is so important for salvation history

 

[prodromos]

It was primarily in defence against the heresy of Nestorianism. If affirms in one expression that Jesus is both man and God. Man, because His mother is 100% human and humans only beget humans, God, because she is the mother of, well, God.

 

[dzheremi]

The hated Nestorius infamously, impiously stated that he would not worship a God who was once a baby (or some such nonsense; I don't have the exact quote on hand). It is this kind of errant thinking that is denied by the use of the term Theotokos, affirming instead that, yes, St. Mary truly gave birth to God, and not a mere human man named Jesus who, by virtue of being the Son of the Father, would therefore be considered God by that connection (as explicitly condemned in the twelve anathemas of St. Cyril which were affirmed at the same council in Ephesus). Nestorianism preaches a radical separation between God and Christ such that saying Theotokos is seen as inappropriate, because St. Mary is only the source of Jesus' human nature and flesh, and not of His divinity. So of course they would no doubt say that Jesus can be a baby because every human goes through that stage, and Jesus is a human person, but at the same time it inappropriate to say that of divinity because God was not running around in a first-century diaper, suckling from His mother, etc. Only the human being Jesus was doing that, they say.

Yet everyone here says otherwise, and rightly so, because Christ is perfectly and completely God and man, not according to what activity we may be talking about or what human age at any given point, but because He is the Son of God and the son of St. Mary, the Theotokos!

(I'm just gonna leave this Eastern Orthodox icon here, in case any Nestorians happen to drop by and need the point underlined. )

 

[Timothy O'Brien]

The first reply hits it best. I know theologically everything said. The cultural reason was what I meant. IE it's says a lot because x started using it more. Being preserved in more hymns and prayers for me. Also the idea that She points to Christ always this way I also found interesting.

 

[All4Christ]

Welcome, Timothy!

 

[All4Christ]

Linguistically, it is interesting that Chuch Slavonic uses Bogodoritsa (sp?) instead of Theotokos. Is English the main language that retains the Greek word, or do most languages use the title Theotokos?

 

[dzheremi]

bogoroditsa (богородица). Some form of that will be used in all the Slavic-speaking churches (e.g., bogorodica, etc.), as they happen to have that form that means more literally 'God-bearer', rather than 'mother of God' (which is equivalent in meaning, of course, just not in form). I think there's something equivalent in Latin, if I recall correctly -- Deipara, or something like that? I've only heard it because it is one of the variant names of the Syrian Monastery in Egypt (a.k.a. Deir al Athra'/Maria Deipara).

 

[ArmyMatt]

the subsequent Councils to Ephesus are also clear that Theotokos is a very clear dogmatic statement not only of who Mary is, but who Christ is.

Chalcedon - "...some of them (the Nestorians) daring to corrupt the mystery of the Lord's Incarnation for us and refusing to use the name Theotokos in reference to the Virgin...

Constantinople II - "...if anyone shall call her (Mary) the anthropotokos (the mother of a man) or Xristotokos (the Mother of Christ), as if Christ were not God, and shall not confess that she is truly and exactly the Theotokos...let him be anathema."

Constantinople III - "...the Virgin Mary, strictly and properly the Theotokos..."

Nicaea II - "Moreover, I am well pleased that there should be images in the churches of the faithful, especially the image of our Lord Jesus Christ and of the holy Theotokos..."

he hated Nestorius infamously, impiously stated that he would not worship a God who was once a baby (or some such nonsense; I don't have the exact quote on hand).

"I can never allow that a child three months old was God." -Nestorius the heresiarch

 

[buzuxi02]

It was a Christological title that had a wide acceptance by 430 A.d. (although probably not in Antioch). Since the term was highly popular, originating in about 200 A.d. in Alexandria without controversy and the popularity of the term having spread further into other local churches along with its acceptance (again without controversy to its usage) it was evidence of not only the hypostatic union but even undermined the extreme Arian position in the early 4th century. This one term alone which was established at least 100 years before Nicea undermined both extreme Arianism and Nestorianism as it was without dispute (except possibly within certain narrow circles of the Antiochan school) and was incorporated into the universal church as an important Christological expression onpar in importance as terms like hypostasis, physis and ousia.

 

[buzuxi02]

The first reply hits it best. I know theologically everything said. The cultural reason was what I meant. IE it's says a lot because x started using it more. Being preserved in more hymns and prayers for me. Also the idea that She points to Christ always this way I also found interesting.

Keep in mind that there were 2 schools within Christianity at the time. The school of Antioch and the school of Alexandria. This was more than just a physical school, Antioch had a few schools (edessa, lucian''s school etc) it encompassed a way of thinking. Alexandria being the intellectual capital had a higher theology and also better educated opponents against christianity that needed to be dealt with. The Alexandrians developed a theology which emphasized the divinity of Christ. Antioch on the other hand emphasized the humanity of Christ, hence terms like Theotokos were not in use, preferring to demonstrate distinctions between the human and divine natures.