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Theotokos of Kazan
Theotokos of Kazan

Theotokos (Greek: Θεοτόκος, translit. Our Lady of Kazan, also called Theotokos of Kazan (Russian Казанская Богоматерь) is a holy Icon, of which it Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly Theotókos) is a title of Mary, the mother of Jesus used especially in the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches. The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world Oriental Orthodoxy is the communion of Eastern Christian Churches that recognize only three Ecumenical councils — the First Council of Nicaea, the This article refers to Eastern Churches in full communion with the Holy See Its literal English translations include God-bearer and the one who gives birth to God; less literal translations include Mother of God. The Council of Ephesus decreed in 431, that Mary is Theotokos because her son Jesus is one person who is both God and man, divine and human. This article covers the Ecumenical council of 431 For the council of 449 see Second Council of Ephesus. Events By Place Western Roman Empire Aëtius pushes the Franks back across the Somme.

Contents

Etymology and translation

Theotokos is a compound of two Greek words, Θεός God and τόκος parturition, childbirth. God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. Literally, this translates as God-bearer or the one who gives birth to God. However, since many English-speaking Orthodox find this literal translation awkward, in liturgical use Theotokos is often left untranslated, or paraphrased as Mother of God. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States The Divine Liturgy is the common term for the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine tradition of Christian liturgy. However, the latter title is also the literal translation of a separate title in Greek, Μήτηρ Θεού (translit. Mētēr Theou). Mother of God also accurately translates the Greek words Θεομήτωρ (translit. Theomētor; also spelled Θεομήτηρ, translit. Theomētēr) and Μητρόθεος (translit. Mētrotheos) which are found in patristic and liturgical texts.

In many traditions, Theotokos was translated from the Greek into the local liturgical language. The most prominent of these are Latin (Deipara or Dei genetrix), Church Slavonic (Богородица translit. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Church Slavonic (also Church Slavic, Old Bulgarian) is the Liturgical language of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Macedonian Orthodox Bogoroditsa), Coptic ( Ϯⲑⲉⲟⲧⲟⲕⲟⲥ translit. Coptic or Coptic Egyptian ( MetRemenkīmi) is the final stage of the Egyptian language, a northern Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Egypt Ti. Theotokós), Arabic (والدة الله translit. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language Wālidat Allah), Georgian (ღვთისმშობელი translit. Georgian (ka ქართული ენა kartuli ena) is the Official language of Georgia, a country in the Caucasus. Ghvtismshobeli), Armenian: (Աստվածամայր translit. The Armenian language (hy հայերեն լեզու hajɛɹɛn lɛzu —, conventional short form) is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian Astvatzamayr or Աստվածածին translit. Astvadzatzin), and Romanian (Născătoare de Dumnezeu or Maica Domnului). Romanian or Daco-Romanian ( dated: Rumanian or Roumanian; self designation limba română, ˈlimba roˈmɨnə is a Romance

Mother of God

The Iveron Theotokos (Iverskaya), an 11th century Russian icon based on the 10th-century Hodegetria type of the Iviron monastery, Mount Athos.
The Iveron Theotokos (Iverskaya), an 11th century Russian icon based on the 10th-century Hodegetria type of the Iviron monastery, Mount Athos. General history The use and making of Icons entered Kievan Rus' following its conversion to Orthodox Christianity in 988 A The Hodegetria ( Οδηγήτρια, literally "She who shows the way" Russian Одигитрия is the Iconography depicting the Theotokos Iviron monastery ( Greek: Μονή Ιβήρων Georgian: ივერთა მონასტერი is an Eastern Orthodox Monastery Mount Athos (Όρος Άθως is a mountain on the Peninsula of the same name in Macedonia, of northern Greece, called in Greek Άγιον

The main use of the English term Mother of God has been, and still is, as an imprecise translation of Theotokos that frequently requires explanation. [1] The other principal use of Mother of God has been as the precise and literal translation of Μήτηρ Θεού, a Greek term which has an established usage of its own in traditional Christian theological writing, hymnography, and iconography. In an abbreviated form ΜΡ ΘΥ it often is found on Orthodox icons (see illustration above), where it is used to identify Mary. An icon (from Greek εἰκών eikōn, "image" is a religious work of art most commonly a painting from Eastern Christianity.

A hymn normally sung as part of the Greek Divine Liturgy includes both titles in close proximity, in both cases referring to Mary, showing that the titles are not synonymous: "It is truly fitting to call you blessed, the Theotokos, ever-blessed and wholly pure and the Mother of our God (Ἄξιόν ἐστιν ὡς ἀληθῶς μακαρίζειν σὲ τὴν Θεοτόκον, τὴν ἀειμακάριστον καὶ παναμώμητον καὶ μητέρα του Θεοῦ ἡμῶν. The Divine Liturgy is the common term for the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine tradition of Christian liturgy. . . ", emphasis added. ) The difference between the two terms is that the former, Theotokos explicitly refers to physical childbearing, while the latter, Mother of God, describes a family relationship but not necessarily physical childbearing. Within the Christian tradition, Mother of God has not been understood, or intended to be understood, as referring to Mary as Mother of God from eternity, that is, as Mother of God the Father, but only with reference to the birth of Jesus, that is, the Incarnation; but this limitation in the meaning of Mother of God must be understood by the person employing the term. Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) Incarnation which literally means embodied in flesh, refers to the conception and birth of a sentient creature (generally a human who is the By contrast, Theotokos makes it explicit, thus excluding any misunderstanding of Mary's divine maternity.

However, those reading or hearing the English phrase Mother of God as a translation of a Greek text cannot — unless they know the Greek text in question, or obtain additional information — know whether the phrase is a literal translation of Μήτηρ Θεού or an imprecise rendering of Θεοτόκος or one its Latin equivalents or equivalents in other languages.

The term Mother of God is justified by Catholic and Orthodox Christians by Luke 1:43 in which Elizabeth greets the Virgin Mary as the "mother of my Lord. "

Theology

Theotokos specifically excludes the understanding of Mary as Mother of God in the eternal sense. Christians believe that God is the cause of all, with neither origin nor source, and is therefore "without a mother. "Mom" "Mum" and "Mommy" redirect here " This stands in contrast to classical Greco-Roman religion in particular, where a number of divine female figures appear as "mothers" of other divinities, demi-gods, or heroes. Greco-Roman religion is the collective name given to Greek and Roman pre-Christian religions due to the similarity between them A goddess is a Female Deity. Many Cultures have goddesses Often deities are part of a polytheistic system that includes several deities The term " demigod " meaning "half-god" is used to describe mythological figures whose one parent was a god and whose other parent was human For example, Juno was revered as the mother of Vulcan; Aphrodite, as the mother of Aeneas. Juno was the protector and special counselor of the Roman state In ancient Roman religion and Hellenic neopaganism, Vulcan is the god of beneficial and hindering fire including the fire of Volcanoes He is also This article is about the Roman hero For other uses see Aeneas (disambiguation.

On the other hand, 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. God the Son is the second person of the Trinity in Christian Theology. In many religions the supreme Deity ( God) is given the title and attributions of Father. While in the popular mind eternity often simply means existing for a limitless amount of Time, many have used it to refer to a timeless existence altogether outside of SSC RF "Troitsk Institute of Innovative and Termonuclear Research" or TRINITY for shprt Троицкий Институт инновационных и термоядерных The Nicene Creed (ˈnaɪsiːn is an ecumenical Christian statement of faith accepted in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Assyrian Church of 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. The Incarnation is the belief in Christianity that Jesus Christ is the God of Israel in the flesh

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. This article covers the Ecumenical council of 431 For the council of 449 see Second Council of Ephesus. As 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. Cyril of Alexandria (ca 378 - 444 was the Pope of Alexandria when the city was at its height of influence and power within the Roman Empire. 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). The Patrologia Graeca (or Patrologiae Cursus Completus Series Graeca is an edited collection of writings by the Christian Church Fathers and various secular 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 to be indispensable, and it is for that reason formally defined as official dogma. In the Eastern Orthodox and Greek-Catholic Churches and in the teaching of the Church Fathers which undergirds the theology of those Churches economy (The only other Mariological teaching so defined is that of her perpetual virginity). Mariology is the theological study of Mary which methodically presents teachings about her to other parts of the faith such as teachings about Jesus Christ, redemption The Perpetual Virginity of Mary, a dogma of the Roman Catholic Church and also of the Eastern Orthodox Church and Oriental Orthodoxy, which Apart from within Roman Catholicism, other Marian beliefs (for example, her sinlessness, the circumstances surrounding her conception and birth, her Presentation in the Temple, and her death) are expressed in the Church's liturgy but are not formally defined, and belief in them is not a condition for baptism. This ecumenical article is about general Christian views on and veneration of the Virgin Mary The Feast of the Immaculate Conception celebrates the Roman Catholic Dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Nativity of the Theotokos, celebrating the birth of Mary, is one of the Twelve Great Feasts of the Eastern Orthodox Liturgical year. The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (as it is known in the West or The Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple (its name in the East is a The Dormition of the Theotokos ( Greek: Koimesis) is a Great Feast of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and The Roman Catholic Church has formally defined as dogma two Marian teachings: her sinlessness (the Immaculate Conception) by Pope Pius IX in 1854, and her bodily Assumption into Heaven after her death by Pope Pius XII in 1950. For dogmatic context see Roman Catholic Mariology. For artistic depictions see Roman Catholic Marian art. Blessed Pope Pius IX (May 13 1792 &ndash February 7 1878 born Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti, was Pope from June 16 1846 until 1878 Year 1854 ( MDCCCLIV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common year This article is about the theological concept For the works of art with this title see Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Art and Roman Catholic Marian art. Heaven may refer to the physical heavens the sky or the seemingly endless expanse of the Universe beyond Death is the termination of the biological functions that define living Organisms It refers both to a specific Pope

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. Patristics or Patrology is the study of early Christian writers known as the Church Fathers.

Origen (d. Origen ( Greek: Ōrigénēs, or Origen Adamantius, ca 185–ca 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.

Dionysios of Alexandria used Theotokos in about 250, in an epistle to Paul of Samosata. Pope Dionysius of Alexandria, named 'the Great' was the Pope of Alexandria from 248 until his death on November 17 265 after seventeen years as a bishop Paul of Samosata (lived from 200 to 275 AD was Bishop of Antioch from 260 to 268

Athanasius of Alexandria in 330, Gregory the Theologian in 370, John Chrysostom in 400, and Augustine all used Theotokos. Gregory of Nazianzus (329 – January 25 389) (also known as Gregory the Theologian or Gregory Nazianzen) was a 4th-century Archbishop This article refers to the Christian saint For other uses of the name see Chrysostomos.

Theodoret wrote in 436 that calling the Virgin Mary Theotokos is an apostolic tradition. Theodoret (c 393 &ndash c 457 was an influential author theologian and Christian Bishop of Cyrrhus Syria (423-457

Third Ecumenical Council

The use of Theotokos was formally affirmed at the Third Ecumenical Council held at Ephesus in 431. This article covers the Ecumenical council of 431 For the council of 449 see Second Council of Ephesus. Ephesus ( Hittite Apasa; Ancient Greek; Turkish Efes) was a city of ancient Anatolia. 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. "Patriarch of Constantinople" redirects here For the institutional church itself see Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Nestorius (in Greek: Νεστόριος; c 386&ndash c 451 was Archbishop of Constantinople from 10 April 428

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. Cyril of Alexandria (ca 378 - 444 was the Pope of Alexandria when the city was at its height of influence and power within the Roman Empire. 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. Anathema (in Greek Ανάθεμα meaning originally something lifted up as an offering to the gods later with evolving meanings it came to mean to be formally Heresy is an introduced change to some system of belief especially a religion that conflicts with the previously established canon of that belief (See Nestorianism)

In letters to Nestorius which were afterwards included among the council documents, Cyril explained his doctrine. Nestorius Nestorius (c  386 &ndashc  451) was a pupil of Theodore of Mopsuestia in Antioch in Syria (modern He noted that "the holy fathers. . . have ventured to call the holy Virgin [T]heotokos, not as though the nature of the [W]ord 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 [W]ord 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. Anathema (in Greek Ανάθεμα meaning originally something lifted up as an offering to the gods later with evolving meanings it came to mean to be formally " (Cyril's third letter to Nestorius)

By the end of his life, Nestorius had agreed to the title Theotokos, stating the apparent communication of the attributes (idiomata).

Hymns

Mary is very frequently addressed as Theotokos in the hymns of the Eastern Orthodox, Eastern Catholic and Oriental Orthodox churches. A hymn is a type of Song, usually religious specifically written for the purpose of praise adoration or Prayer, and typically addressed to a deity/deities The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world This article refers to Eastern Churches in full communion with the Holy See Oriental Orthodoxy is the communion of Eastern Christian Churches that recognize only three Ecumenical councils — the First Council of Nicaea, the The most common is Axion Estin (It is truly meet), which is used in nearly every service. Axion estin ( Greek: Άξιον εστίν, Slavonic: Достóйно éсть Dostóino yesť) or It is Truly Meet,

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. Beneath thy compassion ( Greek:; Latin: Sub tuum praesidium) is the oldest extant Hymn to the Theotokos ( Blessed Virgin The Hail Mary or Ave Maria ( Latin) is a traditional Christian Prayer asking for the Intercession of the Virgin Mary, the The Divine Liturgy is the common term for the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine tradition of Christian liturgy. Great Lent, or the Great Fast, is the most important Fasting season in the Church year in Eastern Christianity, which prepares Christians

Icons

Theotokos of Vladimir

Theotokos Panachranta, illumination from the Gertrude Psalter. The Theotokos of Vladimir,( Greek Θεοτόκος του Βλαντιμίρ also known as Our Lady of Vladimir, the Virgin of Vladimir or Vladimirskaya The Gertrude Psalter (also known as the Codex Egberti, Egbert Psalter, or Trier Psalter) is a medieval Illuminated manuscript

Mother of God, mosaic icon, Hagia Sophia

Theotokos of St. Theodore

Theotokos Panachranta from Svensky Monastery, by St. Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya Αγία Σοφία " Holy Wisdom " Sancta Sophia or Sancta Sapientia) is a former patriarchal Basilica, later Fyodorovskaya Theotokos (Russian Федоровская Богоматерь) also known as Our Lady of St Svensky Monastery (Russian Свенский монастырь is a Russian Orthodox Monastery located at the confluence of the Desna and Svin Alypios of Kiev

mosaic (ca 1130), Gelati Monastery, Georgia

Coptic icon of the Theotokos

Blachernae Icon of the Theotokos

Notes

  1. ^ For example [1], [2] and [3]

References

See also

External links

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