The Honor Of God

Orthodox icon Theotokos Iverskaya

Theotokos is a compound of two Greek words, θεός  “God” and τόκος “parturition, childbirth.” Literally, this translates as “God-bearer” or “One who gave birth to God.” However, since many Orthodox find this literal translation awkward; in liturgical use, “Theotokos” is often retained in Greek or translated as “Mother of God.” This last is not precisely synonymous, as it describes a family relationship but not necessarily physical childbearing. Furthermore, “Mother of God” (Greek Μήτηρ Θεού) has an established usage of its own in certain hymns, but especially on icons of the Theotokos, in which case it is usually abbreviated as ΜΡ ΘΥ

The expression “Mother of God” or “Birth-giver of God” should not be understood in the eternal sense; that is, Mary is not understood as having eternally given birth to God the Son in the same way that he is eternally begotten by God the Father. Rather, in the Incarnation, the divine person of God the Son took on a human nature in addition to his divine nature, and it is through Mary that this takes place. Since Jesus Christ is seen as both fully God and fully human, to call Mary the Birth-giver of God is to affirm the fullness of his Incarnation, and by extension, the salvation of humanity. This article concerns the holy Trinity of Christianity. …
St. Irenaeus of Lyons (c. 140 - 202 A.D.)

“The WORD HIMSELF, BORN OF MARY who was still a Virgin, rightly received in BIRTH the recapitulation of Adam….”

“The Virgin Mary…being obedient to his word, received from an angel the glad tidings that she would BEAR GOD.” (AGAINST HERESIES 3:21:10; 5:19:1)

Alexander of Alexandria (c. 324 A.D.) Letter to a Bishop

“And in one only Catholic Church, that which is Apostolic…. we acknowledge the resurrection of the dead, of which Jesus Christ our Lord became the firstling; who bore a body not in appearance but in truth, derived from Mary THE MOTHER OF GOD [Theotokos]….”

St. Ephraim (306 - 373 A.D.) “Songs of Praise”

“In the womb of Mary the Infant was formed, who from eternity is equal to the Father. He imparted to us His greatness, and took on our infirmity. He became mortal like us and joined his life to ours, so that we might die no more.

“This Virgin became a Mother while preserving her virginity; And though still a Virgin she carried a Child in her womb; And the handmaid and work of His Wisdom became THE MOTHER OF GOD [Theotokos].”

St. Athanasius (c. 295 - 373 A.D.) Incarnation of the Word 8

“Accordingly, the Son of God became Son of Man, so that the sons of man, that is, of Adam, might become sons of God. The Word begotten of the Fathe from on high, inexpressibly, inexplicably, incompre- hensibly and eternally, is He that is born in time here below, of the Virgin Mary, THE MOTHER OF GOD [Theotokos].”

St. Cyril of Jerusalem (c. 315 - 386 A.D.) Catech Lect 10:19

“Many, my beloved, are the true witnesses to Christ. The Father bears witness from heaven to His Son. The Holy Spirit bears witness, coming down bodily in the form of a dove. The Archangel Gabriel bears witness, bringing good tidings to Mary. The Virgin MOTHER OF GOD [Theotokos] bears witness….”

St. Gregory of Nazianz (c. 330 - 389 A.D.) Letters 101

“If anyone does not agree that Holy Mary is THE MOTHER OF GOD [Theotokos], he is at odds with the Godhead. If anyone asserts that Christ passed through the Virgin as through a channel, and was not shaped in her both divinely and humanly, divinely because without man and humanly because in accord with the law of gestation, he is likewise godless.”

St. Gregory of Nyssa (c. 335 - 394 A.D.) Virginity 14(13)

“Just as in the time of Mary, THE MOTHER OF GOD [Theotokos], the Death who had reigned from Adam until then found, when he came to her and dashed his forces against the fruit of her virginity as against a rock, that he was himself shattered against her, so too in every soul that passes through this life in flesh that is protected by virginity….”

St. Epiphanius of Salamis (c. 315 - 403 A.D.) Man Well-Anchored 75

“For this is the Holy Savior who came down from heaven, who deigned to fashion our salvation in a virginal workshop… who did not change His nature when He took on humanity along with His divinity…who took on the human flesh and soul; being perfect at the side of the Father and incarnate among us, not in appearance but in truth, He reshaped man to perfection in Himself, from Mary THE MOTHER OF GOD [Theotokos] through the Holy Spirit…The Word Himself became flesh, not ceasing to be God, not changing divinity into humanity, but with the proper fulness of His divinity and with the proper Person of God the Word….”

St. Jerome (c. 347 - 420 A.D.) Commentary on Isaiah 3:7:15

“Do not marvel at the novelty of the thing, if a Virgin GIVES BIRTH TO GOD, who has such great power that, about to be born after so long a time, when called upon He now sets you free….”

St. Augustine of Hippo (c. 354 - 430 A.D.)

“That one woman is both Mother and Virgin, not in spirit only but even in body. In spirit she is Mother, not of our Head, who is our Savior Himself — of whom, rather, it was she who was born spiritually, since all who believe in Him, including even herself, are rightly called children of the bridegroom — but plainly she is [in spirit] MOTHER OF US WHO ARE HIS MEMBERS, because by love she has COOPERATED so that THE FAITHFUL, who are the members of that Head, MIGHT BE BORN in the Church. In body, indeed, she is MOTHER of that very Head.” (Holy Virginity 6:6)

St. Cyril of Alexandria (c. 423 A.D.) Letters 1, 39

“I have been amazed that some are utterly in doubt as to whether or not the Holy Virgin is able to be called MOTHER OF GOD [Theotokos]. For if our Lord Jesus Christ is God, how should the Holy Virgin who bore Him NOT be THE MOTHER OF GOD?

“We confess therefore that our Lord Jesus Christ is the Only-begotten Son of God, perfect God and perfect Man…a union was made of the two natures, on which account we confess one Christ, one Son, one Lord.

“In accord with this understanding of the unconfused union we confess that the Holy Virgin is THE MOTHER OF GOD [Theotokos], through God the Word’s being incarnate and becoming Man, and from this conception, His joining to Himself the temple assumed from her….”

St. John Cassian (c. 430 A.D.) Incarnation of Christ 2:2

“Now, HERETIC, you say, whoever you are who deny that GOD WAS BORN of the Virgin, that Mary, the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, cannot be called Theotokos, that is, THE MOTHER OF GOD, but Christotokos, that is, the Mother ONLY of Christ, and NOT OF GOD.

“For no one, you say, gives birth to one OLDER than herself. And of this UTTERLY STUPID argument, wherein you suppose that the BIRTH OF GOD can be understood by a carnal intellect and believe that the mystery of His Majesty can be resolved by human reasoning, we will, if God permit, offer a refutation later on. In the meantime, however, let us prove by divine testimonies both that CHRIST IS GOD AND THAT MARY IS THE MOTHER OF GOD [Theotokos].”

St. John Damascene (c. 645 - 749 A.D.)

“We proclaim that the Holy Virgin is PROPERLY AND TRULY THE MOTHER OF GOD [Theotokos]; for since He that was born of her is true God, she that bore the true God, incarnate of her, is true MOTHER OF GOD [Theotokos]. For we hold that GOD WAS BORN OF HER, not as if the Divinity of the Word took the beginning of His existence from her, but that GOD THE WORD, who was begotten of the Father timelessly before the ages, and who subsisted with the Father and with the Spirit eternally and without beginning, in these last days TOOK HIS ABODE in her womb for our salvation, and without change took flesh of her AND WAS BORN.” (The Source of Knowledge 3:3:12)

“For the Holy Virgin did not BEAR mere man BUT TRUE GOD….I do therefore confess and proclaim with mind and heart and mouth that the Holy Virgin Mary is PROPERLY AND TRULY MOTHER OF GOD [Theotokos] who truly gave birth to the Only-begotton Son of God who before the ages was by nature God, when He had taken flesh of her.” (Pamphlet on Right Mindedness 2)

“We worship and adore the Creator and Maker alone, as God who by His nature is to be worshiped [latria]. We honor [dulia] also the Holy MOTHER OF GOD [Theotokos], not as God, but as GOD’S MOTHER according to the flesh. Moreover we honor [dulia] also the saints, as elect friends of God, and as having gotten ready audience with Him.” (Apologetic Sermons 3:41)

“The incarnate Son of God who was born of Mary was not a divinely-inspired man, but God incarnate…Must she not, therefore, be MOTHER OF GOD [Theotokos], who BORE GOD INCARNATE? Certainly she who performed the role of the Creator’s handmaid and Mother is truly and in perfect reality GOD’S MOTHER, and Lady and Queen over all creation.” (Source of Knowledge 3:4:14)

“We proclaim the Holy Virgin the THEOTOKOS [MOTHER OF GOD], because it is she who BORE GOD when the Lord truly became incarnate of her. We know she is the Christokos, because she bore Christ. But since the ill-fated Nestorius abused this latter term to the detriment of the word THEOTOKOS, we do not call her Christokos at all, but look ONLY TO THE MORE EXCELLENT AND CALL HER THEOTOKOS.” (Against the Nestorians 43)

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REMIND THY SON

fr Dominic Ryan meditates on the maternal intercession of the Holy Mother of God.

It’s quite common for parents to have unique authority in the lives of their children. Of course that’s not always apparent whilst the children are growing up but once they become adults, even a word from a parent can have a significant effect. And the mother-son relationship is no exception to that.

Very often, a quiet word from a mother can have a remarkable impact on their child. It can produce a big change in behaviour when all manner of alternatives have failed. And it can turn lukewarm interest or indifference on the part of the child into something approaching enthusiasm. Indeed, it’s not unknown for shrewd judges of human nature to approach a son’s mother in order to get her to persuade the son to do something for them. But if that is the case for even the most obstinate son, how much more effective will a mother’s word be in the case of a perfect son?

And that’s exactly what we find in the relationship between Christ and his mother Mary. Christ is the perfect son and Mary is his mother. And like any mother we can expect Mary to have a big influence on Christ her son. So today when we celebrate the solemnity of Mary the Mother of God, the Church affords us a good opportunity to think about that relationship and to give thanks to God for it. But here it gets a little more complicated because Christ is not just only human as we are, Christ is divine also, he is God: Christ is divine and human. And that makes a difference in the way Mary influences her son Christ.

But what difference? We have to be careful here. Being divine and human does not make Christ any less human than we are, it does not make Christ any less Mary’s son, and it does not make Mary any less Christ’s mother.

Being human is about being a person who possesses human nature; Christ is a person who possesses human nature, therefore Christ is human. Similarly, being a mother is about giving birth to a person who is human, Mary gave birth to a person who is human, therefore Mary is a mother. What distinguishes Christ from ourselves is that from eternity Christ existed as a divine person whilst we do not. However in time, through the Incarnation, Christ became human: so Christ was a divine person who was human. But a divine person who is human, is a person who is human and as such a full and true human being, one who had a mother and was a son to her.

So how does Christ’s being divine and human make a difference in the way Mary influences her son? Well when a mother tries to influence her son it is quite likely that the son does not how things will work out. Indeed perhaps he does not even care how things will work out. And regardless of whether he cares or not, it is quite likely he can be persuaded to act one way or another. But that does not work in Christ’s case. Christ, as we saw, is divine and human. Christ is God and as such he cannot lack any knowledge and must know how things will work out.

However God does not just possess full knowledge of how things will work out, God also governs creation providentially and there are no gaps in that providence. So we cannot say that God does not care how some things will turn out or is open to persuasion, cajoling or any other such thing that we can think about. And thus it is for God, so it is also for Christ.

But if that’s the case, what role is left for Mary to influence Christ her son? Not much it seems. Thankfully that is not the end of the story. In his providence God does bring some things about through our intercession. It’s not that he leaves a gap in his providence for us to have our chance so to speak. Rather we come to desire what God wants in particular situations, we ask for it and God brings it about.

However for most of us what God brings about through our intercession is quite small, because we do not play a crucial role in salvation history. Mary on the other hand does play a crucial role in salvation history and consequently God in his providence does bring about many things through Mary’s intercession.

Hence a prayer offered to God through the intercession of his mother Mary stands a much better chance of being answered than one which is not offered through the intercession of Mary. And that is the way Mary can influence her son, just as we would expect a mother to be able to do.

http://torch.op.org/index.php

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He was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Welcome to a new year! Thank God we have lived to see it! I have the privilege of accompanying you, if you wish, every day of this new year as we read the gospel passages together, like the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Like us, those disciples had no idea what lay in store for them. Their minds were fixed on a disastrous past and a bleak future. But Jesus was walking beside them, talking with them, drawing out their fears: he was nearer than they could ever have imagined. “Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road?” (Luke 24:32). We know only one thing about the future: the Jesus will walk with us, no matter what happens.

Mary too will walk with us. It is appropriate to have a mother to accompany our first steps. January 1st is always her feast. Her title, ‘Mother of God, affirms equally the humanity and the divinity of Jesus.

The Nestorians – followers of Nestorius, the 5th-century archbishop of Constantinople – said that Christ was two persons: the man Jesus and the divine Son of God. This view was condemned at the Council of Ephesus (431 AD), which insisted that he was one person with two natures, divine and human. The most emphatic way they could say this was to affirm that Mary was not just the mother of the man Jesus, but that she was the mother of God. This was to say that Christ was one person, not two. The word used was ‘Theotokos’ (Greek for ‘God-bearer’). The Council of Chalcedon (451 A.D.) continued the use of this term, and it has become orthodox Christian teaching. Note that it is more a statement about Christ than about Mary – or rather, equally so. Icons of the ‘Theotokos’ are common now in the West.

In a sense, when a child is born a mother is born. When a child is born, its mother begins to be a mother. Even if she was already mother to other children this new child makes her a new mother; a new chapter in her mothering begins. In the birth of the Son of God, Mary begins to be the Mother of God. When a Child is born, a Mother is born.

“Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare your praise.”

Let us pray
that Mary, the mother of the Lord, will help us by her prayers
God our Father, may we always profit
by the prayers of the Virgin Mother Mary,
for you bring us life and salvation
through Jesus Christ her Son
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

Pope Benedict XVI’s Message Celebrating World Day of Peace, 2009
“FIGHTING POVERTY TO BUILD PEACE”