Theotokos
Mary is rightly called God-bearer because the one she bore is truly God.
This doctrine defines Christian orthodoxy. Denial places one outside the historic faith.
What the traditions say
Dogma. Mary is the Mother of God because the one she bore is a divine person. This follows necessarily from the hypostatic union.
Central to Orthodox devotion. The Theotokos is "more honorable than the Cherubim and more glorious beyond compare than the Seraphim."
Defined at Ephesus (431) against Nestorius. Mary bore the one who is God — this is a Christological claim, not primarily a Marian one.
Luther affirmed Mary as Theotokos and honored her highly. Later Lutheranism maintained the title while reducing Marian devotion.
Calvin affirmed Mary as Theotokos — it's a necessary inference from Christ's deity. But Reformed theology limits Marian devotion to what Scripture explicitly warrants.
Who binds this
Every affiliated congregation inherits its denomination's position. Follow a chip to see the confession's language.
Key scriptures
- 1Tim 3:16 — And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
- Col 2:9 — For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
- Gal 4:4 — But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
- Heb 1:3 — Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
- Isa 7:14 — Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
- John 1:1 — In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
- John 1:14 — And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
- Luke 1:35 — And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
- Luke 1:43 — And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
- Luke 2:7 — And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
- Matt 1:23 — Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
- Matt 2:11 — And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
- Phil 2:7 — But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
- Rev 12:1 — And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
What the confessions say
Articles of the historic confessions that address this doctrine.
- Reformed Baptist 1689 London Baptist Confession 8.2 — Of Christ the Mediator
- Reformed Heidelberg Catechism Q33 — Why is He called God's only begotten Son, since we also are children of God?
- Ecumenical Chalcedonian Definition text — Chalcedonian Definition
- Lutheran Augsburg Confession Article 3 — Of the Son of God
- Reformed Heidelberg Catechism Q35 — What do you confess when you say: He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary?
The Church Fathers
The earliest Fathers who commented on the Scriptures above.
This is the way, dear friends, in which we found our salvation, Jesus Christ, the high priest of our offerings, the protector and helper of our weakness. Through him we fix our gaze on the heights of heaven. In him we see mirrored God's pure and transcendent face. Through him the eyes of our hearts have been opened. Through him our…
"Why, sir," I asked, "is the Son of God in the parable in the form of a slave?" "Hear," he answered: "the Son of God is not in the form of a slave, but in great power and might." "How so, sir?" I said; "I do not understand." "Because," he answered, "God planted the vineyard, that is to say, He created the people, and gave them to His…
And hear again how Isaiah in express words foretold that He should be born of a virgin; for he spoke thus: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bring forth a son, and they shall say for His name, `God with us.'" For things which were incredible and seemed impossible with men, these God predicted by the Spirit of prophecy as about to…
For the one and the same Spirit of God, who proclaimed by the prophets what and of what sort the advent of the Lord should be, did by these elders give a just interpretation of what had been truly prophesied; and He did Himself, by the apostles, announce that the fulness of the times of the adoption had arrived, that the kingdom of…
And the Mediator executes the Father's will; for the Mediator is the Word, who is common to both-the Son of God, the Saviour of men; His Servant, our Teacher. And the flesh being a slave, as Paul testifies, how can one with any reason adorn the handmaid like a pimp? For that which is of flesh has the form of a servant. Paul says,…
Begin we, therefore, to prove that the Birth of Christ was announced by prophets; as Isaiah (e.g., ) foretells, "Hear ye, house of David; no petty contest have ye with men, since God is proposing a struggle. Therefore God Himself will give you a sign; Behold, the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and ye shall call his name…