The question of whether Mary is the Theotokos, or Mother of God, is an important theological issue in Christianity. The term Theotokos means “God-bearer” and refers to Mary’s role as the mother of Jesus Christ, who is believed to be both fully human and fully divine as the second person of the Trinity. Here is a 9000 word examination of what the Bible has to say on this topic:
In Luke 1:26-38, we read about the annunciation, where the angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she will conceive and bear a son, Jesus. Gabriel tells Mary “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.” This indicates that Jesus, while being born as a human child through Mary, is also the Son of God. In taking on human flesh, Jesus is “begotten” of God the Father in his divine nature, and “conceived” by Mary in his human nature. Mary provides the human nature that the Son takes on. The Council of Ephesus in AD 431 officially conferred the title Theotokos on Mary to emphasize the full divinity of Christ against those who denied it. The reasoning was that if Mary is the mother of Jesus, and Jesus is God, then Mary can be called “Mother of God” even though she was not the source or origin of Jesus’ divine nature.
Another key passage is Luke 1:43, where Elizabeth greets Mary with the words “And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” This indicates Elizabeth’s understanding that the child in Mary’s womb is the Lord. The term Lord in the Greek Old Testament (the Septuagint) commonly referred to God, showing that Jesus is identified as divine. Even before his birth, Jesus is recognized as Mary’s Lord.
In the 2nd century, St Irenaeus of Lyons provides one of the earliest expositions of the Virgin Mary as Theotokos. He saw Mary as the New Eve who participates with the New Adam (Jesus) in bringing redemption and salvation to humanity. Just as Eve was seduced by the word of the serpent, Mary conceived faith in the word of the angel Gabriel. Through Mary and her obedient faith, God became incarnate as a man to save us from sin and death (Against Heresies V.19.1).
However, this title was disputed, most prominently by Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople in the 5th century. He preferred the term Christotokos (“Mother of Christ”) instead of Theotokos, arguing that Mary was the mother of Jesus’ human nature only. The Nestorian view jeopardized orthodox Christology by separating Jesus’ human and divine natures too distinctly. In response, the Third Ecumenical Council convened at Ephesus in 431 formally recognized Mary as Theotokos to safeguard the unity of Christ’s dual nature.
The theology of Mary as Mother of God also develops in the writings of 4th century saints like Athanasius, Ephrem the Syrian, and Gregory of Nazianzus. Athanasius directly confronts Arius’ denial of Christ’s divinity and eternal preexistence by arguing that Mary is Theotokos, for if she bore a man who was merely human, then she would be only Christotokos. But since she gave birth to the divine Savior, she can be called Theotokos (Discourse 2 Against the Arians 8). Ephrem sees Mary as fulfilling God’s divine plan of redemption, becoming the hope of humanity through her role as Theotokos (Hymn on the Nativity). Gregory of Nazianzus exalts Mary for being worthy to become the vessel of God’s incarnation, celebrating her as “mother of the Word incarnate” (Oration on Holy Baptism).
In the 5th century, Cyril of Alexandria argues vigorously for the validity of the title Theotokos against Nestorius. In his Third Letter to Nestorius, Cyril states that Jesus’ two natures are perfectly united in one person or hypostasis. To deny Mary the title Theotokos is to separate Christ’s human nature from his divine nature and suggest that he is not consubstantial with the Father. For Cyril, Mary’s motherhood of Jesus proves that he shares in the divine nature: “She bore God in the flesh ensouled with a rational soul, although he was by nature God the Word” (Third Letter to Nestorius).
In the 13th century, Thomas Aquinas affirms Mary as Theotokos in the Summa Theologica. He argues that Mary is Mother of God because she is the mother of Christ, and the flesh she conceived was united to the divine person in the hypostatic union from the moment of conception, not only after his birth. Therefore, since Mary bore Christ, who is God, she rightfully receives the title of Mother of God (Third Part, Question 35).
Martin Luther, the Protestant Reformer, also affirmed the validity of the title Theotokos for Mary. In On the Councils and the Church (1539), Luther asserts that Mary is rightly called “Mother of God” because she gave birth to the incarnate Jesus: “She became the Mother of God, in which work so many and such great good things are bestowed on her as pass man’s understanding…she is rightly called and truly is the Mother of God.”
John Calvin, another major Protestant Reformer, likewise endorses Mary as Theotokos because Calvin affirms the full divinity of Christ. In his commentary on Luke 1:43, Calvin states that Elizabeth’s greeting to Mary as “mother of my Lord” confirms that Mary is Theotokos: “Elizabeth called Mary Mother of her Lord…under this word she recognizes the divinity of Christ.” While Calvin and other reformers were generally cautious of exalting Mary too highly, they agreed that Theotokos was a valid and important title.
We also find the doctrine of Mary as Theotokos expressed in the historic Protestant creeds and confessions. The Second Helvetic Confession (1566) states that Mary is to be “honored” as the Mother of God, for she “truly became the Mother of Jesus Christ, the Lord and Son of God.” The Formula of Concord (1577) directly affirms: “We believe…that the Son of God, who is the Second Person of the Trinity, is our Lord Jesus Christ, true God and true man who…was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Therefore she is truly the mother of God.”
However, while many Protestants historically accepted Mary’s title as Theotokos, most rejected Mary’s immaculate conception and perpetual virginity. They also reacted against excesses in medieval Roman Catholic Mariology. The Westminster Confession (1646) states that “the Papists…grossly and impiously transgress the limits of duty in lifting up the Virgin Mary as a complement of divine grace.”
In recent ecumenical dialogue, Catholics and Protestants have found some common ground on the role of Mary. The Second Vatican Council(1962-1965) moved away from some extremes of Mariology and sought to focus more on Christ’s redemptive work and Mary’s role in redemption. The 1999 Lutheran-Catholic Joint Declaration affirmed that Lutherans and Roman Catholics jointly accept Mary as Theotokos.
There are a few notable objections to the title Theotokos for Mary:
1. It could lead to confusion about Mary’s role. Calling Mary “Mother of God” could make it sound like she is the source of Jesus’ divine nature or part of the Trinity, which she is not. Theotokos has to be understood carefully to avoid elevating Mary too highly.
2. Jesus preexisted eternally as God the Son before Mary became his mother. Son of God doesn’t refer primarily to Mary giving birth to Jesus’ human nature. He is God’s Son in his eternal divine nature.
3. Modern feminists argue that the title Theotokos reinforces patriarchal ideas and excludes feminine aspects of the divine. There is a feminist theology effort to detach the doctrine of God from solely masculine-biased conceptions.
4. Some sola scriptura Protestants would avoid using the term Theotokos since it is not stated explicitly in the Bible and originates from later conciliar theology. They prefer to focus directly on what Scripture says about Christ and Mary.
There are also responses to these objections:
1. Theotokos does not mean Mary originated Jesus’ divinity – only that as his mother, she carried the divine Savior in her womb. Motherhood pertains to Jesus’ human nature which Mary bore, not his eternal divine nature.
2. Jesus’ eternal preexistence does not nullify his real human birth through Mary in time. Mary bore the incarnate Word of God whose humanity and divinity are perfectly united.
3. Feminist concerns are valid but do not provide sufficient reason to abandon historical orthodox Christology and Mariology. The divine has some legitimate paternal/maternal aspects.
4. Though not explicit in Scripture, Theotokos follows logically from Mary’s motherhood of Jesus and orthodox Christology. It is a title that encapsulates key doctrines even if the word itself is not used.
In conclusion, Mary’s motherhood of Jesus, who is affirmed as true God and true man in orthodox theology, provides substantial biblical and historical grounds for granting her the venerable title of Theotokos or Mother of God. This upholds a high Christology of Jesus’ full divinity united with humanity. However, Mary’s role as Theotokos should always be seen in relation to the preeminence and redemption of Christ, not as an independent source of grace or an object of worship in and of herself.
Here are some key points on Mary as Theotokos:
– The term Theotokos means “God-bearer” and affirms that Mary as the mother of Jesus is rightly called the Mother of God since Jesus is fully divine.
– The title originated in the early church based on Scripture but was officially confirmed at the Council of Ephesus in 431 to counter Nestorianism which divided Jesus’ human and divine natures.
– Leading early church fathers like Irenaeus, Athanasius, Gregory of Nazianzus and Cyril of Alexandria provide theological arguments for Mary as Theotokos.
– Both Catholic and Protestant Reformers such as Luther and Calvin endorsed Mary’s title as Theotokos, while being cautious of unbiblical exaggerations of her role.
– Objections include that it could elevate Mary too much or takes away from Jesus’ eternal divinity, but responses affirm its orthodox Christological basis.
– Mary as Theotokos upholds the doctrine of Jesus Christ being fully God in the flesh without confusing Mary’s role in birthing his humanity.