Faith & RitualGreek → English
Theotokos
/ˌθiəˈtoʊkəs/noun
The title given to the Virgin Mary in Orthodox and Catholic theology, marking her as the mother of God incarnate.
The Greek roots
θεός
theós
god
τόκος
tókos
birth, offspring
Literally: “God-bearer”
The story of the word
One word split a church. Nestorius preferred Christotokos, bearer of Christ, on the argument that Mary bore the man and not the godhead; the Council of Ephesus ruled for Theotokos in 431 and the churches of the East divided along that line. Latin rendered it first as Deipara and then as Mater Dei, which is why Western Marian language never sounds quite like the Greek.
- How it travelled
- Ancient Greek → Byzantine Greek → English
Same family
theologyatheistenthusiasmpantheon
In a sentence
The apse mosaic shows the Theotokos enthroned with the child.
In Greek churches the hymn to the Theotokos closes the evening service.