St Mary-‘Theotokos’ (Mother of God) A very simple explanation given by St Cyril of Alexandria on why we call St Mary as ‘Theotokos’ (Mother of God): “I have been amazed that some are utterly in doubt as to whether or not the Holy Virgin is able to be called the Mother of God. For if our Lord Jesus Christ is God, how should the Holy Virgin who bore him not be the Mother of God?”– (St Cyril of Alexandria, Letter to the Monks of Egypt) Many of our heterodox brethren think that when we call our Blessed Virgin Mary as ‘Theotokos- Mother of God’, the intention is to make her something above God. This is an incorrect understanding and our holy father St Cyril beautifully clarifies that as below: “This expression, however, ‘the Word was made flesh’ [John 1:14], can mean nothing else but that He partook of flesh and blood like to us; He made our body His own, and came forth man from a woman, not casting off His existence as God, or His generation of God the Father, but even in taking to Himself flesh remaining what He was. This the declaration of the correct faith proclaims everywhere. This was the sentiment of the holy Fathers; therefore they ventured to call the holy Virgin, the Mother of God, not as if the nature of the Word or His divinity had its beginning from the holy Virgin, but because of her was born that holy body with a rational soul, to which the Word, being personally united, is said to be born according to the flesh.”– (St Cyril of Alexandria, First Letter to Nestorius)
Posted on: Sun, 13 Jul 2014 07:46:58 +0000
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