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Theotokos: Why the Council of Ephesus Defended the Title

What the video says

The speaker explains that Theotokos means "the one who gave birth to God" from the Greek words Theos and Tokos. In 431, Bishop Nestorius objected to the title, arguing Mary should be called only the mother of Christ to avoid saying God was born. The Council of Ephesus rejected Nestorius because if Jesus were merely a man, God would not have truly become human and could not have saved humanity.

The title confesses that the child Mary held is truly God and truly man, not that Mary is a goddess or pre-exists God. The Gospel supports this when Elizabeth calls Mary "the mother of the Lord."

Key moments

  1. Theotokos combines Theos (God) and Tokos (giving birth) to mean the one who gave birth to God.
  2. Bishop Nestorius said Mary should be called only the mother of Christ because he did not want to say God was born.
  3. The Council of Ephesus in 431 condemned Nestorius's view.
  4. The bishops reasoned that if the child were only a man, God never really became one of us and never really saved us.
  5. Calling Mary Theotokos does not make her a goddess or imply she existed before God.
  6. The title is a confession that Jesus is truly God and truly man.
  7. Elizabeth's greeting in the Gospel, "Why is this granted to me that the mother of the Lord should come to me?", supports the title.
  8. The speaker asks the audience whether they knew what the name means.

The speaker explains that Theotokos combines the Greek words Theos and Tokos to mean "the one who gave birth to God." In 431, Bishop Nestorius objected to the title, arguing Mary should be called only the mother of Christ to avoid saying God was born. The Council of Ephesus rejected Nestorius because if Jesus were merely a man, God would not have truly become human and could not have saved humanity.

The bishops reasoned that the child Mary held must be truly God and truly man for salvation to be real. The title confesses this union of natures in one person, not that Mary is a goddess or pre-exists God. The Gospel supports this when Elizabeth greets Mary as "the mother of the Lord." The speaker concludes by asking the audience whether they knew what the name means.

Main points

  • Theotokos means "the one who gave birth to God" from Greek Theos and Tokos
  • Nestorius wanted Mary called only mother of Christ, not mother of God
  • Council of Ephesus in 431 condemned Nestorius's view
  • If Christ were only human, God never truly became man to save us
  • Elizabeth's greeting "mother of the Lord" supports the title
6 opinions in the discussion 6 participants The opinion with the most support I already knew what it meant, but I really enjoy hearing all the background, how they understood it back then, and how much care went into the decision before it was made. Read the discussion
23 comments at the source Original on Instagram

Discussion · 6

Opinions are anonymous retellings of real comments from the original discussion. The same colour marks the same participant.

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  • opinion#1394

    I already knew what it meant, but I really enjoy hearing all the background, how they understood it back then, and how much care went into the decision before it was made.

  • opinion#1393

    How beautiful. It's the same in Serbian, we call her Bogorodica - Bog means God and rodica means giving birth.

  • opinion#1395

    I just call her Mom and treat her that way, and defend her like I would my own mother, honestly even more than my birth-mother.

  • opinion#1392

    In the Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahdo Church we call her ወላዲተ አምላክ / Weladite Amlak, which means the one who gave birth to God.

  • opinion#1390

    I didn't know this, and honestly after so many years living in Greece this is the first time someone has properly explained the Orthodox faith to me. Even though I was baptised, I never really knew enough about the religion, and I'm learning something new every day from these posts. Thank you for sharing this and for doing it in English.

  • opinion#1391

    Thanks for explaining this. I'm Orthodox-curious and have been attending an inquirer's class, but I'm still unsure about praying to her in general. Coming from a Protestant background, we definitely respect her highly, but directing prayers that way is really hard for me. Still, it's good to learn more every day about what things actually mean.