Mary, Mother of God

The title “Theotokos” (Greek: Θεοτόκος, “God-bearer” or “Mother of God”) affirms that Mary gave birth not merely to a human person but to God incarnate in Jesus Christ. This Christological doctrine was formally declared at the Council of Ephesus in 431 CE to counter the Nestorian heresy, which attempted to separate Christ’s divine and human natures.

The title does not suggest that Mary is the source of Christ’s divinity—God is eternal and uncreated. Rather, it affirms that the person born of Mary is fully God and fully human in one undivided person. Because Jesus is one person with two natures (divine and human), and Mary is the mother of that person, she can appropriately be called the Mother of God.

This doctrine safeguards orthodox Christology by maintaining that Jesus is not two separate persons (one divine, one human) but one divine person who assumed human nature. The title Theotokos has been central to Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and many Anglican and Lutheran traditions, emphasizing Mary’s crucial role in the Incarnation while protecting the unity of Christ’s person.