In the Eastern Orthodox traditions, the most common way to refer to Jesus' mother is not the Virgin Mary, or the Madonna. In the Eastern Traditions, Mary is called
Theotokos, literally the "God-bearer" (from the Greek
theos "God" +
tikto "to bear" or "to bring forth"). The usual English rendering of the term is "The Mother of God."
A brief explanation of the history and theology behind the term can be found in a
video by Frederica Mathewes-Green. More to our point, however, is an 8
th
-century quotation from John of Damascus: "It is rightly and truly that we call holy Mary the Mother of God, for this name expresses the entire mystery of the incarnation.... In this, the Mother of God ... made it possible for the Fashioner to be fashioned, and for the God and Creator of the universe to become [human] and deify human nature."
Did you catch the hint in that last phrase? As Mathewes-Green points out, calling Mary the Mother of God has more to do with what we think of Jesus than what we think of Mary. But John of Damascus also suggests it has something to do with what we think about ourselves - "to deify human nature."
At Christmas, we sing
O holy Child of Bethlehem,
Descend to us, we pray.
Cast out our sin and enter in
Be born to us today.
"Be born in us today." Is it possible that you and I can, at least in some limited sense, be a
Theotokos
, one who brings God forth into the world? Something to think about this Mothers' Day.
- Bill
