#christotokos

[thinkingonscripture]

The God-Man: Understanding the Deity and Humanity of Jesus

At a point in time, the eternal Son of God added humanity to Himself, simultaneously becoming God and man, Creator and creature, the unique theanthropic person (John 1:1, 14, 18; 8:58; 10:33; 20:28; Col 2:9; Heb 1:8). Jesus is the God-man and exists in hypostatic union, as a single Person with a divine and human nature (John 1:1, 14; 1 John 4:2-3), both natures being distinct and preserved, not…

[orthodoxadventure]

Titles for the Blessed Virgin Mary:

Theotokos (Θεοτόκος)

Theotokos is an adjectival compound of two Greek words Θεός "God" and τόκος "childbirth, parturition; offspring". A close paraphrase would be "[she] whose offspring is God" or "[she] who gave birth to one who was God". The usual English translation is simply "Mother of God".

The status of Mary as Theotokos was a topic of theological dispute in the 4th and 5th centuries and was the subject of the decree of the Council of Ephesus of 431 to the effect that, in opposition to those who denied Mary the title Theotokos ("the one who gives birth to God") but called her Christotokos ("the one who gives birth to Christ"), Mary is Theotokos because her son Jesus is one person who is both God and man, divine and human.

Saint Cyril of Alexandria wrote, "I am amazed that there are some who are entirely in doubt as to whether the holy Virgin should be called Theotokos or not. For if our Lord Jesus Christ is God, how is the holy Virgin who gave [Him] birth, not [Theotokos]?" [Wikipedia]

And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. [Luke 1:35, NKJV]

And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? [Luke 1:41-43 NKJV]

So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” [Matthew 1:22-23 NKJV]

[hieromonkcharbel]

Holy Fathers Athanasius and Cyril of Alexandria (Feast January 18th)

St. Athanasius was bishop of Alexandria and one of the most illustrious defenders of the Christian faith. He was born at Alexandria in about the year 297.

At the Council of Nicaea, in 325 A.D., he appears prominently in connection with the Arian dispute, attending the council, not as one of its members (who were properly only bishops or delegates of bishops), but merely as the attendant of Patriarch Alexander. In this capacity, he was apparently allowed to take part in its discussions arguing earnestly for the apostolic doctrines. Within five months after his return, Alexander died and his friend and archdeacon Athanasius, at 30 years of age, was chosen to succeed him as bishop of Alexandria.

The first few years of the episcopate of Athanasius were tranquil, but the storms in which the remainder of his life was passed soon began to gather around him. The Council of Nicaea had settled the creed of Christendom, but had by no means settled the divisions in the church that the Arian controversy had provoked. Arius himself still lived, and rapidly regained influence over the Emperor Constantine. The result of this was a demand made by the emperor that Arius should be re-admitted to communion. Athanasius stood firm, and refused to have any communion with the advocates of a “heresy that was fighting against Christ.”

Emperors and bishops alike exiled him because of his truth in Orthodoxy, and heretics like Arius and his followers. If imperious in temper and inflexible in dogmatic determination, Athanasius had yet a great heart and intellect, enthusiastic in devotion to Christ, and in work for the good of the church and of mankind.

His chief distinction as a theologian was his zealous advocacy of the essential divinity of Christ as co-equal in substance with the Father. This was the doctrine of the Homoousion, proclaimed by the Nicene Creed, and elaborately defended by his life and writings. Whether or not Athanasius first suggested the use of this expression, he was its greatest defender; and the universal doctrine of the Trinity has ever since been more identified with his “immortal” name than with any other in the history of the church and of Christian theology.

St. Cyril was the nephew of Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria, who educated him from his youth. He succeeded to his uncle’s position in 412, but was deposed through the intrigues of the Nestorian heretics.

Nestorius, a presbyter of the Church of Antioch, called the Mother of God not “Asdvadzadzin” (Theotokos or Birth-giver of God) but rather “Khristorditsa” (Christotokos or Birth-giver of Christ), implying that she gave birth not to God, but only to the man Christ. This lead to the convening of the Holy Ecumenical Council in the city of Ephesus in 441. Two hundred bishops from the Christian world, including Armenia, attended. St. Cyril presided at this Third Ecumenical Council that censured the Nestorian blasphemy against the Most Holy Mother-of-God. His wise words demonstrated the error of this false doctrine. St Cyril departed to the Lord in the year 444.

[davereed]

Christotokos

9th century Theotokos Icon from Georgia.

[cruger2984]

THE DESCRIPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, THE MOTHER OF GOD Feast Day: January 1

"𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭-𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳-𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘯 𝘔𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘚𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘥𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦𝘯. 𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩'𝘴 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘺. 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪��𝘶𝘳𝘨𝘺 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 "𝘚𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘞𝘪𝘴𝘥𝘰𝘮." — 𝘊𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘊𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩 721

Today, we also commemorate the World Day of Peace.

During the 4th century, the patriarch of Constantinople, Nestorius, contested this Marian title, insisting that Mary should be called Christotokos, or 'Mother of Christ,' and not 'Mother of God.'

In 431 AD, the Council of Ephesus solemnly declared that Mary, being the mother of Jesus Christ, who is God, could be called, 'Mother of God.' At the end of the council, the people carried the bishops in triumph throughout the city. Pope Sixtus III, as a memorial of that event, built the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome.

This day also celebrates the circumcision and naming of the Holy Infant. As it is written in the Gospel of Luke: 'When the eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus.'

This was done in obedience to the command that God gave to Abraham in the Book of Genesis: 'Every male among you, when he is eight days old, shall be circumcised.' For the Jews, the circumcision is the seal of the consecration to God.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

SAINT OF THE DAY (June 27)

On June 27, Roman Catholics honor St. Cyril of Alexandria.

An Egyptian bishop and theologian, he is best known for his role in the Council of Ephesus, where the Church confirmed that Christ is both God and man in one person.

The Eastern churches celebrate St. Cyril of Alexandria on June 9.

Cyril was most likely born in Alexandria, the metropolis of ancient Egypt, between 370 and 380.

From his writings, it appears he received a solid literary and theological education.

Along with his uncle, Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria, he played a role in an early fifth-century dispute between the Egyptian and Greek churches.

There is evidence he may have been a monk before becoming a bishop.

When Theophilus died in 412, Cyril was chosen to succeed him at the head of the Egyptian Church.

He continued his uncle's policy of insisting on Alexandria's preeminence within the Church over Constantinople, despite the political prominence of the imperial capital.

The two Eastern churches eventually re-established communion in approximately 418.

Ten years later, however, a theological dispute caused a new break between Alexandria and Constantinople.

Cyril's reputation as a theologian, and later Doctor of the Church, arose from his defense of Catholic orthodoxy during this time.

In 428, a monk named Nestorius became the new Patriarch of Constantinople.

It became clear that Nestorius was not willing to use the term “Mother of God” (“Theotokos”) to describe the Virgin Mary.

Instead, he insisted on the term “Mother of Christ” (“Christotokos”).

During the fourth century, the Greek Church had already held two ecumenical councils to confirm Christ's eternal preexistence as God prior to his incarnation as a man.

From this perennial belief, it followed logically that Mary was the mother of God.

Veneration of Mary as “Theotokos” confirmed the doctrine of the incarnation and Christ's status as equal to the God the Father.

Nestorius insisted that he, too, held these doctrines.

But to Cyril, and many others, his refusal to acknowledge Mary as the Mother of God seemed to reveal a heretical view of Christ, which would split him into two united but distinct persons: one fully human and born of Mary; the other fully divine and not subject to birth or death.

Cyril responded to this heretical tendency first through a series of letters to Nestorius (which are still in existence and studied today), then through an appeal to the Pope, and finally through the summoning of an ecumenical council in 431.

Cyril presided over this council, stating that he was “filling the place of the most holy and blessed Archbishop of the Roman Church.”

Pope Celestine had authorized it. The said council was a tumultuous affair.

Patriarch John of Antioch, a friend of Nestorius, came to the city and convened a rival council, which sought to condemn and depose Cyril.

Tension between the advocates of Cyril and Nestorius erupted into physical violence at times, and both parties sought to convince the emperor in Constantinople to back their position.

During the council, which ran from June 22 to July 31 of the year 431, Cyril brilliantly defended the orthodox belief in Christ as a single eternally divine person who also became incarnate as a man.

The council condemned Nestorius, who was deposed as patriarch and later suffered exile.

Cyril, however, reconciled with John and many of the other Antiochian theologians who once supported Nestorius.

St. Cyril of Alexandria died on 27 June 444, having been a bishop for nearly 32 years.

Long celebrated as a saint, particularly in the Eastern Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches, he was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1883.

[byzantine-suggestions]

Early Christian Schisms Bracket

Nestorianism: A radical form of dyophysitism that rejects the concept of a hypostatic union, holding that Christ has two loosely united natures, one human and one divine. Nestorianism also rejects the title of Theokotos ("God-bearer") for Mary, arguing that its use downplayed Christ's humanity and that the title Christotokos ("Christ-bearer") should be used instead. Nestorianism was declared heretical at the Council of Ephesus and again at the Council of Chalcedon.

Eutychian: Also known as "Real Monophysitism." A set of teachings inspired by the doctrine of Eutyches of Constantinople. Eutychianism argues that Christ was in one nature but of two natures, and that his humanity was subsumed by divinity, as a drop of vinegar would disperse and disappear in the ocean. Eutychianism was condemned as heresy at the Council of Chalcedon

[minakiblogging]

Did the Virgin give birth to Man or God by St. Cyril of Alexandria.

” Christ was born God and man and this the Virgin is both Christotokos and Theotokos. But, in case they say that the indwelling is a union not in the Virgin, but after the birth from her had taken place, bring and let us examine this saying as well. Is it because of this sort of indwelling that the anointing is applied to the person of the Logos? They will say that because the man existed…

[cristianesimocattolico]

Maria non si minimizza: dalla Madre di Dio nuova luce per esplorare il Mistero

Maria non si minimizza: dalla Madre di Dio nuova luce per esplorare il Mistero

Oggi ci troviamo di fronte ad una sinistra volontà di minimizzare il mistero di Maria. Se il Concilio di Efeso si fosse svolto ai nostri tempi, non potremmo celebrare la Solennità della Madre di Dio. La disputa teologica del quinto secolo si sarebbe conclusa con la decisione di non definire nulla per non dividere la Chiesa, perché la “misericordia” è più importante della retta dottrina. Invece,…

[orthodoxydaily]

Saints&Reading:Wed., June 22, 2022

June 22_June 9

SAINT CYRIL, ARCHBISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA  (444)

Saint Cyril, Archbishop of Alexandria, a distinguished champion of Orthodoxy and a great teacher of the Church, came from an illustrious and pious Christian family. He studied the secular sciences, including philosophy, but most of all he strove to acquire knowledge of the Holy Scriptures and the truths of the Christian Faith. In his youth Cyril entered the monastery of Macarius in the Nitreia hills, where he stayed for six years. Theophilus (385-412), the Patriarch of Alexandria, ordained him as a deacon, numbered him among the clergy and entrusted him to preach.

Upon the death of Patriarch Theophilus, Cyril was unanimously chosen to the patriarchal throne of the Alexandrian Church. He led the struggle against the spread of the Novatian heresy in Alexandria, which taught that any Christian who had fallen away from the Church during a time of persecution, could not be received back into it.

Cyril, seeing the futility of admonishing the heretics, sought their expulsion from Alexandria. The Jews appeared a greater danger for the Church, repeatedly causing riots, accompanied by the brutal killing of Christians. The saint long contended with them. In order to wipe out the remnants of paganism, the saint cast out devils from an ancient pagan temple and built a church on the spot, and the relics of the Holy Unmercenaries Cyrus and John were transferred into it. A more difficult struggle awaited the saint with the emergence of the Nestorian heresy.

Nestorius, a presbyter of the Antiochian Church, was chosen in 428 to the see of Constantinople and there he was able to spread his heretical teaching against the dogma about the uncommingled union of two natures in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Nestorius called the Mother of God not the Theotokos, but rather Christotokos or “Birth-giver of Christ,” implying that she gave birth not to God, but only to the man Christ. The holy Patriarch Cyril repeatedly wrote to Nestorius and pointed out his error, but Nestorius continued to persevere in it. Then the saint sent out epistles against Nestorianism to the clergy of Constantinople and to the holy emperor Theodosius the Younger (408-450), denouncing the heresy. Cyril wrote also to other Churches, to Pope Celestine and to the other Patriarchs, and even to monks of several monasteries, warning of the emergence of a dangerous heresy.

Nestorius started an open persecution against the Orthodox. In his presence one of his partisans, Bishop Dorotheus, pronounced an anathema against anyone who would call the Most Holy Virgin Mary the Theotokos.

Nestorius hated Cyril and brought out against him every kind of slander and fabrication, calling him a heretic. The saint continued to defend Orthodoxy with all his powers. The situation became so aggravated, that it became necessary to call an Ecumenical Council, which convened in the city of Ephesus in the year 431. At the Council 200 bishops arrived from all the Christian Churches. Nestorius, awaiting the arrival of Bishop John of Antioch and other Syrian bishops, did not agree to the opening of the Council. But the Fathers of the Council began the sessions with Cyril presiding. Having examined the teaching of Nestorius, the Council condemned him as a heretic. Nestorius did not submit to the Council, and Bishop John opened a “robber council”, which decreed Cyril a heretic. The unrest increased. By order of the emperor, Patriarch Cyril of Alexandria and Archbishop Memnon of Ephesus were locked in prison, and Nestorius was deposed.

Soon Saints Cyril and Memnon were freed, and the sessions of the Council continued. Nestorius, not submitting himself to the determinations of the Council, was deprived of priestly rank. By order of the emperor he was sent to the faraway place Sasim in the Libyan wilderness, where he died in grievous torments. His tongue, having blasphemed the Mother of God, was overtaken by punishment -- in it there developed worms. Even Bishop John of Antioch and the remaining Syrian bishops signed the decrees of the Council of Ephesus.

Cyril guided the Alexandrian Church for 32 years, and towards the end of his life the flock was cleansed of heretics. Gently and cautiously Cyril approached anyone, who by their own simpleness and lack of knowledge, fell into false wisdom. There was a certain Elder, an ascetic of profound life, who incorrectly considered the Old Testament Priest Melchizedek to be the Son of God. Cyril prayed for the Lord to reveal to the Elder the correct way to view the righteous one. After three days the Elder came to Cyril and said that the Lord had revealed to him that Melchizedek was a mere man.

Cyril learned to overcome his prejudice against the memory of the great John Chrysostom (November 13). Theophilus, the Patriarch of Alexandria, and uncle of Cyril, was an antagonist of John, and presided in a council in judgment of him. Cyril thus found himself in a circle antagonistic to John Chrysostom, and involuntarily acquired a prejudice against him. Isidore of Pelusium (February 4) repeatedly wrote to Cyril and urged him to include the name of the great Father of the Church into the diptychs of the saints, but Cyril would not agree.

Once in a dream he saw a wondrous temple, in which the Mother of God was surrounded by a host of angels and saints, in whose number was John Chrysostom. When Cyril wanted to approach the All-Holy Lady and venerate her, John Chrysostom would not let him. The Theotokos asked John to forgive Cyril for having sinned against him through ignorance. Seeing that John hesitated, the Mother of God said, “Forgive him for my sake, since he has labored much for my honor, and has glorified me among the people calling me Theotokos.” John answered, “By your intercession, Lady, I do forgive him,” and then he embraced Cyril with love.

Cyril repented that he had maintained anger against the great saint of God. Having convened all the Egyptian bishops, he celebrated a solemn feast in honor of John Chrysostom.

Cyril died in the year 444, leaving behind many works. In particular, the following ought to be mentioned: commentaries On the Gospel of Luke, On the Gospel of John, On the Epistles of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians and to the Hebrews; also an Apologia in Defense of Christianity against the Emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363). Of vast significance are his Five Books against Nestorius; a work on the Most Holy Trinity under the title Thesaurus, written against Arius and Eunomios. Also two dogmatic compositions on the Most Holy Trinity, distinguished by a precise exposition of the Orthodox teaching on the Procession of the Holy Spirit. Cyril wrote Against Anthropomorphism for several Egyptians, who through ignorance depicted God in human form. Among Cyril’s works are also the Discussions, among which is the moving and edifying Discourse on the Exodus of the Soul, inserted in the Slavonic “Following Psalter”.

Today we commemorate the repose of this great Father of the Church. He is also remembered on January 18, the date of his flight from Alexandria.

Source: Orthodox Church in America

MATTHEW 7:21-23

21Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' 23 And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'

ROMANS 4:13-25

13 For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.14 For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect, 15 because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression. 16 Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all 17 (as it is written, "I have made you a father of many nations" ) in the presence of Him whom he believed-God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; 18 who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, "So shall your descendants be." 19 And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb. 20 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. 22 And therefore "it was accounted to him for righteousness." 23 Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, 24 but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25 who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.

[inneralchemyblog-blog]

Continuing to honour the Divine Mother in all Her forms, today is traditionally a feast day for the archetypal Christotokos or "bearer of the Anointed Consciousness". For many Westerners, the most recognisable form of this aspect of the Divine Feminine is as Miriam, the Mother of Yeshua (Jesus) -- a seemingly deliberate extension of, and syncretisation of the myths of Horus and Mithras.

As the One who brings the Christ (Anointed) Consciousness to the world, She has also provided protection from persecutions to practitioners of the ancient traditions -- from Yoruba, Santeria and Voudun, to Stregheria and other sects.

She is the Maiden aspect of the ancient and traditional triple Goddess, and holds a special place in my heart, as a representation of "Fiat Lux" -- allowing the Divine Essence within us to guide our actions and thoughts, rather than the mundane world. Ave Maria!

[italianartsociety]

by Rachel Hiser Remmes

Although The Presentation of the Virgin, which is celebrated on November 21st, was not a common narrative scene in medieval art, monumental programs were dedicated to other major moments in the Virgin’s life. In the late thirteenth century Jacopo Torriti was commissioned to make a new apse mosaic for the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. This fifth-century basilica had begun construction in 432 and was dedicated to the Virgin after the Council of Ephesus in 431, which declared that the Virgin Mary was the Theotokos (God Bearer) and not only the Christotokos (Christ Bearer). Torriti’s thirteenth-century apse mosaic program celebrates The Coronation of the Virgin Mary in heaven, depicted in the conch. Below this poignant scene are five episodes from the Life of the Virgin: The Annunciation, The Nativity, The Adoration of the Kings, The Presentation of Christ in the Temple, and The Dormition.

Santa Maria Maggiore, Apse Mosaic, The Coronation of the Virgin, Jacopo Torriti, 1296.

Detail of the Virgin, Santa Maria Maggiore, Apse Mosaic, The Coronation of the Virgin, Jacopo Torriti, 1296.

The Annunciation, Santa Maria Maggiore, Apse Mosaic, The Coronation of the Virgin, Jacopo Torriti, 1296.

The Nativity, Santa Maria Maggiore, Apse Mosaic, The Coronation of the Virgin, Jacopo Torriti, 1296.

The Adoration of the Kings, Santa Maria Maggiore, Apse Mosaic, The Coronation of the Virgin, Jacopo Torriti, 1296.

The Presentation of Christ, Santa Maria Maggiore, Apse Mosaic, The Coronation of the Virgin, Jacopo Torriti, 1296.

The Dormition, Santa Maria Maggiore, Apse Mosaic, The Coronation of the Virgin, Jacopo Torriti, 1296.

[anastpaul]

Saint of the Day – 27 June – St Cyril of Alexandria – Doctor & Father of the Church – “The Pillar of Faith” & “Seal of all the Fathers” – Doctor Incarnationis (Doctor of the Incarnation) Added by Pope Leo XIII in 1883  – (376 at Alexandria, Egypt – 444 at Alexandria, Egypt of natural causes, his relics are in Alexandria).   Bishop, Confessor, Writer, Defender of the Faith.   Patron of Alexandria, Egypt.   Attributes – book, pen or scroll, indicative of his work as a writer, the Blessed Virgin Mary holding the Child Jesus, representing his advocacy of the doctrine of Mary as Mother of God.

On June 27, Roman Catholics honour St. Cyril of Alexandria.   An Egyptian bishop and theologian, he is best known for his role in the Council of Ephesus, where the Church confirmed that Christ is both God and man in one person.

Cyril was most likely born in Alexandria, the metropolis of ancient Egypt, between 370 and 380.   From his writings, it appears he received a solid literary and theological education.   Along with his uncle, Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria, he played a role in an early fifth-century dispute between the Egyptian and Greek churches.   There is evidence he may have been a monk before becoming a bishop.

When Theophilus died in 412, Cyril was chosen to succeed him at the head of the Egyptian Church.   He continued his uncle’s policy of insisting on Alexandria’s preeminence within the Church over Constantinople, despite the political prominence of the imperial capital.   The two Eastern churches eventually re-established communion in approximately 418.

Ten years later, however, a theological dispute caused a new break between Alexandria and Constantinople.   Cyril’s reputation as a theologian, and later Doctor of the Church, arose from his defense of Catholic orthodoxy during this time.

In 428, a monk named Nestorius became the new Patriarch of Constantinople.   It became clear that Nestorius was not willing to use the term “Mother of God” (“Theotokos”) to describe the Virgin Mary.   Instead, he insisted on the term “Mother of Christ” (“Christotokos”).   During the fourth century, the Greek Church had already held two ecumenical councils to confirm Christ’s eternal preexistence as God prior to his incarnation as a man.   From this perennial belief, it followed logically that Mary was the mother of God.   Veneration of Mary as “Theotokos” confirmed the doctrine of the incarnation, and Christ’s status as equal to the God the Father.   Nestorius insisted that he, too, held these doctrines.   But to Cyril, and many others, his refusal to acknowledge Mary as the Mother of God seemed to reveal a heretical view of Christ which would split him into two united but distinct persons:  one fully human and born of Mary, the other fully divine and not subject to birth or death.

Cyril responded to this heretical tendency first through a series of letters to Nestorius (which are still in existence and studied today), then through an appeal to the Pope, and finally through the summoning of an ecumenical council in 431.   Cyril presided over this council, stating that he was “filling the place of the most holy and blessed Archbishop of the Roman Church,” Pope Celestine, who had authorised it.

The council was a tumultuous affair.   Patriarch John of Antioch, a friend of Nestorius, came to the city and convened a rival council which sought to condemn and depose Cyril.   Tension between the advocates of Cyril and Nestorius erupted into physical violence at times and both parties sought to convince the emperor in Constantinople to back their position.

During the council, which ran from June 22 to July 31 of the year 431, Cyril brilliantly defended the orthodox belief in Christ as a single eternally divine person who also became incarnate as a man.   The council condemned Nestorius, who was deposed as patriarch and later suffered exile.   Cyril, however, reconciled with John and many of the other Antiochian theologians who once supported Nestorius.

St. Cyril of Alexandria died on June 27, 444, having been a bishop for nearly 32 years. Long celebrated as a saint, particularly in the Eastern Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches, he was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1883.

(via AnaStpaul – Breathing Catholic)

[hieromonkcharbel]

Our Holy Father Proclus, Archbishop of Constantinople (447) - Feast Nov. 20th

He was a disciple and scribe of St John Chrysostom. About the year 426 he was ordained Bishop of Cyzicus, but was unable to take up his see because another had been unlawfully elected in his place, so he remained in Constantinople. Around 428, Nestorius was made Patriarch of Constantinople, and almost immediately began teaching his blasphemous doctrine that the holy Virgin could not be called Theotokos, "God-bearer," but only Christotokos, "Christ-bearer." Proclus resisted this teaching forcefully, once giving a sermon in the presence of the heretical Patriarch, defending the orthodox teaching concerning the Theotokos. Proclus was elevated to the throne of Patriarch of Constantinople in 434, after Nestorius had been deposed and the orthodox teaching clearly proclaimed in an Ecumenical Council. It was Proclus who persuaded the Emperor Theodosius the Younger to have the holy relics of his teacher St John Chrysostom returned to Constantinople, and who received them on their triumphal return to the city. He reposed in peace in 447.

[pastoreduardogutierrez]

Maria madre de Dios debate sobre el dogma mariano de la maternidad divina de Maria. La virgen Maria es la madre de Dios Theotokos o solo madre de Cristo Jesus Christotokos (cristotokos). Los diversos apologistas catolicos como fernando casanova, luis toro o rafael diaz defienden que si es madre de la tercera persona de la Trinidad y en este debate el apologista catolico Max defendera ese doga de fe catolica. Maria madre de Dios es uno de los puntos doctrinales que diferencia a cristianos de católicos debido a que la Biblia no aclara bien este punto. En el concilio de Efeso en el siglo V la iglesia catolica aprueba llamar a maria no solo madre de Cristo sino tambien de Dios. Maria es la virgen escogida por Dios para traer a Jesús al mundo. Ese era su papel o además tenia el papel de ser madre eterna de la divinidad? en este debate en vivo veremos que dice la Biblia sobre el tema. by Reflexiones del Pastor punto com

[pamphletstoinspire]

Understanding Catholic Teaching On The Blessed Virgin Mary - Part 3

Written by: Tom Perna

Mary, the Mother of God

The Nestorian Heresy

The genesis of the Nestorian heresy begins with Nestorius, Bishop of Constantinople. Nestorius was a well-educated monk known for his great preaching ability. He was trained in Antioch, a city fundamental in the organic growth of the Catholic Church in the early centuries. Because of Nestorius’ great skills as an orator, Emperor Theodosius II, in AD 428, elevated him to the See of Constantinople. Nestorius was fifty years old.

As Nestorius begins his new role as bishop, he speaks to the emperor about the routing of the many heresies that still remained in the city of Constantinople. He also writes to Pope Celestine I about the many challenges he faced. In one of his letters to the pope, Nestorius speaks of this particular issue that has arisen among good orthodox Catholics, monks, and the clergy in Constantinople: the “meaning of the belief that Christ is God.”

In his letters to Celestine I, Nestorius writes about how the people don’t properly understand the great mystery that Christ is equally God and man. He says that the people think the humanity of Christ was divine, and that they believe God was both born and buried. He continues to say that the people profess that Mary, the ever virgin who brought God forth, is the Mother of God, the Greek term Theotokos.

Simply, the Nestorian Heresy claimed that Jesus Christ was two separate persons, and not one person with two natures: divine and human (which would become the doctrine known as the Hypostatic Union). Nestorius believed that Christ was only a human person who was joined to the divine person (Son of God) and Mary was only the mother of Christ’s human person. Nestorius’ incorrect Christological understanding led him to an incorrect understanding of proper titles for Mary. Nestorius claimed that we shouldn’t call Mary the Theotokos, God-Bearer, but rather Christotokos, bearer of the human person of Jesus Christ. A correct understanding of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ leads to a correct understanding of the motherhood of Mary. Correct Christology safeguards proper Marian titles.

The Church Answers

As Nestorius was prophesying his false doctrine, St. Cyril of Alexandria became aware of it and engaged him in a series of correspondence. The exchange of those letters did nothing to change the mind of Nestorius and actually led to some serious malcontent between the two men. These battles with the pen were not just about the right doctrine of the Church, but proved to be competitive because of the two rivaling patriarchal sees.

After minor gatherings in the West (St. Cyril requested assistance from Pope Celestine I) and minor gatherings in the East (Nestorius went to Emperor Theodosius II to plead his case) did nothing to remedy the false doctrine that clearly attacked the Incarnation of Jesus Christ and the motherhood of Mary, a council was convened in the city of Ephesus.

Leading the charge for the Church at the Council of Ephesus was St. Cyril of Alexandria. Educated in the city of his name, St. Cyril lived as a monk for some time in the desert before serving as bishop for thirty-two years in Alexandria. He was considered a holy terror while his holiness remained hidden. He was forceful, dominating, and impatient. He had some enemies because of his personality, but as he gained in age and wisdom, Cyril learned to control his temper, and when needed, he showed that he could make concessions for the good of the Church.

Although Pope Celestine would not attend the council in Ephesus, he sent legates, papal diplomats, in his stead to hold fast to the position of St. Cyril and to condemn Nestorius’ teachings.

A Dogma Declared

The Council of Ephesus began on Pentecost Sunday in the year AD 431. Although the papal legates were still en route from Rome, and other bishops were not in attendance, St. Cyril opened the council in the Church of Saint Mary where he assumed the executive position. Nestorius and his supporters protested, refusing to attend this council, and convened their own anti-council.

As the Council of Ephesus proceeded, the letters of both St. Cyril and Nestorius were read aloud. In the end, all in attendance unanimously condemned the false doctrines professed by Nestorius. Following the lead of and in union with St. Cyril of Alexandria, the bishops at Ephesus stated,

If anyone does not confess that the Emmanuel [Christ] in truth is God and that on this account the Holy Virgin is the Mother of God [Theotokos] in as much as she gave birth to the Word of God made flesh . . . let him be anathema.

As a result, Nestorius was immediately excommunicated and unseated from his see as Patriarch of Constantinople. On June 22, as the bishops returned to their quarters for the night, the Catholic faithful living in Ephesus gathered and supported the decision with great zeal, shouting: “Praised be the Theotokos.”

The proceedings of this council were a bit irregular. The council would not officially close until the late summer months of AD 431, and the papal legates would not arrive until after the council had declared its teaching. Once the papal legates did arrive, however, the emperor had both St. Cyril and Nestorius incarcerated while the situation was sorted out. In the end, the Church would allow the statements and doctrines declared to stand. The Council of Ephesus defined three important teachings of the Church. First, it articulated the dogma of the Theotokos (God-Bearer); second, it stated that the two natures of Jesus Christ, human and divine, cannot be separated but are united in one divine person; and third, the council not only defined Christology, that is to say who Christ is, but also took an important step in clarifying Marian theology (referred to today as Mariology).

Motherhood Defined

The doctrine that teaches Mary as the Mother of God was solemnly declared a dogma at the Council of Ephesus. The motherhood of Mary is an important aspect and one that some of the early Church Fathers focused on in their writings. So why is motherhood so important?

A woman, by an act of love, gives her offspring the exact nature that she holds. This gift is given by conception, gestation, and birth. The child is the fruit of this process, not just a body. The gift of motherhood refers to the same nature given to the child and also includes the complete human person. In the case of Mary and Jesus, Mary did not give Jesus His divine person-hood and nature, since they had always existed. Mary did give Jesus His indistinguishable human nature that was equal to her own. Through the hypostatic union, Jesus’ divine and human will are united as one. Mary truly gave birth to Jesus who is truly human and truly divine. Mary gave to Jesus “an immaculate human nature.”

The key to her motherhood is, simply, that the human nature of Jesus is inseparably connected to His divine nature. Mary gave to Jesus a nature of her own that is identical. Mary gave birth to a Son who is truly God, and therefore Mary is rightly called the Mother of God.

The Mother of God in Sacred Scripture

The Sacred Scriptures reveal Mary’s role as the Mother of God in three places: Luke 1:31–35; 43 and Galatians 4:4. Let us examine each one carefully.

In the Gospel of St. Luke, at the Annunciation of Our Lord, the Archangel Gabriel appears to Mary and professes, “Behold, you shall conceive in your womb and shall bring forth a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. . . . therefore, the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.” The divine message from the heavenly Father delivered by Gabriel states two points. First, Mary, because of her Immaculate Conception, has been prepared by God to become the mother of Jesus; and second, the true and only son of God is Jesus. Understanding these two points, we come to the conclusion that if Jesus Christ is God, and Mary is the mother of Jesus Christ, therefore Mary is the Mother of God. Being that Jesus is the true and only Son of God, and Mary is the mother of Jesus (frequently stated in the Scriptures: cf. Mt 2:13, 20; Jn 2:1, 3; Acts 1:14), we conclude that the Mother of God is Mary.

The second Scripture verse that focuses on Mary as the Mother of God is Luke 1:43, the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We see Mary’s cousin Elizabeth say the words, “mother of my Lord.” This title used by Elizabeth to describe Mary is united to the dual mysteries of Jesus’ divinity and the divine maternity of Mary. The term “Lord” in this context and in verse 45 always means God. Therefore, when Elizabeth says “mother of my Lord,” she knows that Mary is the Mother of God.

The third Scripture verse that speaks of Mary as the Mother of God is found in St. Paul’s Letter to the Galatians. In his letter, St. Paul confesses, “When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman” (4:4). St. Paul is saying that since Mary gave birth, and her flesh, to the Son of God, she can rightly be called the Mother of God.

The Mother of God in Sacred Tradition

Not only do the Sacred Scriptures reveal Mary as the Mother of God, but Sacred Tradition also sheds light on this first important dogma. The Apostles’ Creed is a first-century doctrinal creed that predates the Nicene-Constantinople Creed (AD 325–381) and is commonly believed to hail from the Apostles themselves; hence its name, “the Apostles’ Creed.” This creed states that the early Church’s faith believes in “Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary.”

Furthermore, beginning with St. Irenaeus of Lyons in the middle of the second century, many early Church Fathers such as Origen, St. Athanasius of Alexandria, St. Cyril of Alexandria, St. Augustine of Hippo, Pope St. Gregory the Great, St. Peter Chrysologus, and many others declared in their writings that Mary is the Mother of God. The Church was aided in large part by these writings in defining what she believed during the early years of Christianity.

Decades before the Council of Ephesus, St. Athanasius of Alexandria, in his document On Virginity, uses the term Theotokos and states, “Christ being God, became man for our sake and was born of Mary, Mother of God, to free us from the devil’s power.” In Against the Arians, he also states, “It is for our sake that Christ became man, taking flesh from the Virgin Mary, Mother of God.”

From his Fourth Homily at Ephesus against Nestorius (ca. 428–431), St. Cyril of Alexandria says,

Hail, we say, O holy and mystic Trinity, who have called us together in this church dedicated to Mary, Mother of God. We hail you, O Mary Mother of God, venerable treasure of the entire world, inextinguishable lamp, crown of virginity, scepter of orthodoxy, imperishable temple, container of him who cannot be contained, Mother and Virgin, through whom it is said in the holy Gospels: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” (Mt 21:9)

St. John Cassian responds to Nestorius in his Seven Books on the Incarnation of the Lord (ca. 420–429), and says,

And so you say, O heretic, whoever you may be, who deny that God was born of the Virgin, that Mary the Mother of God of our Lord Jesus Christ ought not to be called Theotokos, i.e., Mother of God, but Christotokos, i.e., only the Mother of Christ, not of God. For no one, you say, brings forth what is anterior in time. And of this utterly foolish argument whereby you think that the birth of God can be understood by carnal minds, and fancy that the mystery of His Majesty can be accounted for by human reasoning, we will, if God permits, say something later on. In the meanwhile we will now prove by Divine testimonies that Christ is God, and that Mary is the Mother of God.

Paragraph 495 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church quoting the Sacred Scriptures and the Council of Ephesus states,

Called in the Gospels the “mother of Jesus,” Mary is acclaimed by Elizabeth, at the prompting of the Spirit and even before the birth of her son, as “the mother of my Lord” [Lk 1:43; Jn 2:1; 19:25; cf. Mt 13:55; et al]. In fact, the one whom she conceived as man by the Holy Spirit, who truly became her Son according to the flesh, was none other than the Father’s eternal Son, the second person of the Holy Trinity. Hence the Church confesses that Mary is truly “Mother of God” (Theo-tokos) [Council of Ephesus (431): DS 251].