Why Christians Call Mary Theotokos (Part 1)

by on May 12, 2025 | Comment

We, then, following the holy Fathers, all with one consent, teach men to confess one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the same perfect in Deity and also perfect in humanity; truly God and truly man, of a rational soul and body; consubstantial with the Father according to the Deity, and consubstantial with us according to the humanity; in all things like unto us, without sin; begotten before all ages of the Father according to the Deity, and in these latter days, for us and for our salvation, born of the Virgin Mary, the theotokos(θεοτόκος), according to the humanity; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, to be acknowledged in two natures, inconfusedly, immutably, indivisibly, inseparably; the distinction of natures being by no means taken away by the union, but rather the property of each nature being preserved, and concurring in one Person and one Subsistence, not parted or divided into two persons, but one and the same Son, and only begotten, God the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ….

So begins the Definition of Chalcedon (AD 451), adopted by the Council of Chalcedon in the autumn of 451. The council was called by the Emperor Marcian (not to be confused with the heretic Marcion, from the second century) with the assistance of Leo I, bishop of Rome.1 It met for about a month (from October to November).2

One phrase in particular has troubled some American evangelicals and even some contemporary Reformed people. I remember a conversation some years ago with a Reformed minister who was uncomfortable with the Definition of Chalcedon because in it the church confesses that the blessed Virgin Mary is “God Bearer” or “Mother of God.”

As we will see (in part 2) this hesitation is not new and is due to at least a couple of factors: 1) Many American Protestants are rightly sensitive to the undue elevation of the Virgin Mary by the Roman communion. They should be. In Lumen Gentium, Rome declares,

This motherhood of Mary in the order of grace continues uninterruptedly from the consent which she loyally gave at the Annunciation and which she sustained without wavering beneath the cross, until the eternal fulfillment of all the elect. Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this saving office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation …. Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix (emphasis added).3

In Luke 1:42 there is clear biblical warrant for acknowledging the Virgin Mary to be blessed in the conception of the humanity of our Lord. After all, Elizabeth said to Mary. “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” (ESV). There is, however, absolutely no biblical warrant for speaking of her as “advocate, helper, benefactress, or mediatrix.”

However much Rome may say that she intends in no way to obscure or diminish the uniqueness of Christ’s mediatorial office,4 to speak of her as Rome does unavoidably diminishes the uniqueness of Christ’s office in contravention of 1 Timothy 2:5 (which the Roman Catechism cites and then ignores). The Book of Hebrews alone clearly and repeatedly (e.g., Heb 2:17, 3:1; 4:14–15; 5:1–10; 6:20; 7:27; 8:1; 9:11–12, 26; 10:10, etc) says that only Jesus is our High Priest and he alone has made satisfaction for our sins. There is no warrant in holy Scripture for the Roman doctrine that the putative eucharistic sacrifice is an extension of Christ’s one sacrifice or that ministers are priests making memorial, propitiatory sacrifices under the new covenant.

2) Those who are troubled by the expression Mother of God are concerned that the title “Mother of God” seems to imply that Christ’s deity was begotten in the womb of the Virgin Mary.

If we understand a bit about the errors that the Council of Chalcedon was addressing and why they chose this language, we should be able to put to rest the concerns about the word theotokos and the usual translation, Mother of God.

The Emperor Theodosius I proclaimed Christianity as the religion of the empire in AD 380, henceforth entangling the secular civil magistrate in the life, ministry, and order of the visible church. The ancient Christian historian Socrates (not the Greek philosopher, who lived about 800 years prior) explained how the controversy arose in Constantinople, in AD 428:

After the death of Sisinnius, on account of the spirit of ambitious rivalry displayed by the ecclesiastics of Constantinople, the Emperors resolved that none of that Church should fill the vacant bishopric, notwithstanding the fact that many eagerly desired to have Philip ordained, and no less a number were in favour of the election of Proclus. They therefore wished to call in a stranger from Antioch; there was a man there named Nestorius, a native of Germanicia, distinguished for his excellent voice and fluency of speech; they decided to send for him, as eminently suited to give instruction.5

Nestorius (AD c. 351–c. 451) brought with him a co-worker, a presbyter, Anastasius. In a sermon given after they had arrived, Anastasius said, “Let no one call Mary Theotokos: for Mary was but a human being; and it is impossible that God should be born of a human being.”6 This is the very concern that many American evangelicals (and some Reformed) share.7 Both laity and the clergy were offended by Anastasius’ sermon, but Nestorius eagerly defended his colleague.8

Next time: Gregory of Nazianzus, Leo I, Turretin, and Bavinck on Mary as the Mother of God.

notes

  1. Charles Joseph Hefele, A History of the Councils of the Church, trans. Edward Hayes Plumptre, vol. 3 (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1883), 285–86.
  2. According to Hefele, ibid., 3.287–308, the Emperor was present for one session, in which the “Decree Concerning the Faith” was read and he even proposed some canons for the Council to adopt. Indeed, one of the major topics of the Council was the entanglement of the church with the state with each state making appeals to the imperial commissioners to side with them against the others. Contemporary Theocrats and Christian Nationalists who think that they are more enlightened and skilled than theocrats of the past and that such a thing would never happen in their imagined theocracy should take note.
  3. Lumen Gentium 62 quoted in The Catechism of the Catholic Church §969.
  4. Catechism of the Catholic Church, §970.
  5. James Stevenson and B. J. Kidd, eds., Creeds, Councils, and Controversies: Documents Illustrative of the History of the Church A.D. 337-461 (New York: Seabury Press, 1966), 287.
  6. James Stevenson and B. J. Kidd, eds., Creeds, Councils, and Controversies: Documents Illustrative of the History of the Church A.D. 337-461 (New York: Seabury Press, 1966), 288.
  7. That so many seem to find themselves in agreement with the Nestorians should give them pause.
  8. Ibid., 288.

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  • R. Scott Clark
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    R.Scott Clark is the President of the Heidelberg Reformation Association, the author and editor of, and contributor to several books and the author of many articles. He has taught church history and historical theology since 1997 at Westminster Seminary California. He has also taught at Wheaton College, Reformed Theological Seminary, and Concordia University. He has hosted the Heidelblog since 2007.

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