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| Chapter II. Proof that the Virgin Mother of God was not only Christotocos but also Theotocos, and that Christ is truly God.
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Chapter II.
Proof that the Virgin Mother of God was not only
Christotocos but also Theotocos, and that Christ is truly God.
And so you say, O
heretic, whoever you may be, who deny that God was born of the Virgin,
that Mary the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ ought not to be called
Theotocos, i.e., Mother of God, but Christotocos, i.e., only the Mother
of Christ, not of God.2389
| 2389 The
Nestorian controversy was originated by a sermon of Anastasius, a
follower of Theodore of Mopsuestia, whom Nestorius brought with him to
Constantinople as his chaplain on his appointment as Archbishop,
a.d. 428. This man, preaching in the presence
of the archbishop, said: “Let no one call Mary Theotocos;
for Mary was but a woman, and it is impossible that God should be born
of a woman.” In the controversy which was immediately excited by
these words Nestorius at once took the part of his chaplain and
preached a course of sermons in maintenance of his views; refusing to
the Blessed Virgin the title of Theotocos, while admitting that she
might be termed Christotocos. See Socrates H. E. Book VII.. c. xxxii.,
Evagrius H. E. Book I. c. ii., and Vincentius Lirinensis Book I. c.
xvii. The sermons are still partially existing in the writings of
Marius Mercator: and in the second of them the title Χριστοτόκος
is admitted. Cf. Hefele’s Councils Book IX. c. i. (Vol. iii. Eng.
Transl. p. 12 sq.). | 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.2390
| 2390 The subject
is dealt with in Book IV. c. ii.; VII. c. ii. sq. | In the meanwhile
we will now prove by Divine testimonies that Christ is God, and that
Mary is the Mother of God. Hear then how the angel of God speaks to the
Shepherds of the birth of God. “There is born,” he says,
“to you this day in the city of David a Saviour who is Christ the
Lord.”2391
In order that
you may not take Christ for a mere man, he adds the name of Lord and
Saviour, on purpose that you may have no doubt that He whom you
acknowledge as Saviour is God, and that (as the office of saving
belongs only to Divine power) you may not question that He is of Divine
power, in whom you have learnt that the power to save resides. But
perhaps this is not enough to convince your unbelief, as the angel of
the Lord termed Him Lord and Saviour rather than God or the Son of God,
as you certainly most wickedly deny Him to be God, whom you acknowledge
to be Saviour. Hear then what the archangel Gabriel announces to the
Virgin Mary. “The Holy Ghost,” he says, “shall come
upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee:
therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be
called the Son of God.”2392
Do you see
how, when he is going to point out the nativity of God, he first speaks
of a work of Divinity. For “the Holy Ghost,” he says,
“shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall
overshadow thee.” Admirably did the angel speak, and explain the
majesty of the Divine work by the Divine character of his words. For
the Holy Ghost sanctified the Virgin’s womb, and breathed into it
by the power of His Divinity, and thus imparted and communicated
Himself to human nature; and made His own what was before foreign to
Him, taking it to Himself by His own power and majesty.2393
| 2393 On the
conception by the Holy Ghost compare Pearson on the Creed. Article III.
c. ii. | And lest the weakness of human nature
should not be able to bear the entrance of Divinity the power of the
Most High strengthened the ever to be honoured Virgin, so that it
supported her bodily weakness by embracing it with overshadowing
protection, and human weakness was not insufficient for the
consummation of the ineffable mystery of the holy conception, since it
was supported by the Divine overshadowing. “Therefore,” he
says, “the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the
Most High shall overshadow thee.” If only a mere man was to be
born of a pure virgin why should there be such careful mention of the
Divine Advent? Why such intervention of Divinity itself? Certainly if
only a man was to be born from man, and flesh from flesh, a command
alone might have done it, or the Divine will. For if the will of God
alone, and His command
sufficed to fashion the heavens, form the
earth, create the sea, thrones, and seats, and angels, and archangels,
and principalities, and powers, and in a word to create all the armies
of heaven, and those countless thousands of thousands of the Divine
hosts (“For He spake and they were made, He commanded and they
were created”2394
), why was it
that that was insufficient for the creation of (according to you) a
single man, which was sufficient for the production of all things
divine, and that the power and majesty of God did not entrust that with
the birth of a single infant, which had availed to fashion all things
earthly and heavenly? But certainly the reason why all those works were
performed by the command of God, but the nativity was only accomplished
by His coming was because God could not be conceived by man unless He
allowed it, nor be born unless He Himself entered in; and therefore the
archangel pointed out that the sacred majesty would come upon the
Virgin, I mean that as so great an event could not be brought about by
human appointment, he announced that there would be present at the
conception the glory of Him who was to be born.2395
| 2395 Petschenig’s
text is as follows: Videlicet ut, quia agi tanta res per humanum
officium non valebat, ipsius ad futuram diceret majestatem in conceptu,
qui erat futurus in partu; while Gazæus reads deceret
for diceret. | And so the Word, the Son, descended: the
majesty of the Holy Ghost was present: the power of the Father was
overshadowing; that in the mystery of the holy conception the whole
Trinity might cooperate. “Therefore,” he says, “also
that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of
God.” Admirably does he add “Therefore,” in order to
show that this would therefore follow because that had
gone before; and that because God had come upon her at the
conception therefore God would be present at the birth. And when
the maiden understood not, he gave a reason for this great thing,
saying: “Because the Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and
because the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee, therefore
also that holy thing which shall be born shall be called the Son of
God;” that is to say: That thou mayest not be ignorant of the
provision for so great a work, and the mystery of this great secret,
the majesty of God shall therefore come upon thee completely; because
the Son of God shall be born of thee. What further doubt can there be
about this? or what is there further to be said? He said that God would
come upon her; that the Son of God would be born. Ask now, if you like,
how the Son of God can help being God, or how she who brought forth God
can fail to be Theotocos, i.e., the Mother of God? This alone ought to
be enough for you; aye this ought to be amply sufficient for
you.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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