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Why did the early church use the title Theotokos for Mary?

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Antonello da Messina: Madonna and Child — Mary *Madonna and Child*, oil and tempera on panel by Antonello da Messina, 1475; in the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.

The early church adopted the title Theotokos (Greek for "God-Bearer") to affirm the Incarnation and the unity of Christ as a single person who is both fully divine and fully human.12

The term gained dogmatic status during the Council of Ephesus in 431 CE. Its use was central to the theological debate against Nestorianism, which argued that Mary should be called Christotokos ("Christ-Bearer"). Opponents of the title feared it compromised Christ's humanity, but the church maintained that denying the title "Mother of God" undermined the belief that the divine Word truly became man.123

Beyond formal doctrine, the title reflected the deep-seated veneration of Mary already present in the liturgy and popular piety of the early church. By the 3rd century, the term was already in use in Egypt, serving as a powerful expression of the belief that in Mary, the mysterious union of the divine Logos with human nature was achieved.2