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According to this doctrine of the Council, Jesus is equally God with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one in divine being and substance of divinity and Godhead with the Father and the Holy Spirit as one God of three divine Persons. He is therefore God before his incarnation, God at the moment of his incarnation, and God in the womb of Mary, his true mother. There was never a moment from the instant of his incarnation that she was not his mother, and there was never a moment from the instant of his incarnation that he was not God and man. This title ''Theotokos'' is a doctrinal defense of the divinity of Jesus the incarnate Son of God and Son of Mary, God and man, the two natures of the one Person of Christ.

According to this doctrine of the Council, Jesus is equally God with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one in divine being and substance of divinity and Godhead with the Father and the Holy Spirit as one God of three divine Persons. He is therefore God before his incarnation, God at the moment of his incarnation, and God in the womb of Mary, his true mother. There was never a moment from the instant of his incarnation that she was not his mother, and there was never a moment from the instant of his incarnation that he was not God and man. This title ''Theotokos'' is a doctrinal defense of the divinity of Jesus the incarnate Son of God and Son of Mary, God and man, the two natures of the one Person of Christ.

Some persons assume wrongly that all mothers precede the existence of their sons<ref>The same notion mockingly proposed by critics of [[Theism]], and especially of Christianity, is that "if all things that exist have been created, then who created God?". They ignore the Judeo-Christian doctrine that God is specifically the One "Uncreated" reality, without beginning, without end, eternally self-existing and self-subsisting, Who created all other existing things visible and invisible, the heaven and the earth, from Whom all created things come, and are held in existence, and without Whom they all would cease to exist.</ref>, and that the title "Mother of God" [[blasphemy|blasphemously]] declares the false doctrine that she existed before Almighty God, as [[Paganism|pagans]] in various parts of the ancient world (and in some places even today) believed in a Mother of the Gods, and this is adduced as proof that a [[Great Apostasy]] was committed by the Church and that the doctrines of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches are pagan. This grossly distorted misrepresentation of the meaning of the title of Mary as ''Theotokos'' is not the true teaching of Christianity, and in particular is not the dogmatic teaching of the Catholic and Orthodox Church.

Some persons assume wrongly that all mothers precede the existence of their sons,<ref>The same notion mockingly proposed by critics of [[Theism]], and especially of Christianity, is that "if all things that exist have been created, then who created God?". They ignore the Judeo-Christian doctrine that God is specifically the One "Uncreated" reality, without beginning, without end, eternally self-existing and self-subsisting, Who created all other existing things visible and invisible, the heaven and the earth, from Whom all created things come, and are held in existence, and without Whom they all would cease to exist.</ref> and that the title "Mother of God" [[blasphemy|blasphemously]] declares the false doctrine that she existed before Almighty God, as [[Paganism|pagans]] in various parts of the ancient world (and in some places even today) believed in a Mother of the Gods, and this is adduced as proof that a [[Great Apostasy]] was committed by the Church and that the doctrines of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches are pagan. This grossly distorted misrepresentation of the meaning of the title of Mary as ''Theotokos'' is not the true teaching of Christianity, and in particular is not the dogmatic teaching of the Catholic and Orthodox Church.

Protestant Christian [[Evangelical Christians|Evangelicals]] and [[Fundamentalism|Fundamentalists]] who reject the doctrine that Mary is the mother of God, are not aware that their rejection of this doctrine implicitly denies the eternal divinity of Jesus from the moment of his incarnation. With Nestorius they prefer to regard her as the mother of his humanity only and not mother of him who is God. According to Acts 20:28, the human blood of Jesus is the "blood of God":

Protestant Christian [[Evangelical Christians|Evangelicals]] and [[Fundamentalism|Fundamentalists]] who reject the doctrine that Mary is the mother of God, are not aware that their rejection of this doctrine implicitly denies the eternal divinity of Jesus from the moment of his incarnation. With Nestorius they prefer to regard her as the mother of his humanity only and not mother of him who is God. According to Acts 20:28, the human blood of Jesus is the "blood of God":

The following verses demonstrate that Jesus Christ the Son of Mary was and still is the incarnation of God:

The following verses demonstrate that Jesus Christ the Son of Mary was and still is the incarnation of God:

*Matthew 1:22 "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel (which means, God with us)."

*Matthew 1:22 "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel (which means, God with us)."

*John 1:1 and 14 and 18 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ... And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father. ... No one has seen God; the only Son<ref>"Son"—some ancient authorities read "''God''"—"the only God, who is in the bosom of the Father"</ref>, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known."

*John 1:1 and 14 and 18 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ... And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father. ... No one has seen God; the only Son,<ref>"Son"—some ancient authorities read "''God''"—"the only God, who is in the bosom of the Father"</ref> who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known."

*John 5:17-18 "But Jesus answered them, 'My Father is working still, and I am working.' This was why the Jews sought all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the Sabbath but also called God his Father, making himself equal with God."

*John 5:17-18 "But Jesus answered them, 'My Father is working still, and I am working.' This was why the Jews sought all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the Sabbath but also called God his Father, making himself equal with God."

*John 8:58 "Before Abraham was, I AM."

*John 8:58 "Before Abraham was, I AM."

==External links==

==External links==

[https://orthodoxwiki.org/Theotokos Theotokos - OrthodoxWiki (orthodoxwiki.org)]

* [https://orthodoxwiki.org/Theotokos Theotokos - OrthodoxWiki (orthodoxwiki.org)]

 

* [https://orthodoxwiki.org/Nativity_of_the_Theotokos Nativity of the Theotokos - OrthodoxWiki (orthodoxwiki.org)]

[https://orthodoxwiki.org/Nativity_of_the_Theotokos Nativity of the Theotokos - OrthodoxWiki (orthodoxwiki.org)]

* [http://www.omhksea.org/2011/08/the-dormition-of-the-theotokos/ The Dormition of the Theotokos - Orthodox Metripolitinate of Hong Kong and South East Asia (omhksea.org)]

 

* [https://orthodoxwiki.org/Icons_of_the_Theotokos Icons of the Theotokos - OrthodoxWiki (orthodoxwiki.org)]

[http://www.omhksea.org/2011/08/the-dormition-of-the-theotokos/ The Dormition of the Theotokos - Orthodox Metripolitinate of Hong Kong and South East Asia (omhksea.org)]

 

[https://orthodoxwiki.org/Icons_of_the_Theotokos Icons of the Theotokos - OrthodoxWiki (orthodoxwiki.org)]

''See'' [https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=theotokos+-+orthodoxwiki&qpvt=theotokos+-+orthodoxwiki&FORM=IGRE Icon Images of Theotokos - OrthodoxWiki (bing.com)]

''See'' [https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=theotokos+-+orthodoxwiki&qpvt=theotokos+-+orthodoxwiki&FORM=IGRE Icon Images of Theotokos - OrthodoxWiki (bing.com)]

:(''to successfully access this document from this page highlight and copy the following address '''''http://'''–''to''–'''.pdf''''' exactly as it appears here and enter it into the top online search window.'')  

:(''to successfully access this document from this page highlight and copy the following address '''''http://'''–''to''–'''.pdf''''' exactly as it appears here and enter it into the top online search window.'')  

:http://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/03d/0431-0431,_Concilium_Ephesenum,_Documenta_Omnia_[Schaff],_EN.pdf  

:http://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/03d/0431-0431,_Concilium_Ephesenum,_Documenta_Omnia_[Schaff],_EN.pdf * [http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Councils/ecum03.htm The Council of Ephesus – 431 A.D. (papalencyclicals.net)] ''includes letters regarding Nestorius''

 

* [https://sites.google.com/site/canonsoc/home/canons-of-the-ecumenical-councils/council-of-ephesus-431 The Canons of the Ecumenical Councils of the Eastern Orthodox Church: Council of Ephesus (431) (sites.google.com)]

[http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Councils/ecum03.htm The Council of Ephesus – 431 A.D. (papalencyclicals.net)] ''includes letters regarding Nestorius''

* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protestant_views_on_Mary Protestant views on Mary - Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)]

 

* [http://www.academia.edu/4167342/THEOTOKOS_IN_PROTESTANT_THEOLOGY ''THEOTOKOS'' in Protestant Theology, Marvil N. Llasos, O.P. (academia.edu)]

[https://sites.google.com/site/canonsoc/home/canons-of-the-ecumenical-councils/council-of-ephesus-431 The Canons of the Ecumenical Councils of the Eastern Orthodox Church: Council of Ephesus (431) (sites.google.com)]

* [https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/how-can-mary-be-gods-mother How Can Mary Be God's Mother? (catholic.com)] ''Protestant objections from the Bible''

 

* [http://www.catholicbridge.com/catholic/mary_a_pagan_goddess.php Do Catholics worship a pagan goddess in the disguise of Mary? (catholicbridge.com)] ''the goddess Gaia, syncretism, Collyridians, the Mother of God a goddess, the pagan goddess Ishtar, "Queen of Heaven", Mother and child statues, New Age, Goddesses''

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protestant_views_on_Mary Protestant views on Mary - Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)]

 

[http://www.academia.edu/4167342/THEOTOKOS_IN_PROTESTANT_THEOLOGY ''THEOTOKOS'' in Protestant Theology, Marvil N. Llasos, O.P. (academia.edu)]

 

[https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/how-can-mary-be-gods-mother How Can Mary Be God's Mother? (catholic.com)] ''Protestant objections from the Bible''

 

[http://www.catholicbridge.com/catholic/mary_a_pagan_goddess.php Do Catholics worship a pagan goddess in the disguise of Mary? (catholicbridge.com)] ''the goddess Gaia, syncretism, Collyridians, the Mother of God a goddess, the pagan goddess Ishtar, "Queen of Heaven", Mother and child statues, New Age, Goddesses''

   

   

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