The Theotokos
Mother of God and Ever-Virgin
Orthodoxy honors Mary as Theotokos, the Mother of God, because the child born of her is God the Word incarnate.
What the Church teaches
The Church venerates the Virgin Mary as Theotokos and Ever-Virgin. This honor is not a rival to Christ; it protects the confession that Christ is one divine Person truly born in the flesh.
The biblical witness
Elizabeth calls Mary the mother of my Lord. Mary receives the angelic greeting, bears Christ by the Holy Spirit, and stands with the Church in prayer after the Ascension. Her words, "Let it be to me according to your word," show faithful obedience.
The councils & the Fathers
Ephesus affirmed Theotokos against Nestorius because the one born of Mary is God the Word incarnate. Later conciliar and liturgical language calls her Ever-Virgin, reflecting the Church's received devotion and Christological confession.
Why it matters
Mariology matters because Christology matters. To deny Theotokos is to risk dividing Christ. To honor Mary rightly is to magnify the Lord who did great things for her and through her for the salvation of the world.
Common misunderstandings
Orthodox veneration of Mary is not worship. Worship belongs to God alone. Nor is Mary treated as an independent source of grace; she is honored as the first and greatest disciple, the Mother of the Lord, and the image of the Church.
Go deeper
Read this tract with Christology, Ephesus, and the Incarnation. The Marian dogmas received in Orthodoxy are anchored in the identity of Christ.