But when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son,
born of a woman, born under the law,
Galatians 4, 4

My Explications of the Patristic Texts

St. Ignatius of Antioch (c A.D. 110)
To the Ephesians, 7

“There is one Physician who is possessed both of flesh and spirit;
both made and not made; God existing in flesh; true life in death;
both of Mary and of God; first possible and then impossible,
even Jesus Christ our Lord.”

The text is a quote from Ignatius of Antioch, a Catholic bishop who lived during the first century A.D. In his contention with Gnostics, who argued that Jesus was a human phantasm, St. Ignatius discusses the nature of Jesus Christ, whom he describes as “one” physician who possesses both flesh and spirit. He affirms that the Virgin Mary conceived and gave birth to a divine person who was as tangibly human as we are. The phrase “both made and not made” refers to the idea that Jesus is fully human and divine but a single person of dual natures.

Ignatius describes Jesus as “God existing in flesh,” emphasizing that Jesus is not just a man but also God in human form. He also refers to Jesus as “true life in death,” which refers to his resurrection and the belief that Jesus conquered death and offered eternal life to believers through his death and resurrection. Moreover, he notes that Jesus is “both of Mary and of God,” indicating that Jesus, or the Divine Logos incarnate, was born of a human mother and conceived by the Holy Spirit. This is a key tenet of the Christian faith, emphasizing that Jesus was fully human and divine.

Finally, St. Ignatius describes Jesus as “first possible and then impossible,” which refers to the idea that Jesus was born as a human baby, just like any other human being. However, as the Son of God, he could perform miraculous deeds and ultimately overcome death through his resurrection.

St. Alexander of Alexandria (A.D. 324)
Epistle to Alexander, 12

“After this, we receive the doctrine of the resurrection from the dead, of
which Jesus Christ our Lord became the first fruits; Who bore a Body, in
truth, not in semblance, derived from Mary the mother of God in the fullness
of time sojourning among the race, for the remission of sins: who was
crucified and died, yet for all this suffered no diminution of His Godhead.”

St. Alexander discusses one of the fundamental beliefs in Christianity, which is the doctrine of the resurrection from the dead. According to this doctrine, Jesus Christ, our Lord, was the first person to rise from the dead, like a first fruit. This event is significant because it demonstrates God’s power over death and the hope of eternal life for believers. Furthermore, he emphasizes that Jesus had a real physical body, not just an appearance. This means that Jesus’ resurrection was an actual bodily resurrection, not just a spiritual one. The author also notes that Jesus’ body was born of Mary, the mother of God, who lived among the people at the appointed time for the forgiveness of sins. This highlights the incarnation of Jesus, another central belief in Christianity. To deny the divine maternity of Mary amounts to denying the incarnation of Christ and his bodily resurrection in their hypostatic order.

Moreover, Alexander points out that despite being crucified and dying, Jesus did not lose any of His divine nature. This means that Jesus remained fully God and fully human even after His death and resurrection. This belief is significant because it shows that Jesus is not just a human prophet but also the divine Son of God. The text is about the Christian belief in Jesus Christ’s resurrection, a central tenet of the faith. It highlights the physical nature of Jesus’ resurrection, His incarnation as both fully human and fully divine, and the hope of eternal life for believers made possible through Jesus’ victory over death.

St. John Cassian (A.D. 430)
The Incarnation of Christ, II:2

“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. 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. Meanwhile, we will now prove by Divine testimonies
that Christ is God and Mary is the Mother of God.”

The text is a theological response to a heretical argument that denies the divinity of Christ and challenges the use of the term Theotokos, or Mother of God, to describe Mary, the mother of Jesus. St. John presents a detailed refutation of this argument, pointing out that it relies on a flawed assumption that human reasoning can fully understand the birth of God. He promises a more thorough discussion of this issue in the future. In the meantime, he provides a detailed analysis of Divine testimonies that prove the divinity of Christ and the appropriateness of calling Mary the Mother of God.

The text draws on a range of theological sources and debates, using language and terminology that would have been familiar to early Christian theologians. For example, the author uses the term Christotokos to describe Mary’s role as the mother of Christ while acknowledging that this term does not fully capture the significance of her role. Overall, the text passionately defends orthodox Christian belief, drawing on theological arguments and scriptural evidence to support the assertion that Christ is indeed God and that Mary is the Mother of God. John’s language is elevated and scholarly, reflecting the importance of the discussed issue and the depth of theological knowledge required to engage with it.

St. Cyril of Alexandria (A.D. 430)
To Nestorius, Epistle 17:11

“But since the Holy Virgin brought forth after the flesh, God personally
united to the flesh; for this reason, we say of her that she is Theotokos, not as
though the nature of the Word had its beginning of being from the flesh, for
he was in the beginning, and the Word was God, and the Word was with
God…but, as we said before, because having personally united man’s nature
to himself…”

The text is a theological statement that seeks to explain the nature of Jesus Christ and the role of the Virgin Mary in Christian theology. It is a complex statement that requires a closer examination of its various components to fully appreciate its meaning. Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople, rejected the title Theotokos for the mother of the incarnated Word. He insisted that Mary, as a human being, could give birth only to a human being and not to God. He persisted in calling the Virgin Mary Christotokos. Nestorian Christology promotes the prosopic union of two persons (divine and human) in Jesus Christ, thus trying to avoid and replace the hypostatic union of two natures.

St. Cyril begins by referring to the Holy Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. He points out that Mary gave birth to a child with a physical body and that this child was God himself personally united with the flesh. This refers to the doctrine of the Incarnation, which holds that Jesus Christ was both fully God and fully human. Cyril explains the significance of this doctrine by referring to the term Theotokos, a Greek term that means “God-bearer” or “Mother of God.” By giving birth to Jesus, Mary became the Theotokos, the one who bore God in her womb. His statement emphasizes that this does not mean that the divine nature of Christ originated from the flesh but rather that the divine and human natures were united in his personhood.

The Bishop/Patriarch of Alexandria also refers to the pre-existing Word of God, who was both God and with God from the beginning. This refers to John 1:1, which says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” His statement clarifies that the Word did not come into being from the flesh but rather that he became united with human nature. It highlights the unique role of the Virgin Mary in this process, as she was the one who gave birth to Jesus and thus became the Theotokos. Cyril affirms that Mary was not just the mother of a human being but the mother of God incarnate in human form. This underscores the importance of Mary in Christian theology, as she is seen as a key figure in the story of salvation.

St. Vincent of Lerins (A.D. 434)
Commonitory for the Antiquity and Universality of the Catholic Faith

“For by the singular gift of Him who is our Lord and God, and withal, her own son, she is to be confessed most truly and most blessedly–The mother of God ‘Theotocos,’ but not in the sense in which it is imagined by a certain impious heresy which maintains, that she is to be called the Mother of God for no other reason than because she gave birth to that man who afterward became God, just as we speak of a woman as the mother of a priest, or the mother of a bishop, meaning that she was such, not by giving birth to one already a priest or a bishop, but by giving birth to one who afterward became a priest or a bishop. Not thus, I say, was the holy Mary ‘Theotocos,’ the mother of God, but rather, as was said before, because in her sacred womb was wrought that most sacred mystery whereby, on account of the singular and unique unity of Person, as the Word in flesh is flesh, so Man in God is God.”

The text is a statement that elucidates the unique and singular nature of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and her relationship with God. St. Vincent emphasizes that Mary is to be confessed as the most truly and most blessed mother of God, referred to as ‘Theotocos,’ a Greek term meaning “God-bearer.” He then refutes the impious heresy of Adoptionism that claims Mary is only called the Mother of God because she gave birth to a man who later became God. This heresy affirms that Mary’s role as the mother of Jesus was only incidental and that Jesus’ divinity was not inherent in Him but acquired later. The author, however, argues that Mary is the Mother of God because of the unique and singular unity of Person between Jesus, who is both human and divine. He explains that the sacred mystery of the Incarnation, in which the Word (i.e., Jesus) became flesh, took place in Mary’s womb. This means that just as the Word in flesh is fully and truly human, Man in God (Jesus) is fully and truly divine.

Vincent affirms that Mary’s role as the mother of Jesus, who is both human and divine, is a singular and blessed privilege. He further emphasizes that Mary’s motherhood of Jesus is not merely incidental but essential to Jesus’ identity as fully human and fully divine. Mary did not merely give birth to a man who later became God, as the impious heresy suggests. Instead, Mary gave birth to Jesus, the Son of God, in whom the fullness of God’s divinity dwells. The text concludes by underscoring Mary’s role as the Mother of God. This role affirms the unity of God’s nature and the Incarnation of Jesus as both human and divine. Mary’s motherhood of Jesus confirms the reality of Jesus’ divinity, which is an essential doctrine of the Christian faith.

St. John of Damascus (ante A.D. 743)
An Exposition of the Orthodox Faith 111.12
That the holy Virgin is the Mother of God:
against the Nestorians

“Moreover, we proclaim the holy Virgin to be the Mother of God in strict truth. Since He who was born of her was truly God, she who bears the true God incarnate is the true mother of God. For we hold that God was born of her, not implying that the divinity of the Word received from her the beginning of its being, but meaning that God the Word Himself, Who was begotten of the Father timelessly before the ages and was with the Father and the Spirit without beginning and through eternity, took up His abode in these last days for the sake of our salvation in the Virgin’s womb, and was without change made flesh and born of her. For the holy Virgin did not bare mere man but true God: and not mere God but God incarnate, Who did not bring down His body from Heaven, nor simply passed through the Virgin as channel, but received from her flesh of like essence to our own and subsisting in Himself. For if the body had come down from heaven and had not partaken of our nature, what would have been the use of His becoming man? For the purpose of God the Word becoming man was that the very same nature, which had sinned and fallen and become corrupted, should triumph over the deceiving tyrant and so be freed from corruption, just as the divine apostle puts it, For since by man came death, came also the resurrection of the dead 1 Corinthians 15:21). If the first is true, the second must also be true.”

St. John’s text is a declaration of faith in the divinity of Jesus Christ and the role of the Virgin Mary as the Mother of God. It begins by emphasizing that Mary is rightly called the Mother of God because Jesus, who was born of her, is truly God. This belief is central to the Christian faith and is known as the doctrine of the Incarnation, which refers to the belief that God became human in the person of Jesus Christ. The text further explains that the Incarnation does not mean that the divinity of the Word had its beginning from Mary. Instead, God the Word, who has existed with the Father and the Spirit without beginning and forever, took on human form in the womb of Mary for the sake of our salvation. This means that Jesus is fully God and human, with two distinct natures united in one person.

The author also emphasizes that Mary did not give birth to a mere man but to the true God who became incarnate. This highlights the unique and significant nature of Jesus’ birth and his role in our salvation. He further explains that the purpose of the Incarnation was to triumph over the power of sin and death, symbolized by the deceiving tyrant. By becoming human, Jesus was able to overcome the power of sin and death and offer us the hope of eternal life. The text concludes by referring to the words of the apostle Paul, who said, “Since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man” (1 Corinthians 15:21). This means that just as Adam’s sin brought death into the world, Jesus’ death and resurrection bring new life and hope to all who believe in him. In this way, John Damascene highlights Jesus’s essential role in the Christian faith and the importance of Mary as the Mother of God in bringing about our salvation.

For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
Colossians 2, 9