The Theme of Marian Mediation in Cyril of Alexandria’s Ephesian Writings

The origins of the idea of Mary’s intercessory powers are to be sought as early as fifth-century theology, in the context of the Council of Ephesus (429–431), which deposed Nestorius and confirmed Cyril of Alexandria’s christology with its usage of the titleTheotokosas orthodox. Cyril and Nestorius espoused mutually exclusive conceptualizations of the role of Mary in incarnational theology. Nestorius was not prepared to acknowledge the titleTheotokos, except as an example of misguided and excessive piety; if the usage of the title was inevitable, he suggested, than it was to be done with proper qualifications.¹ Cyril, on