Theotokion

JOHN A. MCGUCKIN

From the Greek meaning “Pertaining to the Mother of God.” It denotes a short hymn (troparion or sticheron) in the Orthodox offices of prayers, which cele­brates the role of the Virgin in the history

of salvation and calls upon her help for the Church. A Theotokion occurs in each service and usually occupies a place at the end of a series of hymns. The Theotokion that occurs in Vespers after the “Lord I have Cried” hymn, and just before the Entrance, is called the Dogmatik since it contains a dense synopsis of the doc­trines of Incarnation and Salvation. On Wednesdays and Fridays, and in prayer services focused on the Passion, the hymn is designated as Stavro-Theotokion (Cross-Hymn to the Virgin) and evokes the sorrow of the Virgin as she laments the sufferings and death of her Son.

SEE ALSO: Hymnography; Music (Sacred); Sticheron; Troparion