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