Theotokos: Reflections of Labour

"Theotokos: Reflections of Labour." Rural Theology, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print), pp. 1–2 Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Additional informationNotes on contributorsS. Anne LawsonRevd S. Anne Lawson is a vicar of Acton, Church Minshall, Worleston and Wettenhall, and Chaplain to the Cheshire Agricultural Society in the Diocese and Chester, England. This poem draws on imagery from the Catholic and Orthodox traditions, unfamiliar to Western Protestantism. ‘Theotokos’ means ‘God Bearer’ and is usually used of Mary in the Orthodox tradition. The ‘Pietà’ is the image of Mary holding the dead Christ when He was taken down from the Cross in the Catholic tradition. The images of the water flowing from Christ’s side as a symbol of Baptism, and the blood as a symbol of Eucharist are ancient Christian images.