In the fifth century, Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople (428 - 431), publicly attacked the use of the term Theotokos to describe the Virgin Mary. His opinion caused a stir in the church and led to his deposition as Patriarch. The reason for this is that the term "Theotokos" is understood by Orthodox Christians to have not only pious but also theological significance: in calling the Virgin Mary the "Birthgiver of God," it is affirmed that Christ possesses a human nature as well as a divine nature (as opposed to being purely divine). This is an essential understanding in the Orthodox doctrine of theosis. Thus the title "Theotokos" is as much a statement about Christ and the incarnation as it is about the Virgin Mary herself; it is this particular view of the incarnation that allows Mary