Mother (DN, em, a primitive word ; Gr. firjrrjp ; but mother-in-law is Pi^H, chamoth' ; once TSrin, chothe'- neth, Deut. xxvii, 23 ; Gr. Tnv^spa). " The superiority of the Hebrew over all other contemporaneous systems of legislation and of morals is strongly shown in the higher estimation of the mother in the Jewish family, as contrasted with modern Oriental, as well as ancient Oriental and classical usage. See Woman. The king's mother, as appears in the case of Bathsheba, was treated with especial honor (1 Kings ii, 19; Exod. xx, 12; Lev, xix, 3; Deut. v, 16; xxi,"'l8, 21; Prov. x, 1; xv, 20; xvii, 25; xxix, 15; xxxi, 1, 30)" (Smith). "When the father had more than one wife, the son seems to have confined the title of ' mother' to his real mother, by which he distingiushed her from the other wives of his father. Hence the source of Joseph's peculiar in- terest in Benjamin is indicated in Gen. xliii, 29 by his being ' his mother's son.' The other brethren were the sons of his father by other wives. Nevertheless, when this precision was not necessary, the step-mother was sometimes styled mother. Thus Jacob (Gen. xxxvii, 10) speaks of Leah as Joseph's mother, for his real mother had long been dead. The step-mother was, however, more properly distinguished from the womb- mother by the name of 'father's wife.' The word 'mother' was also, like father, brother, sister, em- ployed by the Hebrews in a somewhat wider sense than is usual with us. It is used of a grandmother (1 Kings XV, 10), and even of any female ancestor (Gen. iii, 20) ; of a benefactress (Judg. v, 7), and as expressing inti- mate relationship (Job xvii, 14). In Hebrew, as in Eng- lish, a nation is considered as a mother, and individu- als as her children (Isa. 1, 1 ; Jer. 1, 12 ; Ezek. xix, 2 ; Hos. ii, 4; iv, 5); so our 'mother-country,' which is quite as good as ' father-land,' which we seem beginning to copy fVom the Germans. Large and important cities are also called mothers, i, e, ' mother-cities' (comp. me-
MOTHER-CHURCH
696
MOTHER GODDESS
tropolis, from the Greek), with reference to the depend- ent towns and villages (2 Sam. xx, 19), or even to the inhabitants, who are called her children (Isa. iii, 12; xlix, 23). ' The partvig of the way, at the head of two ways' (Ezek. xi, 21), is in the Hebrew ' the mother of the way,' because out of it the two ways arise as daugh- ters. In Job i, 21 the earth is indicated as the common 'mother, to whose bosom all mankind must return'" (Kitto). The term is also applied to a city as the par- ent or source of wickedness and abominations; as "IJab- ylon the (Ireat, the mother of liarlots" (Kev. xvii, 5). The Church, as the Bride, is spoken of as the mother of believers (Isa. xhx, 14-22; hi, 8-13; I'sa. Ixxxvii, 5, C; Gal. iv, 22, 21); and the sentiment, at once so mild and so tender, which unites the mother to her child is often alluded to in the sacred volume to illustrate the love of (iod to his people (Isa. xliv, 1-8; Ivi, G-14; 1 Cor. iii, 1, 2; 1 Thess. ii, 7; 2 Cor. xi, 2). See Child.
Mother -Church (Latin, Matrix Ecchsia) is a term which has been used in various significations. The ancient Christians used this denomination of a Church in different senses. First, they understood by it an original Church. ])lanted immediately by some one of the apostles, and from which others were after- wards derived and propagated. In this sense the Church of Jerusalem is called the mother of all churclies in the ■world by the second General Council of Constantinople ; and Aries was the mother-church of France, because sup- posed to be planted by Tropliimus, the apostles' mis- sionary, and first bishop of that place. Secondly, a mother-church denotes a metropolis, or the principal church of a single province; as in some of the African canons, where matrix is sometimes used for the pri- mate's see, to whicli the other bishops were to have re- course for judgment and decision of controversies. ' But, thirdly, most commonlv it signifies a cathedral, or bish- op's church, which was usually termed the (ireat Church, the Catholic Church, and the Principal Sec, in oiiposi- tion to the lesser tituli, or parish churches, committed to simple presbyters. J-Jcclesia mntris; or mother-church, is opposed to dicecesana, or diocesan church ; though by their ambiguity they are olten confounded, and mis- taken for one another. See Broughton, L'iUiothecu Jlis- torico-Sacra, ii, 145.
Mother of God. The Virfjin Mary is sometimes so styled by Christians of all denominations. There is, however, a disinclination to the use of this expression because Ifomanists have given to Mary a place which the Scriptures do not warrant us in assigning her. "The Virgin Mary," says I'earson {On the Creed), "is fre- quently styled the Motlier of Jesus in the language of the evangelists, and by Elisabeth, particularly, the mother of her Lord, as also by the general consent of the Church, because he that was born of her was God (Deiparu) ; which, being a compound title, begun in the Greek Church, was resolved into its parts by the Latins, and so the Virgin was plainly named the Mother of God," I'rotestants admit that the Virgin M&vy is the mother of God, but protest against the conclusion that she is on tliat account to be treated with peculiar honor, or to be worshipped; for this expression is used not to exalt her, but to assert unequivocally the divin- ity of her Son: he whom she brought fortli was God, and tlierefore she is the bringer forth or mother of (iod. Tlic term was first brought prominently forward at the Council of Ephesus, when it was deemed necessary hy the Church to prevent giving Mary a station above that of her Son Jesus tlie Christ. In tlie Protestant world there is among the common people a liesitancy to the use of it, "because," as Hook has well jnit it, "by the subtlety of tlie Ilomish controversiiilists, it has been so used, or rather misused, as to make it seem to confer peculiar honor and privileges u\Mn\ the Virgin JIary. The i)rimitive Christians, like ourselves, were contented with .speaking of the Virgin as ' the motlier of my Lurd;" and this jihrase sufficed until, as we have seen, heretics