Dogmatikon

The dogmatikon (dogmatic theotokion) is the principal hymn to the Theotokos sung at Saturday Great Vespers — one of eight, one for each of the eight tones, rotating over the eight-week cycle. It is called 'dogmatic' because each is a concentrated theological statement of the theology of the Incarnation, expressed through the person of the Theotokos. The dogmatika are among the most theologically precise hymnographic texts in the Byzantine repertoire — each encapsulates the Chalcedonian definition in liturgical form.