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TriuneUnity
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Mary Mother of God and Mary Ever-Virgin are parts of the deposit of the apostolic faith defined by the Church catholic long before the creeping abuses of the medieval era emerged against which Luther and others railed. The second pair of doctrines or dogmas, however, have been defined quite recently even though they existed long before they were formally defined. Moreover, these teachings were declared dogma not by the Church catholic, i.e. by the faithful in all parts of the Christian world, but instead by the Bishop of Rome alone. Even the Orthodox churches do not accept these second two teachings as revealed dogma to which all believers must ascribe.
Nevertheless, this does not mean that the teachings themselves are wrong or that they contradict Scripture. Instead, they are unclear or absent in Scripture and ill-defined in the history of the Church catholic, so much so that they cannot be forwarded as clear deposits of the faith. Interestingly, however, Luther and the first “evangelicals” held to versions of both these doctrines, namely the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption of Mary.
III. Mary’s Immaculate Conception
This teaching was the first of the four Marian doctrines to be made dogmatic in the modern era, in 1854 by Pope Pius IX without consultation with any branch of the catholic church other than the one he headed. Because of the controversial nature of the doctrine, it caused serious uproar among Protestants of all stripes at the time and even among Orthodox Christians. It continues to be a point of contention between Rome and the ‘separated brethren’ including Lutherans.
Unlike the two pre-Reformation teachings on Mary, her immaculate conception does not appear in the Book of Concord. Indeed, the notion was not universally held in the undivided catholic church at any time and was always an issue of some contention, even in the Roman church of the 1850s! In Luther’s own day there was very intense controversy between the Dominicans who denied the Immaculate Conception and the Franciscans who affirmed it. Pope Sixtus IV was compelled to intervene and forbid either side to accuse the other of heresy over the issue.
The question of Mary’s Immaculate Conception focuses on the question of whether the Blessed Virgin was preserved from original sin at the very moment of her conception as a preparation for her role as the Mother of God. The Dominicans rejected it, for they rejected the possibility that a human creature could be free of original sin in their very nature. In the East, the Orthodox churches also rejected (and continue to reject) the Immaculate Conception, claiming it robs Mary of her free will at the Annunciation to accept God’s decision. In Luther’s writings, there is contradictory evidence on his stand on the Immaculate Conception. Whether Luther maintained this doctrine or not, it is more important to note that the matter is a secondary one, not central to the Christian faith. And furthermore, because it is both a secondary teaching and unclear in Scripture, it should not be binding upon all the church.
“In regard to the conception of our Lady they have admitted that, since this article is not necessary to salvation, it is neither heresy nor error when some hold that she was conceived in sin, although in this case council, pope, and the majority hold a different view. Why should we poor Christians be forced to believe whatever the pope should think, even when it is not necessary to salvation?” (Luther’s Works 32: 79-80)
All Christians should take these words to heart, Roman Catholic and otherwise. Nevertheless, it is important to note that Luther is addressing here the matter of the Immaculate Conception, not Mary’s purity and holiness. The matter of how and when Mary became “full of grace” (Luke 1:28) is ultimately not important. The matter of Mary’s basic sinlessness, however, is. Whereas Luther’s stand on the Immaculate Conception is unclear, his insistence on Mary’s purity and holiness is clear indeed.
"In the first place, she is full of grace, proclaimed to be entirely without sin – something exceedingly great. For God’s grace fills her with everything good and makes her devoid of all evil.
In the second place, God is with her, meaning that all she did or left undone is divine and the action of God in her. Moreover, God guarded and protected her from all that might be hurtful to her.
In the third place, she is blessed above all other women, not only because she gave birth without labor, pain, and injury to herself, not as Eve and all other women, but because by the Holy Spirit and without sin, she became fertile, conceived, and gave birth in a way granted to no other woman.
In the fourth place, her giving birth is blessed in that it was spared the curse upon all children of Eve who are conceived in sin [Ps. 51:5] and born to deserve death and damnation. Only the fruit of her body is blessed, and through this birth we are all blessed." (Luther’s Works 42: 40)
Luther is so bold to say such things because of the Scriptural foundation in Luke 1:28 (“Hail, favored one” [alternatively “full of grace”; the Greek original is *kecharitomene, the root being charis, i.e. grace] “the Lord is with you”); because of Mary’s role as the bearer of the Word, the new Ark of the Covenant; and because Mary did not conceive in sin and thus is not subject to the penalty of Eve (“with pain you will give birth to children” [Gen. 3:16]).
Nevertheless, this does not mean that the teachings themselves are wrong or that they contradict Scripture. Instead, they are unclear or absent in Scripture and ill-defined in the history of the Church catholic, so much so that they cannot be forwarded as clear deposits of the faith. Interestingly, however, Luther and the first “evangelicals” held to versions of both these doctrines, namely the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption of Mary.
III. Mary’s Immaculate Conception
This teaching was the first of the four Marian doctrines to be made dogmatic in the modern era, in 1854 by Pope Pius IX without consultation with any branch of the catholic church other than the one he headed. Because of the controversial nature of the doctrine, it caused serious uproar among Protestants of all stripes at the time and even among Orthodox Christians. It continues to be a point of contention between Rome and the ‘separated brethren’ including Lutherans.
Unlike the two pre-Reformation teachings on Mary, her immaculate conception does not appear in the Book of Concord. Indeed, the notion was not universally held in the undivided catholic church at any time and was always an issue of some contention, even in the Roman church of the 1850s! In Luther’s own day there was very intense controversy between the Dominicans who denied the Immaculate Conception and the Franciscans who affirmed it. Pope Sixtus IV was compelled to intervene and forbid either side to accuse the other of heresy over the issue.
The question of Mary’s Immaculate Conception focuses on the question of whether the Blessed Virgin was preserved from original sin at the very moment of her conception as a preparation for her role as the Mother of God. The Dominicans rejected it, for they rejected the possibility that a human creature could be free of original sin in their very nature. In the East, the Orthodox churches also rejected (and continue to reject) the Immaculate Conception, claiming it robs Mary of her free will at the Annunciation to accept God’s decision. In Luther’s writings, there is contradictory evidence on his stand on the Immaculate Conception. Whether Luther maintained this doctrine or not, it is more important to note that the matter is a secondary one, not central to the Christian faith. And furthermore, because it is both a secondary teaching and unclear in Scripture, it should not be binding upon all the church.
“In regard to the conception of our Lady they have admitted that, since this article is not necessary to salvation, it is neither heresy nor error when some hold that she was conceived in sin, although in this case council, pope, and the majority hold a different view. Why should we poor Christians be forced to believe whatever the pope should think, even when it is not necessary to salvation?” (Luther’s Works 32: 79-80)
All Christians should take these words to heart, Roman Catholic and otherwise. Nevertheless, it is important to note that Luther is addressing here the matter of the Immaculate Conception, not Mary’s purity and holiness. The matter of how and when Mary became “full of grace” (Luke 1:28) is ultimately not important. The matter of Mary’s basic sinlessness, however, is. Whereas Luther’s stand on the Immaculate Conception is unclear, his insistence on Mary’s purity and holiness is clear indeed.
"In the first place, she is full of grace, proclaimed to be entirely without sin – something exceedingly great. For God’s grace fills her with everything good and makes her devoid of all evil.
In the second place, God is with her, meaning that all she did or left undone is divine and the action of God in her. Moreover, God guarded and protected her from all that might be hurtful to her.
In the third place, she is blessed above all other women, not only because she gave birth without labor, pain, and injury to herself, not as Eve and all other women, but because by the Holy Spirit and without sin, she became fertile, conceived, and gave birth in a way granted to no other woman.
In the fourth place, her giving birth is blessed in that it was spared the curse upon all children of Eve who are conceived in sin [Ps. 51:5] and born to deserve death and damnation. Only the fruit of her body is blessed, and through this birth we are all blessed." (Luther’s Works 42: 40)
Luther is so bold to say such things because of the Scriptural foundation in Luke 1:28 (“Hail, favored one” [alternatively “full of grace”; the Greek original is *kecharitomene, the root being charis, i.e. grace] “the Lord is with you”); because of Mary’s role as the bearer of the Word, the new Ark of the Covenant; and because Mary did not conceive in sin and thus is not subject to the penalty of Eve (“with pain you will give birth to children” [Gen. 3:16]).