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To: CTrent1564
Mary as the Mother of God

Lutherans don't officially have/nor should have an objection to this title as Jesus is God, Mary was His mother. There is no Scriptural evidence to support her perpetual virginity which is one reason there is no Lutheran doctrine on the subject. The primary reason however, is that the Scriptures are about the Christ and His work, not His earthly mother.

479 posted on 01/30/2011 8:23:36 PM PST by xone
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To: xone

xone:

There is no scriptural evidence on the subject of Mary’s perpetual Virginity, one way or the other. And I can understand from the Confessional Lutheran perspective, something not directly stated or alluded to in Scripture would not be in the Lutheran Confessions.

However, from the Catholic perspective, and I think for that matter, the Eastern Orthodox Perspective as well, who hold to the dogma of Mary as ever-virgin, the issue is what was the “Faith of the Church” and as you well know, the early Church did not hold to “Scripture alone” nor did it hold to “Tradition alone” it held to both Tradition and Scripture and what was referred to as orthodox Apostolic Tradition.

What is very clear is that the Church Fathers, the ones who defended the orthodox Apostolic Tradition against every Heresy starting with the Gnostics in the early and mid 2nd century, the Montanist of the late 2nd and early 3rd century, the Modalist in the early 3rd century, the Arians of the early 4th, the Nestorians of the early 5th, along with the Monophysites of the 5th century and thus defined the Trinity, that Christ was a Divine Person with a Divine and human nature, etc and who read the same NT that you and I read and were the ones who ultimately defined the NT canon in the 4th century all affirmed the Perpetual Virginity of Mary as a Doctrine of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church and that belief was and is held in both the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church, who are both in continuity with the great and ancient Apostolic Tradition that was handed from Christ, to the Apostles to the early CHurch Fathers, etc ,etc.

All of the Sacred Scriptures do speak of Christ, that is true, but Mary’s role in salvation history is singular and unique and understanding her role only clarifies who Christ is, and only helps understand orthodox Doctrines that reflect who Christ is, e.g., Incarnational theology is ultimately tied to the fact that CHrist the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and it was Mary thru whom the Glory of God dwelt in her womb, was born of her, and thus it was thru her that Christ received his flesh and blood.


480 posted on 01/30/2011 9:19:23 PM PST by CTrent1564
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