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Martin Luther on the Mother of God

A Lutheran acquaintance recently pointed out to me the great veneration that Martin Luther had for the Blessed Virgin Mary throughout his life. Luther believed that the Theotokos remained a Virgin always: “Christ . . . was the only Son of Mary, and the Virgin Mary bore no children besides Him . . . ‘brothers’ really means ‘cousins’ here, for Holy Writ and the Jews always call cousins brothers.” (Sermons on John, chapters 1-4, 1537-39).
Luther also called Mary the “Mother of God:” “God says . . .’Mary’s Son is My only Son.’ Thus Mary is the Mother of God. (ibid.)

“God did not derive his Divinity from Mary; but it does not follow that it is therefore wrong to say that God was born of Mary, that God is Mary’s Son, and that Mary is God’s Mother . . . She is the true Mother of God and Bearer of God . . . Mary suckled God, rocked God to sleep, prepared broth and soup for God etc.

” For God and man are one person, one Christ, one Son, one Jesus, not two Christs . . .just as your son is not two sons . . . even though he has two natures, body and soul, the body from you, the soul from God alone.” (On the Councils and the Church, 1539).

Martin Luther also had this to say about the veneration of the Theotokos: “The veneration of Mary is inscribed in the very depths of the human heart.” (Sermon, September 1, 1522).

“She is the highest woman and the noblest gem in Christianity after Christ . . . She is nobility, wisdom and holiness personified. We can never honour her enough.” (Sermon, Christmas, 1531).

And what, according to Luther, is the relation of the Theotokos to us? “It is the consolation and superabundant goodness of God, that man is able to exult in such a treasure. Mary is his Mother, Christ is his Brother, God is his Father. (Sermon, Christmas, 1522).

“Our prayer should include the Mother of God . . . What the Hail Mary says is that all glory should be given to God, using these words: ‘Hail Mary, full of Grace, The Lord is with Thee, Blessed art Thou among women and blessed is the Fruit of Thy Womb, Jesus Christ. Amen!” You see that these words are not concerned with prayer but purely with giving praise and honour. We can use the Hail Mary as a meditation in which we recite what grace God has given her. Second, we should add a wish that everyone may know and respect her . . .(Personal Prayer Book, 1522).

John Calvin and other Protestant Reformers also maintained that the Virgin Mary is “Mother of God.” A number even included the “Hail Mary” prayer at the beginning of their liturgies. A number of Lutheran theologians after Luther himself continued to use prayer beads to count both the Our Father and the Hail Mary prayers.

From an Orthodox site here.....

http://www.unicorne.org/orthodoxy/articles/alex_roman/luther.htm