The following quotation is courtesy of William Albrecht. It is from a letter that Martin Luther wrote in the final years of his life, and provides further confirmation that this leading reformer held to the perpetual virginity of Mary. Luther even claims that this doctrine is based on inspired Scripture, and not merely on sacred tradition!
What makes Luther’s statements all the more remarkable is that he affirms the perpetual virginity even while lambasting the papacy and specific catholic teachings!
With that said, all emphasis is Albrecht’s and mine.
“After that, they come trotting in with examples and with the fact that the Church actually believes and must believe many things which are not written down. For example, John (21 [:25; 20:30])says that Jesus did many signs which are not written in this book, and thinks that the world could not hold the books if everything was written down, etc.
Now you go ahead and say that the papal ass is not a Christian. I think that he believes plenty. What does he believe? Listen carefully!
He believes all the books which have not been written, which he has not heard or seen; yes, he believes the books which the world cannot hold! I call that a real faith!
Now, the faith of the papal ass is that the books that have been written which people ought to believe, as John says (21 [20:31]), he does not believe, but is high above them and can change them. Such books teach us to become righteous without the Law and works, through faith.
But the books which have not been written—and thus no one can know what might be in them—these he boldly and valiantly believes like a champion and a giant; such books he does not want to change or be above, but gladly is subject to them as to that which is nothing.
“Tell me what I should think about such a papal ass? | Is he blind, foolish, or crazy since he boasts that he believes what has not ever been written down?
It is not enough for him to believe the passage that Christ did more signs than have been written, for such a passage has been written down and is believed, but who can believe the signs which have not been written down?
Oh, give it up! Thus they also believe that in Christ there are two natures and one person; that MARY REMAINED A VIRGIN and is God’s mother; and that Christ is true God.
Yet these things, they claim, are not in Scripture, but the Church has decided them against the heretics Sabellius, Arius, Helvidius, Nestorius, and the like. Dear ass, what will become of this?
ARE SUCH POINTS NOT IN SCRIPTURE? On what basis, then, did the holy fathers and teachers contend about these things?
If they invented these things or got them out of their own heads, then they should not be retained today.
(To a friend in Freiburg CONCERNING BOTH KINDS IN THE SACRAMENT, Manuscript edition: WA 26:560)
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