Luther: "She is rightly called not only the mother of the man, but also the Mother of God ... It is certain that Mary is the Mother of the real and true God."

Over the years I've worked through a Roman Catholic web article that allegedly documents the Mariology of the early Protestant Reformers. The article is sometimes called, The Protestant Reformers on Mary. Here is a Martin Luther quote that's usually included in this presentation:

Mary the Mother of God. Throughout his life Luther maintained without change the historic Christian affirmation that Mary was the Mother of God: "She is rightly called not only the mother of the man, but also the Mother of God ... It is certain that Mary is the Mother of the real and true God."[Martin Luther, Weimar edition of Martin Luther's Works, English translation edited by J. Pelikan [Concordia: St. Louis], volume 24, 107].

If you're puzzled as to why this quote is supposed to be shocking to Protestant eyes, it means you're probably not a garden variety fundamentalist that has theological spasms whenever you come upon the phrase Mother of God. Luther used this phrase occasionally but did not use it as a term of invocation or worship like Roman Catholics do. When he used it, it was either an expression of the common vernacular of the sixteenth century, a term of respect for her as someone profoundly used by God in a significant way, or it was primarily to say something about Jesus, not Mary. The context below will bear this out. 

Documentation

The origin of this quote may be from a 1992 Catholic Answers article by Father Mateo, CRI's Attack on Mary: Part 1. The article states, 

Throughout his life Luther used and defended Mary’s title “Mother of God” against all comers. “She is rightly called not only the mother of the man, but also the Mother of God. . . . It is certain that Mary is the Mother of the real and true God.”(Jaroslav Pelikan, ed., Luther’s Works (St. Louis: Concordia), vol. 24, 107.) (I wonder about CRI’s consistent failure throughout to mention Protestant sources in praise of Mary.)

It's possible Father Mateo actually mined this quote out of Luther's writings himself. Or: someone took Mateo's words, changed them a little bit, adding Weimar to the documentation.

As is frequently the case with Roman Catholic propaganda, the documentation is spurious. Someone mixed together the English and German / Latin editions of Luther's writings. This quote isn't from WA 24 in the Weimar edition of Luther's writings, it's from volume 24 of the English edition of Luther's Works. The quote is found in WA 45:557-559. In English, it is found in Luther's Works, LW 24:106-107. The text is from Martin Luther's exposition of the Gospel of John 14:16.  

 

Context

We say of every human being that he eats, drinks, digests, sleeps, wakes, walks, stands, works, etc., although the soul participates in none of these activities, but only the body. And yet this is said of the entire person, who has a body and a soul. For it is one person, by reason not only of the body but of both the body and the soul. Again, we say that man thinks, deliberates, and learns. According to his reason or soul, he can become a teacher or master, a judge, councilor, or ruler. Neither the body nor any one of its members gives him this competence. And yet we say: “He has a clever head; he is sensible, learned, eloquent, artistic.” Thus it is said of a woman that a mother carries, bears, and suckles a child, although it is not her soul but only her body that makes her a mother. And still we ascribe this to the entire woman. Or if someone strikes a person on the head, we say: “He has struck Hans or Greta.” Or if a member of the body is injured or wounded, we think of the whole person as being wounded.

I am using these simple illustrations to demonstrate how two distinct natures must be differentiated in the Person of Christ and yet how this still leaves the Person a whole and undivided entity. Whatever Christ says and does, both God and man say and do; yet each word and action is in accord with the one or the other nature. He who observes this distinction is safe and on the right path. He will not be led astray by the erroneous ideas of heretics, ideas which come into being solely because they do not properly join what belongs together and is united, or because they do not properly separate and distinguish what must be distinguished.

Therefore we must adhere to the speech and expressions of Holy Writ and retain and confess the doctrine that this Christ is true God, through whom all things are created and exist, and at the same time that this same Christ, God’s Son, is born of the Virgin, dies on the cross, etc. Furthermore, Mary, the mother, does not carry, give birth to, suckle, and nourish only the man, only flesh and blood—for that would be dividing the Person—but she carries and nourishes a son who is God’s Son. Therefore she is rightly called not only the mother of the man but also the Mother of God. This the old fathers taught in opposition to the Nestorians, who objected to calling Mary “Mother of God” and refused to say that she had given birth to God’s Son.

Here we must again confess with our Creed: “I believe in Jesus Christ, God the Father’s only Son, our Lord, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered, was crucified, died.” It is always one and the same Son of God, our Lord. Therefore it is certain that Mary is the mother of the real and true God, and that the Jews crucified not only the Son of Man but also the true Son of God. For I do not want a Christ in Whom I am to believe and to whom I am to pray as my Savior who is only man. Otherwise I would go to the devil. For mere flesh and blood could not erase sin, reconcile God, remove His anger, overcome and destroy death and hell, and bestow eternal life." (LW 24:106-107).

Original text: Denn also redet man von einem iglichen menschen: Der mensch isset und trincket, dewet¹, schlefft, wachet, gehet und stehet, arbeitet x., welches er be] doch nach der seele keines thut, sondern allein der leib. Und doch von der ganzen person, so leib und seel hat, gesagt wird. Denn er ist ein mensch nicht allein des leibs, sondern beide, des leibs und der seel halben. Widerumb sagt man auch von im: Der mensch dencket, tichtet, lernet. Denn nach der vernunfft oder seelen kan er werden ein Lerer oder Meister, Richter, Rat, Regent, welchs im der leib nach des leibs gliedmas keines gibt. Und dennoch spricht man: Das ist ein geschickter kopff, vernünfftig, gelert, weise, wol beredt, künstreich. Also sagt man von einem weibe: Die mutter tregt, gebirt oder seuget das kind. So sie doch nicht nach der seele, sondern allein nach dem leib eine mutter heisst. Doch gibt man solchs der ganzen weiblichen person. Item, wenn einer einen menschen für den kopff schlegt, so spricht [M. S. ij] man: Dieser hat Hansen oder Greta geschlagen. Also wenn ein glied verleget oder verwundet wird, so heisst es den ganzen menschen verwundet. 

Das sage ich zum groben Gleichnis, das mans verstehe, wie man inn der person Christi die zwo naturn unterschiedlich teilen und doch die person ganz und ungetrennet zusamen lassen mus. Das, was Christus redet und thut, das hat beide, Gott und mensch geredt und gethan, und doch ein iglichs nach der einen natur. Wer solch unterscheid helt, der kan sicher und recht faren, das er sich nicht lasse irre machen der Ketzer irrige gedancken, welche allein daher komen, das sie nicht recht zusamen fügen, was zusamen gehöret und eines ist, oder nicht recht von ander scheiden und teilen, was man unterscheiden sol.

Darumb sollen wir bey der Schrifft rede und wort bleiben und den Artikel also behalten und bekennen, das dieser Christus ist warhafftiger Gott, durch den alle ding geschaffen sind und bestehen. Und widerumb der selbige Christus, Gottes son, wird geborn von der jungfrawen und stirbt am Creutz x. Item: die mutter Maria tregt, gebirt, seuget und neeret nicht den menschen allein oder fleisch und blut, Denn das were die person getrennet, Sondern sie tregt und neeret einen son, der da ist Gottes son, Darumb heisßt sie recht nicht allein des menschen, sondern auch Gottes mutter. Wie auch die alten Veter solchs geleret haben wider die Nestorianer, welche wolten einen strich hiedurch machen, das Maria nicht solt Gottes mutter heissen. Und wolten nicht sagen, das sie hette Gottes son geborn.

Hie wider müssen wir sagen, wie unser glaube lautet: Ich gleube an Jhesum Christum, Gottes des Vaters einigen Son, unsern HErrn, von Maria der jungfrawen geborn, gelidden, gecreutziget und gestorben x. jmer der selbige einige Gottes Son, unser HErr. Das es warhafftig heisse: Maria ist des rechten, warhafftigen Gottes mutter, Und die Jüden haben nicht allein des menschen son, sondern warhafftigen Gottes son gecreutziget. Denn ich wil nicht eines solchen Christi, an den ich sol gleuben und jn anruffen als meinen Heiland, der ein lauter mensch ist, Sonst füre ich zum Teuffel. Denn lauter fleisch und blut künde nicht die sunde tilgen, Gott versünen und seinen zorn wegnemen, den tod und die helle uberwinden und zustören, noch das ewige leben geben (WA 45:557-559).

Conclusion
Luther's using the rich Christ-centered usage of Theotokos (God Bearer, Mother of God) when discussing the incarnation and Jesus Christ’s Deity. Conservative Protestant theology would agree with him.  This quote may be a shocker to fundamentalist types, but not to the Lutherans, Anglicans, or the Reformed. Notice that Luther specifically mentions the heretical Nestorians. If Roman Catholic apologists are interacting with modern Nestorians that are fond of Luther, using this Luther quote could be useful!

Dr. James White once described te phrase Mother of God as "the single most misused theological term around." Contemporary Protestants distance themselves from the title, "Mother of God," for good reason. When Rome's defenders bring up the phrase, Mother of God, they have gone beyond what Luther usually means by it. They attach excessive veneration and her intercession. What was once a rich theological term expressing a doctrinal truth about Jesus Christ developed into praise to Mary and her intercession. If you agree to use this term in dialog with a Roman Catholic apologist, use it like Luther did. Use it to say something about Jesus Christ, not Mary!   

Revised March 2026