Frequently Asked Questions
Perpetual Virginity of Mary (Semper Virgo)
Q: Did the historic Lutheran Church confess the perpetual virginity of Mary (Semper Virgo)?
Summary Answer
Historic Lutheranism affirmed Mary as "Semper Virgo" (always Virgin), in continuity with the early Church catholic tradition.
The Book of Concord speaks of Mary as "pure Virgin" and explicitly confesses that she remained a virgin after the birth of Christ.
Luther, Chemnitz, Gerhard, and other early Lutheran theologians confessed Semper Virgo as a Christological doctrine.
The position was retained in orthodox Lutheranism and by many LCMS theologians into the modern era.
Some modern debate exists, but historically the Lutheran stance was clear: Semper Virgo was affirmed.
Confessional Witness (Book of Concord)
Augsburg Confession, Article III
The Son of God … was born of the Virgin Mary.
Smalcald Articles I.4 — English, Latin, and German Texts
... and was born of the pure, holy [and always] Virgin Mary.
... ex Maria pura, sancta, semper virgine nasceretur.
... von der reinen, heiligen Jungfrau Maria geboren sei.
Note: English editions often bracket "[and always]" to reflect the Latin semper virgine, absent in the German recension. This does not question the doctrine but records a textual difference.
Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration VIII.24
... born of a virgin, with her virginity inviolate. Therefore she is truly the mother of God, and nevertheless remained a virgin
... de virgine, inviolata ipsius virginitate, natus est. Unde et vere Θεοτοκος, Dei genitrix, est, et tamen virgo mansit.
The traditional Lutheran position is that Mary is "ever virgin" and even now remains virgin (SD VIII.24, Latin).
Luther's Position
Sermons on John: Chapters 1–4 (1537–1539)
Christ, our Savior, was the real and natural fruit of Mary's virginal womb … and she remained a virgin after that.
Early Lutheran Theologians
Martin Chemnitz
Martin Chemnitz, in his Examination of the Council of Trent, engages Roman arguments for Mary's virginity with reverence and accepts the perpetual virginity as the common tradition, though he critiques how it is defended.
Johann Gerhard
Johann Gerhard, in his Postilla and Loci Theologici, upholds Mary's perpetual virginity as part of the Christological confession of the Incarnation.
LCMS Historical Witness
C.F.W. Walther
Affirmed Mary's perpetual virginity in his teaching and sermons.
Franz Pieper
If the Christology of a theologian is orthodox in all other respects, he is not to be regarded as a heretic for holding that Mary bore other children in a natural manner after she had given birth to the Son of God.
Franz Pieper, who served as president of the LCMS from 1899 to 1911, affirmed the traditional Lutheran position that Mary was “ever virgin.” Departing from this view was historically regarded as an exception, permissible only if a theologian’s Christology remained orthodox in every other respect. Consequently, rejection of Mary’s perpetual virginity represents a modern innovation and a historical anomaly within the Lutheran Church.
Additional Arguments
Biblical Interpretation
Matthew 1:25: The Greek "until" (heōs) does not require change afterward; thus it does not imply Mary later had other children.
The "Brothers" of Jesus: The Greek word adelphos can mean biological brothers, half-brothers, step-brothers, or cousins. In Hebrew and Aramaic culture, the same word often referred to extended family members. Many early interpreters understood these as Joseph's children from a previous marriage or as cousins of Jesus.
Traditional Understanding of Joseph
Many Fathers and Reformers taught Joseph was an older guardian who died before later Gospel events, supporting no later children of Mary.
The Protoevangelium of James (2nd century) presents Joseph as an elderly widower chosen to be Mary's guardian, which became the dominant understanding in both East and West for centuries.
Patristic Typology
Patristic typology affirmed by Lutherans: Mary as Ark of the Covenant, Burning Bush, and Gate in Ezekiel 44 — signs of perpetual virginity.
Ezekiel 44:2: "This gate shall remain shut; it shall not be opened, and no one shall enter by it, for the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered by it; therefore it shall remain shut." Early interpreters saw this as a prophecy of Mary's perpetual virginity — the gate through which God entered the world.
Christological Significance
The perpetual virginity of Mary serves primarily as a Christological doctrine — it emphasizes the uniqueness of Christ's conception and birth. The virgin birth was not merely a biological miracle but a sign of the new creation beginning in Christ.
As the Second Adam, Christ's entrance into the world was as unique as the first Adam's creation. Mary's perpetual virginity underscores that Christ's birth was not merely natural generation but divine intervention in human history.
Patristic Witness
Patristic authors such as Ambrose (De institutione virginis), Jerome (Against Helvidius), and Augustine (On Holy Virginity) defended Mary's perpetual virginity using biblical typology (Ezekiel's closed gate, the burning bush, the Ark of the Covenant).
Mode Awareness
Remembrance Mode
• Presents Semper Virgo as Christological doctrine
• Focuses on confessional and biblical foundations
• Emphasizes theological rather than devotional aspects
• Maintains Christ-centered focus
Full Intercessory Mode
• Highlights Marian devotion and catholic continuity
• Links Semper Virgo with honor given to the Mother of God
• Emphasizes traditional devotional practices
• Connects to broader Marian theology
Both modes affirm the historic Lutheran confession of Mary's perpetual virginity as a Christological doctrine rooted in Scripture and the early Church.
Further Reading
Lutheran Sources
- • The Book of Concord (Kolb & Wengert; Tappert editions)
- • Martin Luther, Sermons on John (1522)
- • Martin Luther, Smalcald Articles (1537)
- • Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, Vol. I
- • Johann Gerhard, Sacred Meditations
- • Franz Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, Vol. II
- • C.F.W. Walther, The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel
- • Adolf Hoenecke, Evangelical Lutheran Dogmatics, Vol. III
Patristic Sources
- • Gregory of Nyssa, Life of Moses
- • Ambrose, On Virginity
- • Augustine, On the Virginity of Mary
- • Jerome, Against Helvidius
- • Epiphanius, Panarion
- • John Chrysostom, Homilies on Matthew
- • Protoevangelium of James (2nd century)
- • Origen, Commentary on Matthew
- • Athanasius, Letters to Serapion