Protestant views on Mary

While it is difficult to generalize about the place of Mary, mother of Jesus in Protestantism given the great diversity of Protestant beliefs, some summary statements are attempted.

The pre-Lutheran reformer John Wycliffe reflected the Marian spirit of the later Middle Ages in one of his earlier sermons: "It seems to me impossible that we should obtain the reward of Heaven without the help of Mary.

There is no sex or age, no rank or position, of anyone in the whole human race, which has no need to call for the help of the Holy Virgin.

[3] Special attention is given to the assertion that Luther, some 300 years before the dogmatization of the Immaculate Conception by Pope Pius IX in 1854, was a firm adherent of that view.

[5] "Throughout his career as a priest-professor-reformer, Luther preached, taught, and argued about the veneration of Mary with a verbosity that ranged from childlike piety to sophisticated polemics.

"[6] Luther, while revering Mary, came to criticize the "Papists" for blurring the line, between high admiration of the grace of God wherever it is seen in a human being, and religious service given to another creature.

[7] John Calvin accepted Mary's perpetual virginity and the title "Mother of God", in a qualified sense.

However, he takes extreme exception to what he regards as the excessive veneration of the "Papists", honour which is due only to Jesus Christ.

[10] Calvin expressed deep concern over its possible "superstitious" use of the title "Mother of God" from the teachings of the Council of Ephesus:[11] I do not doubt that there has been some ignorance in their having reproved this mode of speech, — that the Virgin Mary is the Mother of God … I cannot dissemble that it is found to be a bad practice ordinarily to adopt this title in speaking of this Virgin: and, for my part, I cannot consider such language as good, proper, or suitable… for to say, the Mother of God for the Virgin Mary, can only serve to harden the ignorant in their superstitions.Karl Barth (1886–1968), a Reformed Protestant, was a leading 20th century theologian.

Aware of the common dogmatic tradition of the early Church, Barth fully accepted the dogma of Mary as the Mother of God.