Held 1516.
From the name of Mary.
Some have interpreted the name of the Virgin Mary as "the bitter of the sea", some as "the star of the sea". And both of them prove it because the Virgin is called Miriam in Hebrew. And so she also calls Lucas. Sintemal marah means bitter, and jam means the sea. But those who call her "the star of the sea" have spoiled what they have found. But they have found, stillam maris, a drop of the sea; for the word mar also means a drop, hence the word myrrha, sometimes called a drop. For they have dreamed that it is more conveniently called stella maris, a star of the sea, than stella maris, a drop of the sea. But I do not say this as if I demand that the custom of the Church, which is so strong, be despised, as if because of this one should not say Mary, but Miriam; or as if because of this one should not say "a drop of the sea". We
*) Löscher I, 764; Erl. A. opp. var. "rZ. 1, 150 sy.
D. Red.
have sought only the origin of the name, but not the slander of godliness. Therefore, a great praise of the Virgin is presented to us in this name, namely, that she is preserved and preserved as a single drop from the whole sea, the whole mafia of the human race. For she is of the sea, because the drop of the sea is of the very nature, yet she is not after the sea, but of a sea; as if it were said, As to the natural nature, she is equal to all; but as to the nature of grace, she is unequal: she agrees with all in this, because she is the drop of the sea; but is distinguished from all, because she is a drop. The drop distinguishes them, the sea unites them: nature makes them equal, grace distinguishes them. How great, then, is the glory that this single drop is preserved from so great a sea!
2. one has another interpretation of this name, so belonging to the dignity, namely that stella or gutta, a drop, is called stacte in Greek, and is the one
pure, exquisite and self-emerging myrrh, which flows and bursts forth from the tree (which is thus called from the Arabic language because of its bitterness) when it is scratched and incised. We will leave the mysteries of this matter for now, and only mention the property that bodies anointed with it do not rot, but are preserved; as the Jews and Egyptians used to anoint their dead, and it is clear from the Gospel that Nicodemus and the women sought to anoint Christ's body so that it would not wither.
So the holy virgin is not only an anointed one, but she is both to herself and to all the myrrh and strongest bitterness; and therefore there is no rottenness in her, because she herself is the myrrh.*) Thirdly, she has pictured the Church in her name, which Church is described in Isaiah as a drop that hangs in the bucket, because she, chosen from the whole sea of the world, hangs upward by faith on the Word of God, in which Church she is the noblest member.
Here, too, Luther gives too much honor to Mary.
D. Red.