Since the invocation of saints does not have a testimony from God’s Word, it cannot be affirmed that the saints understand our invocation or, even if they understand it, that God approves it.—Ap XXI:12
The Lutheran Symbols teach, I believe quite correctly, that prayer is to be based upon the promises of God’s Word. But the practice of the invocation of the saints lacks a command of God in the Scriptures or any promise that God will bless it, and there is not in Scripture the first example of someone calling upon the saints. Absent these, we know that it is a novel practice, even if it arises here and there anciently. But be careful of the dates. People like to point to Basil’s letter 360, for example, but the Loeb Classics edition of Basil’s letters notes that this is clearly spurious and not included among most collections of Basil’s letters.
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What of the testimony of the 3rd/4th century Fathers and the inscriptions in the catecombs?
The Lutheran Symbols teach, I believe quite correctly, that prayer is to be based upon the promises of God’s Word. But the practice of the invocation of the saints lacks a command of God in the Scriptures or any promise that God will bless it, and there is not in Scripture the first example of someone calling upon the saints. Absent these, we know that it is a novel practice, even if it arises here and there anciently. But be careful of the dates. People like to point to Basil’s letter 360, for example, but the Loeb Classics edition of Basil’s letters notes that this is clearly spurious and not included among most collections of Basil’s letters.
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