Martin Luther
I've been reading biographies lately, and was so amazed with Luther's story, that I wanted to gather some of what I read and write my own summary of his life.
Hans Luther, Martin’s father, was born a peasant but through hard work became a fairly affluent citizen of Mansfeld. He spent a good deal of money sending Martin to the top universities in Germany. Then, at age 21, Martin abruptly dropped out of law school to become a monk. Hans Luther, shocked and dismayed, said "God grant that it was not a trick of the devil." Still, he came to his son's first Communion service and donated $2000 to the cloister.
While in the monastery, Martin became a priest and such a popular preacher that his church was overflowing. He earned his doctorate and was made supervisor of 11 Augustinian monasteries. In studying Romans, Martin began to teach his university students that salvation comes from faith in Jesus Christ.
On October 31, 1517, he posted 95 theses for debate on the Wittenberg church door, questioning the sale of indulgences. (To pay for their new cathedral, the Roman church was selling indulgences, guaranteeing the forgiveness of sins.) Martin sent a letter and a copy of the theses to the archbishop. The opening words of the paper were: “Out of love and zeal for making the truth clear, the following theses will be debated at Wittenberg, the Reverend Father Martin Luther, Master of Arts and Sacred Theology, presiding. He begs that those who cannot be present at the oral discussion will communicate their views in writing.” But no one came to debate him. On November 11, with still no reply from the archbishop, Martin sent copies of his theses to some friends. Those friends printed and reprinted the theses, and within a month, copies were seen throughout all of Europe. They were posted on churches and monasteries, translated, bound in leather, read by the clergy, the princes, and the poor.
Questioning the pope’s power over souls in purgatory was no small thing, and by 1521 Martin was finally excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church and ordered killed by the emperor. He was then “kidnapped” by friends and lived disguised as a sword-carrying knight with long beard and hair. In hiding, with no visitors or work, he translated the New Testament into ordinary German. Then hearing of the chaos in Wittenberg, Martin decided to risk his life and return there to restore order. No longer believing in rituals, the people were mocking priestly garments, disturbing church services, tearing down statues of Christ and the saints. Martin immediately ordered this to stop and outlined new forms for the church services, which were to be in German, not Latin. Traditionally only the choir sang, so Luther composed hymnbooks for the congregation to sing. Rich in doctrine and easy to sing, one student said, “Luther did as much for the Reformation by his hymns as by his translation of the Bible.” And yes, he translated the entire Bible into common German. In 1530 the emperor invited the Protestants to the Diet of Augsburg to present their beliefs. Martin, still an outlaw, was prevented from going. By this time he was married with three kids and three more to come.
His marriage to Katharina von Bora happened when he least expected it. Martin was 41 years old, waiting to be killed any day under the Edict of Worms, and was occupied with the Great Peasants’ War at the time. Yet when a young woman tells your friend that she will accept no marriage proposals except from you, you have compassion on her and marry her. Besides, the bachelor life was wearing on his health. He ate the plainest of food and failed to change his bedding for A YEAR.
Martin earned a decent salary for a scholar, but was so generous with the poor and homeless, that their household expenses exceeded his income. So Katharina convinced him to invest in a garden, and helped earn them a living with her fruit trees, livestock, and bees. Known as “Käthe von Bora, the Morning Star of Wittenberg,” she was up at 4am, running the household and farm. From her earnings, Kate purchased a larger plot of land to grow hops for her brewery. (The plot was near the pig market, provoking Luther to call her “Lady of the Pig Market.”) Her brewery was much enjoyed by their guests. Their home was like a hotel, always filled with visitors, students, scholars, refugees, friends and relatives. Katharina regularly hosted Table Talks, and while Luther led the discussion, she supervised the meals and provided room and board for everyone. She participated in the discussions, and their guests got to know them as ordinary people. Martin loved to tease her, calling her “Lord Kate.” And when he said something crude, she would not hesitate to say, “Oh come now, that is too rude.”
While translating Proverbs 31, Luther said he thought of his wife, for he had such trust in her. He frequently mentioned her in letters to friends, even if just to say, “Katie, my rib, also greets you.” Katharina made the Luther house almost entirely self-supporting – something she learned from the convent. Yes, she was an ex-nun! It was actually Martin who had persuaded her that she was not bound to her vows, since she was misinformed when she made them, having been led to believe that celibacy was holier than marriage, which, Martin insisted, was biblically untrue. That was the heart of Martin’s work: To strip the church of layers of centuries of rituals and false doctrine, and bring it back to the truth of the Bible. His original intention was not to split from the Catholic Church, but to reform it with Scripture.
“Scripture is the most important testimony to prove Christ’s divinity and humanity. Many rulers who have opposed it have perished, but the article still stands. Then a poor monk and a poor nun had to come along; we embraced it and cling to it.” - Luther
Hans Luther, Martin’s father, was born a peasant but through hard work became a fairly affluent citizen of Mansfeld. He spent a good deal of money sending Martin to the top universities in Germany. Then, at age 21, Martin abruptly dropped out of law school to become a monk. Hans Luther, shocked and dismayed, said "God grant that it was not a trick of the devil." Still, he came to his son's first Communion service and donated $2000 to the cloister.
While in the monastery, Martin became a priest and such a popular preacher that his church was overflowing. He earned his doctorate and was made supervisor of 11 Augustinian monasteries. In studying Romans, Martin began to teach his university students that salvation comes from faith in Jesus Christ.
On October 31, 1517, he posted 95 theses for debate on the Wittenberg church door, questioning the sale of indulgences. (To pay for their new cathedral, the Roman church was selling indulgences, guaranteeing the forgiveness of sins.) Martin sent a letter and a copy of the theses to the archbishop. The opening words of the paper were: “Out of love and zeal for making the truth clear, the following theses will be debated at Wittenberg, the Reverend Father Martin Luther, Master of Arts and Sacred Theology, presiding. He begs that those who cannot be present at the oral discussion will communicate their views in writing.” But no one came to debate him. On November 11, with still no reply from the archbishop, Martin sent copies of his theses to some friends. Those friends printed and reprinted the theses, and within a month, copies were seen throughout all of Europe. They were posted on churches and monasteries, translated, bound in leather, read by the clergy, the princes, and the poor.
Questioning the pope’s power over souls in purgatory was no small thing, and by 1521 Martin was finally excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church and ordered killed by the emperor. He was then “kidnapped” by friends and lived disguised as a sword-carrying knight with long beard and hair. In hiding, with no visitors or work, he translated the New Testament into ordinary German. Then hearing of the chaos in Wittenberg, Martin decided to risk his life and return there to restore order. No longer believing in rituals, the people were mocking priestly garments, disturbing church services, tearing down statues of Christ and the saints. Martin immediately ordered this to stop and outlined new forms for the church services, which were to be in German, not Latin. Traditionally only the choir sang, so Luther composed hymnbooks for the congregation to sing. Rich in doctrine and easy to sing, one student said, “Luther did as much for the Reformation by his hymns as by his translation of the Bible.” And yes, he translated the entire Bible into common German. In 1530 the emperor invited the Protestants to the Diet of Augsburg to present their beliefs. Martin, still an outlaw, was prevented from going. By this time he was married with three kids and three more to come.
His marriage to Katharina von Bora happened when he least expected it. Martin was 41 years old, waiting to be killed any day under the Edict of Worms, and was occupied with the Great Peasants’ War at the time. Yet when a young woman tells your friend that she will accept no marriage proposals except from you, you have compassion on her and marry her. Besides, the bachelor life was wearing on his health. He ate the plainest of food and failed to change his bedding for A YEAR.
Martin earned a decent salary for a scholar, but was so generous with the poor and homeless, that their household expenses exceeded his income. So Katharina convinced him to invest in a garden, and helped earn them a living with her fruit trees, livestock, and bees. Known as “Käthe von Bora, the Morning Star of Wittenberg,” she was up at 4am, running the household and farm. From her earnings, Kate purchased a larger plot of land to grow hops for her brewery. (The plot was near the pig market, provoking Luther to call her “Lady of the Pig Market.”) Her brewery was much enjoyed by their guests. Their home was like a hotel, always filled with visitors, students, scholars, refugees, friends and relatives. Katharina regularly hosted Table Talks, and while Luther led the discussion, she supervised the meals and provided room and board for everyone. She participated in the discussions, and their guests got to know them as ordinary people. Martin loved to tease her, calling her “Lord Kate.” And when he said something crude, she would not hesitate to say, “Oh come now, that is too rude.”
While translating Proverbs 31, Luther said he thought of his wife, for he had such trust in her. He frequently mentioned her in letters to friends, even if just to say, “Katie, my rib, also greets you.” Katharina made the Luther house almost entirely self-supporting – something she learned from the convent. Yes, she was an ex-nun! It was actually Martin who had persuaded her that she was not bound to her vows, since she was misinformed when she made them, having been led to believe that celibacy was holier than marriage, which, Martin insisted, was biblically untrue. That was the heart of Martin’s work: To strip the church of layers of centuries of rituals and false doctrine, and bring it back to the truth of the Bible. His original intention was not to split from the Catholic Church, but to reform it with Scripture.
“Scripture is the most important testimony to prove Christ’s divinity and humanity. Many rulers who have opposed it have perished, but the article still stands. Then a poor monk and a poor nun had to come along; we embraced it and cling to it.” - Luther
posted by Natalie at 3:24 PM
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