Who was Martin Luther?

I am a relatively new Lutheran. Sure, my dad was baptized Lutheran. And, my paternal grandmother was a German Lutheran from eastern Nebraska. But, until I married a Lutheran I am not sure I understood what it meant to be Lutheran. To tell you the truth, I am still learning what this means every day.

So, today, on this Reformation Day, I would like to learn more about the man who started the Protestant Reformation within the Roman Catholic Church. Who was Martin Luther? And, what were some of his ideas that were so radical that the Roman Catholic Church excommunicated him in 1521? This is what I hope to learn.

First, I start with Martin Luther's biographical statistics. He was the oldest son of Hans and Margarethe Ludher (later changed to Luther). Martin was born on November 10 1483 in Eislenben. Hans Ludher owned the rights to several mines and also a smelter. Hans wanted his oldest son to become a lawyer, and so he sent his son to school to receive this training.

Martin graduated from the University of Erfurt in 1505. He soon enrolled in the law school at this university, but he soon dropped this course of study. He later claimed that this was due in part to a scare he received during a storm in which lightning very nearly struck him. He claimed that he cried out to Saint Anna, vowing he would become a monk in return for his safety. This greatly upset Hans Ludher who believed this was a waste of Martin's education.

By 1507, Martin Luther had become an ordained Catholic priest. And, a year later he began to teach theology at the University of Wittenberg. In 1512 he obtained a doctorate in theology. And, thus, by these events it might be assumed that Martin Luther may have been satisfied with his life if not for an event in 1517 that led to the Great Reformation.

In 1516, Dominican Friar Johann Tetzel came to Germany, selling indulgences to raise money for the Roman Catholic Church. For those unfamiliar with indulgences, like myself, an indulgence is a full or partial forgiveness of a sin. It upset Martin Luther that forgiveness could be bought from the Church. He believed that forgiveness was God's alone to grant. Also, it troubled him that this money was being used to rebuild St. Peter's Basilica rather than for true charity work with the poor. On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther either delivered his grievances to his bishop, Albert of Mains, or nailed them to the castle door at Wittenberg. These grievances became know as Martin Luther's Ninety Five Theses.

Some say Luther had no intention of radically changing the Church. They feel that Luther posted his letter as a scholarly dispute to some church practices. But, nevertheless, the Church was threatened by Luther's objections to Church doctrine. The Ninety Five Theses might have died in the fall of 1517 if not for Luther's friends who translated this work from Latin to the German language. The distribution of this work spread like wildfire, first through Germany and then across Europe. This can in part be attributed to the use of a printing press, enabling written works to be accessible by even commoners in European society. And, those who read Luther's work flocked to Wittenberg to hear him lecture.

In 1520, Pope Leo X issued an order that Martin Luther withdraw some of his thoughts reflected in some of his writings. When Luther refused, he was excommunicated by early 1521. He was later given a chance to renounce his writings at the Diet of Worms, a assembly or court of sorts, but Luther again refused to renounce his writings. Upon his refusal, Emperor Charles V declared Martin Luther to be an outlaw. Luther's writings were banned, and a demand for his arrest was issued.

In 1522, Martin Luther translated the Old Testament into German. By 1534, he, with help from others, published a Bible that was entirely in German. He was often criticized for infusing his doctrine into this translation of the Bible. In spite of this, his translation of the Bible is credited with standardizing spoken German across the region. For the first time there was one language that was both spoken and read in the area, not one dialect for nobility and one for commoners.

Martin Luther also paved the way for clergy to marry. In 1525, he married Katharina von Bora. They went on to have six children. She was a nun who Luther had helped to escape form the Nimbschen Cistercian convent.

In 1526, Luther began to work on efforts to organize a new church. By 1529, he had written to Cathechisms to help summarize principles to be adopted by this new church. The Large Cathechism was intended for clergy, while the Small Cathechism was for the parishioners. These works were set up in a question and answer format. These works remain central to Lutheran beliefs today.

Martin Luther's influence in the church was not limited to doctrine. He also wrote many hymns, the most famous of which is A Mighty Fortress is Our God, pulling inspiration from Psalm 46. Luther often incorporated folk music into his works, as well.

Luther's contribution to the Great Reformation and rise of the Lutheran Church remain eveident today. Martin Luther died in February 18, 1546 at Eislenben - his birthplace. He had returned to negotiate a settlement in mining disputes that involved the local government and his siblings. Luther was buried under the pulpit at the Castle Church in Wittenberg, a fitting tribute to a man who had given over his life to God.

To those of you who are reading this, yes, I know that there is much, much more to Luther's life. But, I fear that I did not set out this morning to write a novel. I hope that next year, on Reformation Day, I will have time to learn more about this great man. And, thank you to Susan Gee Heino for allowing me to use this photo of Pastor Jack Heino reenacting the nailing of the Ninety Five Theses to the door.