Luther was born to a peasant miner in what is now eastern Germany on November 10, 1483 in a world dominated by the Catholic church. His father had visions of Martin becoming a lawyer but a terrifying experience led him to make a vow to God to become a monk so to the disappointment of his parents he entered the Augustinian Monastery at Erfurt on July 17, 1505 to do just that. As a monk in this order he journeyed to Rome where he was very disappointed to learn of the corruption that existed in the Vatican as well as the many activities within the church that he felt were contrary to his interpretation of the scriptures.
It was only when Luther gathered the courage to openly take issue with many of the church’s practises that changes began to take place. He took issue with the authority of the Pope in Rome to sell indulgences allowing those who had money to supposedly buy forgiveness for their sins. He even took issue with the view that the Pope was God’s representative and only through him could one connect with God. This conflict with the church and his own monastery in Erfurt lead him to transfer to the monastery in Wittenberg. Here he received a doctor of theology degree and became a professor of biblical theology at the University of Wittenberg.
Luther felt that through the scriptures and Jesus Christ everyone had access to God and through this connection could freely receive salvation and the gift of God's grace. This was quite different from the Catholic church which wanted to maintain the control through the church and the pope. Luther’s disappointment with the Catholic church and his beliefs lead him to publish the Ninety-Five Theses which he posted on a chapel door on October 31, 1517. This was the beginning of the Protestant Reformation and the reduction of the power of the Catholic church. Open rebellion like this was strongly opposed by the cardinals in Rome who saw this as a direct challenge to papal authority. Luther refused to recant his position causing further conflict with the Catholic church such that in January 1521 he was excommunicated by the pope and branded an outlaw by the Holy Roman Emperor.
In 1524, Luther left the monastery and the following year he married Katharina von Bora. His marriage served as a model for the practice of clerical marriage which resulted Protestant priests being able to marry. From 1533 to his death in Eisleben on 18 February 1546 he worked as the Dean of the theology faculty at the University of Wittenberg. During these years he translated the Bible into the local language which brought these writings closer to the ‘common’ people. This, in turn, lead to much standardization of the German language. His work also added to the general process of translating including the translation into English of the King James Bible. The hymns that were developed during this time were instrumental in setting the direction of the development of singing in churches with this direction continuing even to today.
In less than 30 years Martin Luther changed the face of religion and faith in the world. He always worked with a view to bringing humans closer to God. Although arguments can be made with some of his teachings it should be noted that he contributed a great deal to the human race and for his efforts he should be recognized and admired. There have been very few people throughout history who have made such an impact on the world.
Sources
Public Broadcasting System, PBS.org. 2012. http://www.pbs.org/empires/martinluther/. Thurs. 19 April 2012.
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, IEP. 2005. http://www.iep.utm.edu/luther/. Thurs, 19 April 2012.
Wikipedia, 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther. Thurs, 19 April 2012.
