Martin Luther: A Biography of the Reformer Who Sparked the Reformation

By the end of the 15th century, many people in Europe were questioning the authority of the Catholic Church. This included theologians and philosophers as well as Godly Christians and people from all walks of life. It was a dangerous endeavor, as those who spoke out against the Church risked being labeled as heretics and could be excommunicated for their words and behavior.

Individuals and small movements that questioned the Church’s authority, however, were generally brushed aside, ignored, and, only when deemed a threat, labeled as heretics. The total grasp of the Catholic Church in Western Europe seemed unassailable. That was until a charismatic young man named Martin Luther challenged the status quo.

Armed with his charm, his wits, and the power of the newly invented printing press, Martin Luther began a revolution that took hold and changed the demographics of Europe forever.

Martin Luther might have been destined for greatness, but there was little in his family’s history that would indicate it. His father, Hans Luder, was from a middle-class background and was prominent in his local community of Eisleben, County of Mansfeld, in the Holy Roman Empire. His mother, Margarethe, was claimed to have been of “trading-stock.”

Martin Luther was born on November 10, 1483, and was baptized the following morning.

It is unknown exactly how many brothers and sisters he had, but he had at least one brother, Jacob, whom Martin was close to. Martin was the eldest son.

Hans and Margarethe had hoped Martin would become a lawyer, but Martin’s strong connection to the divine led him onto a different path. He dropped out of law school almost immediately after enrolling and took to studying philosophy. His interest in philosophy, however, was short-lived as he grew suspicious of the limitations of reason. He strongly believed that logic and reason could not lead one to God, which he viewed as of prime importance. To him, the only way to discover God was through revelation, and for that, the scripture became the most important thing to study.

On July 2, 1505, he was traveling via horseback when he was struck by a bolt of lightning. In shock, he cried out to Saint Anne for help and declared he would become a monk. For him, this became a promise he could not break, so he left his university and joined an Augustinian monastery. The decision angered his father, and Martin himself seemed quite sad about the affair. For him, his decision was more of a duty than something he intended to enjoy.

As a monk, he was devout. He fasted and prayed and spent much time in the confession booth. He wrote that the idea of Christ as a savior and comforter was marred by his depression and that instead, Christ became, for him, the “jailer and hangman” of his “poor soul.”

Ordained as a priest in 1507, his struggle with how the scripture was understood and disseminated led him down a path of conflict with the Catholic Church – a path he hadn’t intended, but one toward which his questioning ultimately guided him.

When he was 27, Luther was sent as part of a delegation to Rome, and he was disillusioned with what he saw. In his view, the priests in Rome were overcome with immorality and corruption.

To combat his harsh depression, Luther threw himself into his work. He lectured theology at the University of Wittenberg and received two bachelor’s degrees. On October 19, 1512, Luther received his doctorate in theology, and two days later, he became the chair of theology at the University of Wittenberg.

In 1515, he became the provincial vicar of Saxony and Thuringia, which required much work and travel to oversee the monasteries under his jurisdiction.

During this time, he also lectured. Luther’s research led him to have beliefs that differed from the conventional teachings of the Church. Central to this was the concept of faith. He argued that it was through faith alone that salvation was achieved. To this, Luther viewed the dogma and hubris of the Catholic Church as being contrary to the scripture.

Pope Leo X is known in history as being particularly fond of handing out indulgences in order to rebuild St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. These were contracts where penance could be bought rather than worked for or gained through faith. Luther harshly criticized this practice and claimed that forgiveness was God’s alone to give and could not be distributed by the Church.

He started writing a list of points he felt needed to be discussed. These points were things that Luther felt were an abuse of the scripture by the Catholic Church. On October 31, Luther wrote to the Archbishop of Mainz, Albrecht von Brandenburg, on the matter and included a copy of his points, which became known as the 95 Theses. Von Brandenburg was a notorious seller of indulgences and would become one of Luther’s staunchest opponents.

The 95 Theses, or Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences, were initially not meant to spark any serious conflict but to invite a discussion on the matter so that specific issues could be challenged and resolved.

It didn’t help that some of the theses were seen as direct challenges to the authority of the Church, nor did it help that Luther nailed a copy of the 95 Theses to the door of the University of Wittenberg. Although his message was written in Latin, the introduction of the printing press and some educated people resulted in the work being translated and disseminated to a wide audience. Within two months, the 95 Theses had spread throughout virtually all of Europe under Catholic rule.

Thus, this act is considered the beginning of the Reformation, a time of turbulence that would shake the religious society of Europe to its very core.

The differences between what Luther saw as the unassailable truth and what the Catholic Church practiced were many.

For one, in Catholicism, authority was derived from the pope, while Luther believed all authority should derive from the Bible. As such, Luther believed that priesthood should not be awarded by the Church but that anybody who followed the scripture had the authority to administer sacraments and hold mass.

He also argued against church services only being conducted in Latin. The words of the gospel needed to be translated into all the languages of the people to whom they were read.

Another important point was the issue of celibacy. Luther argued that there was nothing in the Bible that insisted on the priesthood being celibate. In fact, he argued for the opposite, stating that the Scripture encouraged people to “be fruitful and multiply.” As for marriage, the Catholic Church refused to recognize marriages between Christians and non-Christians, which was something Luther rejected.

Perhaps the most recognizable difference between Catholicism and Protestantism born out of Luther’s beliefs was the fact that Protestants did not believe in confession to priests. Only God had the power to forgive sins. Confessions and prayers should be sent directly to God and not through any other religious intermediary. The authority of the priesthood was done away with, as was the veneration of saints, which Luther believed to be bordering on idolatry.

The Church Responds

Pope Leo X was in a difficult position. Much of the Holy Roman Empire was sympathetic to Luther, but at the same time, payment of indulgences from the Holy Roman Empire was on the rise. Leo wanted to suppress Luther, but he was wary of alienating the states where he was popular.

The initial response was soft-handed. Leo communicated with Luther and stated that if he recanted, he would be forgiven, but this only drove Luther to steal his resolve. He continued to attack the Church’s indulgences, and a war of words ensued as letters were furiously written by supporters on both sides of the religious divide that was ever-widening.

The pope wanted to call Luther to Rome to answer for his actions, but the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, Charles V, allowed Luther to recant in front of German nobles and religious authorities. This meeting was held in 1521 and was known as the Diet of Worms, as it was held in the city of Worms in Germany. Luther refused to recant. The pope had also sent a papal bull stating that if Luther did not recant within 60 days, he would be excommunicated; Luther publicly burnt the document.

After refusing to recant from the diet, Luther effectively became an outlaw in the eyes of the Church as well as the Holy Roman Empire. He was allowed to leave the diet before this ruling came into effect. Charles V declared him a heretic and ordered him to be executed.

Wartburg Castle in Eisenach proved to be Luther’s sanctuary as its owner, Frederick III of Saxony, supported Luther. The ruler abducted Luther and set him up in his residence at Wartburg Castle, where Luther stayed for the next ten months. While there, he translated a version of the Bible from Greek into German. This event is regarded as one of the most important events in the history of the German language.

The absence of Luther, however, did not curtail what was happening in the country around him. The Reformation had begun and was spiraling out of control. In the town of Wittenberg, ordinary people with more radical views than Luther began preaching as priests. They defied sumptuary standards, growing their hair long and refusing to wear priestly vestments. They conducted their sermons in German.

Monks and nuns left their monasteries and abandoned their vows of celibacy, and some instances of violence took place as symbols of church authority were smashed, and religious leaders were attacked in a backlash against the Church. The town of Wittenberg became a haven for zealots roaming the streets preaching Christ’s imminent return.

In March 1522, Martin Luther returned to Wittenberg. In his absence, the town had descended into chaos, and the town elders believed Martin Luther was the only one who could calm the insurrection. He had known of the events as he had been in constant contact with people, writing many letters during his time at Wartburg Castle. He gave a series of speeches denouncing the violence that had taken place and reminded listeners of the foundational Christian values of love, faith, compassion, freedom, charity, and patience.

Luther’s effect was immediate, and the unrest calmed down. Thus, Luther gained religious authority over Wittenberg and set about restoring order and restructuring the religious establishment within the town.

Elsewhere in the country, rebellion had been fomented by Luther’s pamphlets. Peasants had misinterpreted Luther’s intentions and believed he would support them in their attack on the nobility and the establishment. Luther, however, was angered by their use of violence and the burning down of churches and church property. By the end of 1525, these peasant uprisings were eventually quelled.

In the same year, Luther married Katharina von Bora, a former nun whom Luther had helped escape her convent by smuggling her out in a herring barrel.

Martin Luther was still considered an outlaw in many parts of Germany, and this fact precluded him from taking up the reins of leadership in the Reformation. Although he was active in translating texts and spent much of his time writing letters and supporting the movement, much of the leadership work was passed to others. As such, Luther remained a spiritual head rather than leading the Reformation from the fore.

He continued to lecture throughout his later years and presided over the settling of disputes from people who came to him for aid. In this, Luther acted as a public advisor and a trusted figure of immense wisdom and authority.

From 1538, his mental state began to decline, and he was gripped by depression. A lifelong friend of his, Nikolaus Hausmann, died that year, and four years later, Luther’s beloved daughter, Magdalena, died in her father’s arms after suffering from an unknown illness.

Plunged into despair, Luther wrote that he was ready for his life to end. His failing health would grant his wish in 1546. After traveling to his town of birth, Eisleben, to settle a dispute, which he did successfully, he passed away at the age of 62.

By the time of Martin Luther’s death, the Protestant Reformation was in full swing. The charge was led by many others who believed in the truth of Luther’s revelations.

For the Christian world, Martin Luther was a spark that ignited a flame of freedom for those who felt the oppressive nature of the Catholic Church. The transition of much of Europe to Luther’s doctrines would not be peaceful, and the continent would be plunged into war as Catholics sought to expel heresy and Protestants fought for their freedom to worship God in ways that challenged the authority of the pope.