Luther, Martin

Luther, Martin (1483-1546), German religious leader.

Martin Luther planned to be a lawyer and in 1505 he had just finished studying at the University of Erfurt.

One day, he was out in the countryside and a thunderstorm broke out. Lightning struck close by him and he cried out in terror, 'Help me, St. Anne, and I will become a monk!'

Afterwards he entered a monastery and became a priest, but he still continued his studies and lectured at the University of Wittenberg.

Luther did not agree with some of the things being done in the Catholic Church and, on 31 October, 1517, he nailed a sheet of paper to the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg. It contained ninety-five points and he wanted to discuss these with a representative of the Pope named John Tetzel.

Tetzel refused. Instead, Luther was called before a cardinal and given a warning, 'If you don't withdraw the ninety-five points, you will be charged with being a heretic' In those days, the punishment for being a heretic was to be burned at the stake.

By this time Luther had a large number of followers. One of them was the Elector of Saxony and in Saxony Luther started what he called a Reformed Church. This was the beginning of the Reformation.

Because they protested, Luther's followers were called Protestants. Many of the minor rulers inside the Holy Roman Empire became Protestants and, like the Elector of Saxony, protected Luther. But according to the Emperor Charles V he was an outlaw.

Luther spent the rest of his life teaching religion, preaching and writing. He wrote more than 400 works including a version of the Bible in German.

Today the Lutheran Church is the world's largest group of Protestants. There are millions of members, spanning every populated continent of the planet. It is the official church of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

See Roland H. Bainton Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther