Biography of Martin Luther

1134 Words3 Pages

Biography of Martin Luther

Martin Luther , who was born in 1483,remains in history known as on of the few unique forces that changed the world fundamentally by force of will and by his ideas. The people who support him call him the “Protestant hero, a freedom fighter, and a wise insightful church leader.” But there are many people who do not like and the names they call him are a “heretic, an apostate, and a profane ecclesiastical terrorist.” Often Luther called himself a simple monk or a simple Christian. He was glad that a straight-forward stand of sense of right and wrong had turned him into one of the most talked about people of his time. Little did he know that, that simple Christian and that simple stand for what is right and what is wrong changed the course of World History. I will explain Martin Luther in four main parts of his life. First, his early years; second, Luther’s struggle to find peace and his discovery of grace; third, his problems with the sell of indulgences; and finally, Luther’s death and legacy.

First of all, Martin Luther’s early years of his life. Martin Luther was born to Hans and Margaretta Luther on November 10, 1483 in Eisleben, Germany. He was baptized on the feast day of St. Martin of Tours , of which he was named of. His father owned and worked a copper mine in the nearby town of Mansfeld. Having come from peasantry, his father was determined to see his son rise up to civil service and bring more honor to the family. To achieve this goal Hans sent Martin Luther to schools in Mansfeld, Magdeburg, and Eisenach. When he was seventeen, in 1501, he entered the University of Erfurt. There he received a Bachelors degree in 1502 and a masters degree in 1505. Trying to fulfill his fathers wishes he enrolled in the law school of that university. Little did he know that all that was about to change. While riding a horse during a thunderstorm in the summer of 1505 a lightning bolt struck near him while returning to school. Being in a terrified state he cried out, “Help, St. Anne I’ll become a monk ” Luther was spared his life and so he kept his promise and entered the monastery at his law school.

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of Luther The Reformer

    1099 Words  | 3 Pages

    James Kittelson’s biography on the life of Luther is thought provoking and informative. Kittelson does not have a concise thesis, but as it is a biography the central theme of Luther the Reformer is an insightful narrative of Martin Luther’s life from his birth in Eisleben until his death on February 18, 1546 in Eisleben. Kittelson thoroughly and with great detail and sources explains Luther’s mission to reform the catholic church. Luther the Reformer seeks to condense Luther’s life in a manner which is more easily read for those who do not know the reformer’s story well. Luther is portrayed not only as a theologian throughout the book, but as a person with struggles and connections throughout the Germanic region in which he lived. Luther’s theology is portrayed throughout the entirety of the book, and Kittelson approaches Luther’s theology by explaining Luther’s past. The inclusion of

    Read More

  • Difference Between Martin Luther And Ethnocentrism

    769 Words  | 2 Pages

    First we will talk about Martin Luther. Martin Luther was born on November 10th, 1438 and died February 18th, 1546, but his actions throughout his life leave a mark in the history world. Luther was a Catholic priest and professor of Theology from Germany. He attended the University of Wittenburg, and there, not only did he earn a doctorate, but he also gained "religious enlightenment". He is, to this day, a very influential person of the past and he changed history forever, but why? The answer is the Protestant Reformation.

    Read More

  • The Lutheran Hymnal

    717 Words  | 2 Pages

    Martin Luther, was “temperamental, peevish, egomaniacal, and argumentative” (Hooker, www.wsu.edu), but played a pivotal role in history. During Luther's time as a monk, the Catholic Church was selling indulgences. Luther took notice to the corruption and began to reason that men can only get their salvation through Jesus Christ, not the Pope or indulgences, let alone the Church itself. Luther began ...

    Read More

  • Martin Luther and The German Peasant Revolt of 1525

    1952 Words  | 4 Pages

    First, before exploring Luther’s rejection of the peasant revolt, one must examine his explanation of Christian freedom. Written in 1520, The Freedom of a Christian proclaimed the new freedom to be found in salvation by faith alone. His doctrine liberated people from works but also from the laws of the Old Testament. Salvation was found in the promise of Go...

    Read More

  • Writings of Martin Luther versus Michel de Montaigne

    1383 Words  | 3 Pages

    Martin Luther was born on November 10, 1483. He was a German monk, priest, professor, theologian and church reformer. His teaching helped to inspire the Reformation, and influenced the doctrines of the Lutheran and Protestant traditions, as well as the course of western civilization. Luther's works and writing helped bring the Middle Ages to a close, and brought about the Modern Era of western civilization. His translation of the Bible furthered the development of a standardized German language. Due to the development of the printing press, his teachings were widely read and influenced many reformers and thinkers. (Peterson 1)

    Read More

  • Biography of Martin Luther King, Jr

    557 Words  | 2 Pages

    minister at the age of 18. King used this to express himself freely and he was able to

    Read More

  • Response To A Treatise On Good Works

    1160 Words  | 3 Pages

    In this essay Martin Luther comments upon the role of good works in a Christian's life and the overall goal of a Christian in his or her walk. He writes seventeen different sections answering the critics of his teachings. I will summarize and address each one of these sections in the following essay.

    Read More

  • Martin Luther Thesis Statement

    644 Words  | 2 Pages

    During Luther’s early life he faced a severe inner crisis. When he sinned he looked for comfort in confession and followed the penance, the fasting, prayer and observances that the church directed him. But, he found no peace of mind and worried about his salvation. But reading St. Paul’s letters he came to believe that salvation came though faith in Christ. Faith is a free gift, he discovered, it cannot be earned. His studies led him to a conclusion that, “Christ was the only mediator between God and a man and that forgiveness of sin and salvation are given by god’s grace alone” (Martin Luther, 01). Historians agree that, “this approach to theology led to a clash between Luther and the Church officials, precipitating the dramatic events of Reformation”.

    Read More

  • Martin Luther: A Life, by Martin Marty

    2702 Words  | 6 Pages

    Martin Luther was a man of great thought and constantly went against the feelings and views of other people of his time. Martin Luther was born on November 10th in 1483, in the Saxon town of Eisleben located in Germany. Martin was born of mother Margrethe, who many of his enemies thought of as being a whore and a bath attendant, yet Martin recalled her later on in life as someone who was hardworking and very able and willing to punish him if he had done wrong. Martin Luther grew up in the middle-class range and wasn't born into great wealth like many other great scholars of his time were like such as Girolamo Savonarola, who's family was rich before his birth around Luther’s time. Martin Luther’s father's name was Han's Luder, which later on became Luther, who was a miner and a smelter in which neither made him wealthy in the least. Han's and Luther had a relationship that bounced around, but I will get to that topic in a not so distant paragraph. Martin was brought up in a Christian family and soon after his birth he was baptized, which was a momentous process that can occur. At a young age Martin began school and this started his steps towards becoming a great debater, writer, and preacher. According to Martin Marty, Luther's start as a great speaker and writer began after he learned Rhetoric and this held with him for decades to come. At the beginning Martin's father Hans saw great potential in Luther, as well as wanting him to make a lot of money, and told him that he should take the path in becoming a lawyer. Martin would have been well enough as a lawyer if he had taken the opportunity, but I feel history would be devastatingly different without him as a religious scholar. In Luther's twenty's he began to think deeply about ...

    Read More

  • Comparing Martin Luther and Jean Calvin

    1850 Words  | 4 Pages

    Martin Luther, also known as the “Reformator,” was a superior asset in the Protestant Reformation. He was born on November 10, 1483 in the town of Eisleben, which was located in East Germany. Luther’s parents were Hans Luder and Margaretha nee Lindemann. His father was a farmer and later became a copper miner in Mansfeld. Martin Luther’s parents brought him up in the strict environment of the Roman Catholic Church. With his new job in Mansfeld, Hans made the decision to move his family there in 1484. Hans expected Martin to become a lawyer, so Luther went to Erfurt in 1501 to study law. Luther received his master’s degree in 1505. Shortly after this, he felt like law was not the right place for him. This act upset his father, not only because he dropped out of the university, but he decided that he wanted to become an Augustinian monk in Erfurt. Luther believed that if he was serious about his religion, he could please and do good works for God. However, once again, he was still unhappy. Luther decided to make another life-changing decision by studying theology. He went to Wittenberg to study this subject. Martin...

    Read More

  • Martin Luther Biography

    770 Words  | 2 Pages

    I, Martin Luther believe that I am eligible for Time Magazine’s Person of the Ages for having an extraordinary influence worldwide. I was born on November 10, 1483 in the time of the Renaissance and baptized on November 11, 1483. (Wilson, Derek. Out of the Storm: The Life and Legacy of Martin Luther. New York: St. Martins, 2008. Print.) My family was beset by poverty and we often struggled. (Luther, Martin. New Catholic Encyclopedia. 2nd ed. Vol.8. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web.) My Father was very strict and owned a copper mine to try to get our suffering family out of poverty. (Luther, Martin. New Catholic Encyclopedia. 2nd ed. Vol.8. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web.) My family was forced to move from Eisleben, Germany to Mansfeld, Germany so that my Father’s copper mining business could succeed. Despite the hardships we encountered early on in my life, my parents were very strong fellows and we eventually became the most respected family in Mansfeld, Germany. (Marius, Richard. Martin Luther The Christian Between God and Death. Cambridge MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University, 1999. Print.) In 1488 I studied Latin grammar and was taught Christianity at a very young age of 4. In 1496 I went to Magdeburg University, then eventually transferred to Eisenach University to be closer to my relatives. I received my baccalaureate degree in 1502 and then studied law in 1505 at Erfurt University because my Father wanted the best education for me. (Marius, Richard. Martin Luther The Christian Between God and Death. Cambridge MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University, 1999. Print.) In 1505 when I went to go visit Mansfeld there was a massive thunderstorm that I got stuck in which c...

    Read More

  • The Reformation

    1917 Words  | 4 Pages

    Martin Luther, a figure well known for his impact on the reformation, was born in 1483 in Eisleben; as a young man, Luther was caught in a deadly thunderstorm, which is when he made his first vow to St. Anne. He vowed to enter a monastery if his life was saved. In 1505, Luther entered the order of the Augustinians and their monastery at Erfurt. Luther decided to act upon the reformation due to his theological issue with the church; the church was not selling indulgences. During his time with the reformation, Luther created Lutheranism; a practice based on his own beliefs. Luther’s reformation was a great success and many reformers were to follow his footsteps. Many years later, a reformer known as John Calvin, born in 1509 in France, intended to be a priest until he heard of Luther’s ideas while in France. Calvin agreed with some of Luther’s ideas and disagreed with others, which is why he...

    Read More

  • Martin Luther The Great Reformer Biography

    1376 Words  | 3 Pages

    On November 10, 1483, Martin Luther was born. His parents were Hans and Margaret Luther. Martin came from a poor family. The Luther's were Germans. They lived in the Thuringian Mountains near Eisleben. Martin Luther was still a small baby when his parents moved from Eisleben to Mansfeld, where his father found work in the mines. Martin, his brother, and his three sisters didn't have the easiest childhood to grow up with. Their parents taught them religion. Luther's parents were devout Catholics and their strenuous and even unmerciful discipline of their children, they believed, was the very best for the children's welfare. So when Martin or his siblings did anything wrong, they were beat as a punishment.

    Read More

  • Martin Luther Influence

    1114 Words  | 3 Pages

    Luther started his education at a Latin school in Mansfield. There he received training in the Latin language and learned about the Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer and morning and evening prayers. In 1497 Luther was sent to a school in Magdeburg run by the Brethren of the Common Life, a lay monastic group whose focus on personal piety had a lasting influence on him. In 1501 he enrolled at the University of Erfurt, the best University of the time in Germany. Luther took course in the liberal arts and received the baccalaureate degree in 1502. He obtained his master’s degree three years later. Since Luther graduated from the arts faculty he could chose to pursue graduate work in one of the three disciplines law, medicine, or theology. Due...

    Read More

  • Reflection Paper On The Movie Luther

    1052 Words  | 3 Pages

    Martin Luther was well depicted in Luther, in the movie Luther’s character cared about what God wanted him to do. He wanted to follow the plan God had for him, and spent all of his time in confession. In the movie, they show Luther confessing in a cellar more than once a day as he was asking for forgiveness from God. After a while at the monastery, Martin was sent to teach theology at the University of Wittenberg. During Luther’s

    Read More

More about Biography of Martin Luther

Open Document