Martin Luther was a man who impacted the world’s society and history. He marked the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, which changed the course of Christianity forever. He was a powerful man of God, who reformed the corrupt Catholic Church, rediscovered the Living Word of God, and restored many authentic Christian doctrines. Luther was a man who changed the world. Martin Luther was born in Eisleben, Germany on November 10, 1483 to a middle-class family. During his childhood, two of his brothers died by a plague. Soon after his birth, his family moved to Mansfield because of his father’s work as a miner. His father, wanting more security for his promising young son, decided to do whatever was necessary to see that Luther could be a lawyer (Whitford). His father, Hans, was described as a rugged, stern, irascible man. Luther had a difficult childhood as he was mercilessly beaten and abused by his father (Ganss). Around the age of seven, Luther started school in Mansfeld. He transferred to a Latin School in Eisenach when he was 15, and studied there until 1501. Luther, then, enrolled in the University of Erfurt (Whitford). He received the Bachelor’s degree in one year, and the Master’s degree in 4 years, which was the shortest time possible to receive the degrees (Ganss). Luther, from early on in his life, exhibited great intelligence, which he would continue to do so throughout his life. Luther, one of the most influential people in history, was influenced by several people and factors in his life. He was influenced by his parents, his professors, and most importantly, by the Living Word of God. These influencing factors shaped out Luther’s life, a life that would impact and change the world. As mentioned above, Luther’s father... ... middle of paper ... ...eart, he was able to reform Christianity. When Luther enabled God to take course in his life, he changed the world. Works Cited Piper, John. "Martin Luther Lessons from his Life and Labor." desiringGod. Desiring God Foundation, n.d. Web. 11 Mar 2014. . Whitford, David. "Martin Luther (1483—1546)." Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. N.p., 2002. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. . Ganss, Henry. "Martin Luther." New Advent. N.p., 1910. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. . Erickson, Lori. "Katharina Von Bora, Luther's Wife." Spiritual Travels. N.p., 2010. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. martin-luther-history/katharina-von-bora/>.
Martin Luther is known to be a key initiator to the Protestant Reformation, although he had no intention of doing so. He was going to become a monk, so he read deeply into scriptures, but this only led him to discover inconsistencies between traditions and the Bible. These inconsistencies lead him to demand changes in the Catholic Church; however that did not include
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.
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
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 ...
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...
Luther was a self educated minister. He did not have a formal classroom education or instruction. Most of his materials he used to preach from he had to rely on personal experiences. As a traveling preacher for the Genesee Annual Conference he was able to learn from and gain knowledge from other ministers who attended the conferences. Traveling from place to place for the Conference aided him in his quest for knowledge. Even though he his formal education was limited he did not allow that to stop him. He became a college professor and then onto president. During a debate he was able to defeat a Harvard educated theologian. The father of Methodism, Bishop Fran...
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...
He made a massive impact on the Catholic Church because he changed so many things during his time so that everyone would be treated fairly and evenly. One of Luther's main roles was that he was the leader of the Lutheran's. The Lutherans were the type of people who supported Luther and his ideas and followed him with what his teachings were about. A lot of these people were protestants because once Luther spoke up to the Catholic Church they all saw that they were being taken advantage of. Luther's beliefs were based on 'Faith + Good works = Heaven'. This was one of the many things that protestants believed would be the reason why they would be sent to Heaven. Luther felt that the Catholic Church weren't interpreting the bible correctly which is why Martin made the 95 Theses. The 95 Theses contained offence on papal abuses and the sale of indulgences by the church in 1517. When Luther refused to take back his offence, Pope Leo X outlined a statement about the Church's doctrine on indulgences and wanted Luther's ideas to be condemned of. By the time that Luther brought more and more attention to himself he had the support of many German society's. Pope Leo X gave Luther 60 days to recant or he would face excommunication. As many of Luther's books were being burned Luther published an open letter to Pope Leo X announcing that he will still be continuing about his opinion on false doctrine and corruption in the
King Jr., Martin Luther, ed. Readings in Christian Ethics: A Historical Sourcebook. Edited by J. Philip Wogaman and Douglas M. Strong. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1996.
Martin Luther was born in Germany in 1483. His parents where peasants and his father worked as an miner. Martins father wanted a better life for his son, he wanted him to become a lawyer. He wanted him to be influential. Martin was one of the most influential figures in Christian history. He began the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. He affected his society in many ways and changes the history of religion forever.
Martin Luther grew up in a time when there was basically one religion to look upon. Luther was born on November 10, 1483, in Eisleben, Germany. He was raised Catholic by his family that was held together by his father, Hans. Hans was a miner, and he worked his way up to the middle class by leasing mines and furnaces. With the money that he earned, he bought his family a house, and he became a well-respected citizen of their new hometown, Mansfeld. At seven years old, Martin began his schooling to fill his father’s dream of becoming a lawyer. At school, he learned the basics and was taught Latin. The students were not only to learn how to speak Latin, but they also had to speak the language at all times. At age thirteen, a new school boarded young Luther. He was sent thirty miles north to the city of Magdenburg. His time spent there was short. The year that he attended the school, he learned of his ambition to serve God. Luther spoke fondly of the Brothers at the school. They showed Luther what it was like to witness God’s power. Martin finished off his boarding school years at St. George’s School, located in Eisenach. Luther had many great memories of St. George’s, including one of his teachers, Johann Trebonius. Luther enjoyed Trebonius’ teachings because of the equality that was displayed between the students and the teacher. St. George’s also gave Luther the ability to see what a life of the religious order was like. In 1501, Martin left Eise...
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”.
Several days later they saw Luther again and invited him to live with them while he pursued his studies. They asked nothing of his except that he maintain his faithfulness to his school work, his hard work ethic and his devotion to the church(D'Aubigne, 73).
Hans Luther wanted to give his children better education than he has himself growing up. They started to teach Martin as soon as they could. Even if he was at home he was always learning. But in school because the schoolteachers were ignorant, he received fifteen whippings one morning at school. Martin referred the name of "school" to "hell and purgatory". When the schoolmasters at Mansfeld were through pounding Latin into Luther with a stick, he was getting ready to go to Magdeburg for school. Because Luther was so poor to have money for his own expenses, Luther had to sing in the streets. It was common for Luther to see other students as poor as him standing in front of wealthy citizen houses. Sometimes they were invited to come in for some food. He stayed in Magdeburg for about one year before moving to Eisenach and going to a school known as The School Of St. George. Ursula Cotta heard Luther singing in the street for money. So she and her Husband, Conrad, invited Luther to come into their beautiful home and share its comforts with them. Then in about May of 1501, Luther enrolled as a student at Erfurt. Then in 1502, he took the degree of Bachelor of Arts and three years later that of Master of Arts.
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