Martin Luther: biography and personal life

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:40

Who is Martin Luther? What is known about this person? He translated the Bible into German, founded Lutheranism. Perhaps this is all that one who does not have a deep knowledge of history can say. This article does not provide dry information from the biography of Martin Luther, but interesting facts from the life of the theologian who changed the minds of the Germans more than five hundred years ago.

Origin

Martin Luther was born in 1483. His father - the son and grandson of a peasant - worked hard to feed his family. Hans Luther, being a boy, moved from the village to the city. Started his seniority working in copper mines.

After the birth of his son, 23-year-old Hans decided to change the situation - together with his wife and child, he left for Mansfeld. There were many mines in this Saxon city, but the father of the future reformer began life with a blank sheet. There is no exact information about what Luther Sr. did in Mansfeld. But it is known that he made a solid fortune for a native of peasants - more than a thousand guilders. Thishe provided a comfortable existence for his children. And most importantly, he was able to give a good education to his eldest son in the future.

Failed lawyer

Martin Luther graduated from the Franciscan school, after which he entered the University of Erfurt. By that time, his father already belonged to the third estate - the estate of we althy burghers. Representatives of this social stratum at the beginning of the 16th century sought to give their sons a good education and, preferably, a legal one. Hans Luther did not differ from other burghers. The son was bound to become a lawyer, he thought.

At that time, before starting the study of law, one had to take a course of "seven liberal arts". Martin Luther did this without difficulty. In 1505, after receiving the degree of Master of Arts, he began to study law. But he never became a lawyer. A story happened that radically changed his plans.

Monk

It was only a few months after entering the university, and Martin unexpectedly disappointed his father. Against his will, he entered a monastery located in the same city as the university. What was the reason for such an unexpected decision? There are two versions.

According to the first, the young Martin Luther suffered from a sense of his sinfulness, which ultimately forced him to join the Augustinian order. According to the second version, one day an incident happened to him that cannot be called incredible - a man who changed the history of the Christian church fell under an ordinary thunderstorm and, as it seemed to him then, miraculously survived. Anyway, in 1506 Martin Luther acceptedvow, and a year later became a priest.

Doctor of Theology

The Augustinians did not spend their days and nights exclusively in prayer. These were very educated people at that time. Martin Luther, in order to comply with the order in which he was accepted, continued his education at the University of Wittenberg. Here he got acquainted with the works of Blessed Augustine - a Christian philosopher, theologian, one of the most influential Christian preachers.

Before getting his doctorate in theology, Luther was a teacher. In 1511 he left for Rome on behalf of the order. This trip made an indelible impression on him - in the Eternal City, he first learned about how sinful Catholic priests can be. It was during these days that the future doctor of theology came up with the idea of reforming the church. But Martin Luther's famous theses were still a long way off.

In 1512, Luther received his doctorate, after which he began teaching theology. But the feeling of sinfulness and weakness in faith still haunted him. He was in constant search, and therefore he constantly read the works of preachers and painstakingly studied the Bible, trying to learn the secret meaning between the lines.

Luther's Theory

From 1515, he not only taught - under his control there were eleven monasteries. In addition, Luther regularly delivered sermons in the church. His worldview was strongly influenced by the Epistle of the Apostle Paul. He knew the true essence of this message,already having a doctorate in theology. What did he understand from the words of the "prime" apostle? The believer receives justification through his faith, divine grace - such an idea came to Martin Luther in 1515. And it was she who formed the basis of the "95 Theses". Martin Luther developed his theory for about four years.

95 theses

In October 1517, the Pope issued a document selling indulgences. The compilation of the "95 Theses" and their promulgation made it possible to express a critical attitude to the Bull of Leo X to Martin Luther. Briefly, the essence of his idea can be stated as follows: religious doctrine is capable of destroying faith, and therefore the Catholic Church needs to be reformed. The history of Protestantism begins with the writing of this document.

For a long time it was believed that Martin Luther posted his theses on the door of the church in Wittenberg. However, this version was refuted by the German historian Erwin Iserlo.

When writing the "95 Theses" Luther still identified himself with Catholicism. He acted as a champion of the cleansing of the church and the protector of the Pope from unscrupulous performers.

Repentance is not limited to the remission of sins, it ends with the ascent to the Kingdom of Heaven - such an idea is stated in one of the first theses. The Pope, according to Martin Luther, has the right to forgive punishments, but only those that he imposed on a person with his power. Otherwise, he must confirm forgiveness in the name of God. At the same time, the reformer believed that submitting to the priest is a prerequisite, whichshould be observed for the remission of sins.

The founder of Protestantism justified the pope, arguing that the main violations came from bishops and priests. In his criticism, he initially tried not to offend the interests of the papacy. Moreover, in one of his theses, Martin Luther said that whoever goes against the head of the Catholic Church will be anathematized and damned. However, over time, he began to speak out against the papacy, for which he incurred many troubles.

Challenge the Catholic Church

Martin Luther criticized the Christian aspects of the doctrine, but, of course, indulgences deserved special condemnation on his part as a means of deliverance from sins. Rumors about his theses spread with lightning speed. In 1519, Martin Luther was summoned to court. Shortly before this, the massacre was committed against the ideologist of the Czech Reformation, Jan Hus. Despite everything, Luther pointedly expressed doubts about the correctness of the Catholic papacy.

Leo X, without thinking twice, anathematized him, which at that time was a terrible punishment. Then Luther struck back - publicly burned the papal document, which spoke of his excommunication, and announced that from now on the fight against Catholic clergy became the main business of the German people.

The pope was supported by Charles V. The Spanish king summoned Martin Luther to a meeting of the Reichstag, where he calmly stated that he did not recognize the authority of either cathedrals or popes, because they contradicted each other. A famous quote from the founder of Protestantism should be cited. "I stand on this and cannototherwise" are the words of Martin Luther's speech.

Bible translation

In 1521, a decree was issued according to which the Catholic Church recognized him as a heretic. He soon disappeared and was presumed dead for some time. Later it turned out that his abduction was organized by the courtiers of Frederick of Saxony. They captured the reformer while he was on his way from Worms, and then imprisoned him in a fortress located near Eisenach. When Luther was released, he told his like-minded people that during his imprisonment the devil appeared to him. And then, in order to save himself from evil spirits, he began to translate the Bible.

Before Martin Luther, the main book in the history of mankind was not available to all Germans, because not everyone could read Latin. The founder of Protestantism made the Bible accessible to representatives of all social strata.

Sermons

In the biography of Martin Luther, of course, there are many white spots. It is known that he repeatedly visited Jena, a German city famous for its universities. There is a version that he stayed in 1532 in one of the hotels incognito. But there is no confirmation of this version. It is only known that in 1534 he delivered a sermon in the Church of St. Michael.

Private life

Martin Luther was an extraordinary person. He devoted many years to serving God, but he believed that everyone has the right to continue their kind. In 1525 he married the former nun Katarina von Bora. They settled in an abandoned Augustinian monastery. Luther had six children, butnothing is known about their fate.

The role of Martin Luther in history

German sociologist Max Weber believed that the Lutheran sermons not only led to the reformation of the church, but also served as an impetus for the emergence of capitalism. Martin Luther entered the history of Germany both as the founder of Protestantism and as a cultural figure. His reforms affected education, language and even music. In 2003, a poll was conducted in Germany, according to the results of which Martin Luther is ranked second in the list of the greatest Germans. The first was taken by Konrad Adenauer.

It is worth saying that the translation of the Bible was an important contribution to the development of the German language. Indeed, in the 16th century, Germany was a fragmented state that did not have a single culture. Residents of different lands hardly understood each other. Martin Luther approved the norms of the German language, thereby uniting compatriots.

Researchers often talk about the reformer's anti-Semitism. But historians understand the views of Martin Luther in different ways. Some believe that the dislike for the Jews was the personal position of this man. Others call him a "holocaust theologian".

At the beginning of his career, Luther did not suffer from anti-Semitism. One of the pamphlets he called "Jesus Christ was born a Jew." However, later in the speeches of Martin Luther there were accusations against the Jews for denying the Trinity. He began calling for the expulsion of the Jews and the destruction of the synagogue. In Nazi Germany, certain sayings of Luther gained wide popularity.

Memory

Martin Luther died in 1546 in Eisleben. It is written about himmany books and many films. In 2010, German artist Ottmar Herl created a sculpture in memory of Martin Luther. It is installed on the Wittenberg Main Square.

The first film about the founder of Protestantism came out in 1911. In the 1920s, the first film dedicated to Martin Luther was shot in Germany. The last picture about this historical figure was released in 2013. "Luther" is a joint project of the USA and Germany.

Martin Luther King

History knows a preacher whose name is consonant with the name of a German reformer. However, Martin Luther King has nothing to do with the origin of Protestantism. This man was born in 1929 in the USA. He was the son of a Baptist pastor. Martin Luther King devoted his life to fighting for the rights of African Americans.

He was a brilliant speaker during his lifetime, after his death he became an icon of American progressivism - a social movement that originated in the United States in the first half of the 20th century. In 1963, he gave a speech in which he expressed the hope that someday white and black people would have equal rights. This was an important event in US history. The speech is called "I Have a Dream". Martin Luther King was assassinated in March 1968.