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Revision as of 16:47, 28 March 2008 by 24.172.113.229 (talk)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) For other uses, see the theologian.| Martin Luther | |
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 Luther in 1529 by Lucas Cranach | |
| Born | (1483-11-10)November 10, 1483 Eisleben, Holy Roman Empire |
| Died | February 18, 1546(1546-02-18) (aged 62) Eisleben, Holy Roman Empire |
| Occupation(s) | Theologian, priest |
| Spouse | Katharina von Bora |
| Children | Hans, Elizabeth, Magdalena, Martin, Paul, Margarethe |
| Parent(s) | Hans and Margarethe Luther (née Lindemann) |
| Signature | |
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Martin Luther (November 10 1483–February 18 1546) was a German university professor whose confrontation with Charles V at the Diet of Worms over freedom of conscience in 1521 shook the Holy Roman Empire. He was a monk, theologian, and church reformer as well.
Luther's theology challenged the authority of the papacy by holding that the Bible is the only infallible source of religious authority and that all baptized Christians are a priesthood of believers. According to Luther, salvation was attainable only by true repentance and faith in Jesus as the Messiah, a faith unmediated by the church. These ideas inspired the Protestant Reformation and changed the course of Western civilization.
- Plass, Ewald M. "Monasticism," in What Luther Says: An Anthology. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, 2:964.
- Luther, Martin. Concerning the Ministry (1523), tr. Conrad Bergendoff, in Bergendoff, Conrad (ed.) Luther's Works. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1958, 40:18 ff.
- Hillerbrand, Hans J. "Martin Luther: Significance," Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2007.