95: The Ideas That Birthed The Reformation

Martin Luther (1483-1546) was one of Western history's most significant figures. After his studies at the University of Erfurt, this son of a copper miner became an Augustinian friar and was ordained in 1507. He taught at the University of Wittenberg, where he was made a doctor of Theology. In 1510, Luther visited Rome and was appalled by the corruption he found there. He became increasingly angry about the clergy selling "indulgences"--the sale of promised remission from the punishment for sins. In 1517, Luther published his "95 Theses," attacking papal abuses and the sale of indulgences. His work propounded two central beliefs: that the Bible is the central religious authority and that humans may reach salvation only by their faith and not by their deeds. Thanks to the recent invention of the printing press, "95 Theses" and his subsequent writings spread throughout Europe and became the spark of the Protestant Reformation. Although these ideas had been advanced before, Martin Luther codified them at a moment in history ripe for religious reformation. In 1521, Luther was excommunicated from the church and went into hiding at Wartburg Castle. In 1525, he married Katharina von Bora, a former nun, with whom he had six children. In 1534, Luther published a complete translation of the Bible into German, underlining his believe that people should be able to read it in their own language.