Martin Luther – From Monk to Reformer

As all others of his era, Martin Luther is tortured by one major concern: burning in hell after death as a sinner. And as there are so many possibilities of falling into sin, salvation seems difficult to achieve. Luther is looking for a safe way out, and soon appears to have found it. In 1505, he joins the strict mendicant order of the Augustinian hermits (or: Eremites), as a monk. In the long run, however, this does not seem to banish the fears of the high-spirited man. He is still left with the burning question: How to please God and gain his mercy.

Many of Luther’s fellows choose a simple, if expensive, means of escaping the torments of purgatory and eternal damnation in hell: they donate money to the Church. Here, letters of indulgence are a practical arrangement. Those who obtain them, can buy themselves free of virtually all sin. The deeply devout and highly educated Martin Luther is not at all satisfied by this method. The Church is too obviously abusing its authority, capitalising on the fear of Christians, for its own pomp and splendour and even for missions of war. The monk Luther studies the Bible, night after night, hoping to find answers to his pressing concerns, acting as the new trend of humanism dictates: acquiring knowledge and wisdom by studying literary sources. And indeed, Luther ultimately finds the knowledge that shall determine his further course of action. There is only salvation through faith. God has mercy upon him who believes, and protects him from purgatory and hell, even without payments to the Church or its advocacy.

The Diet of Worms and its Consequences

Luther composes further tracts. His fame has meanwhile spread far beyond the borders of Wittenberg. Within a very short time, his major reformatory manuscripts are widely circulated. His criticism of the Catholic Church and its representatives is clear: All Christians are free and equal before God - Luther opposes the Pope’s right to ultimately decide on matters of faith.

Luther´s Bible Translation and Church Service Reform

1522; Luther’s translation of the New Testament goes into print. Although the purchase price corresponds to an artisan’s monthly wage, thousands of copies are sold in only a few months. Luther later translates the Old Testament. In 1534, his translation of the complete Bible is published. It becomes a best seller.

Iconoclasm, the Peasants` War, Anti-Semitism

Martin Luther lives and works in the old Augustinian Monastery in Wittenberg. His home becomes the central point of exchange with followers from near and far. Most important of them, humanist Philipp Melanchthon, whom Luther actively supports with all his studies and writings.

Luther stands at the heart of the Wittenberg reformers. But he cannot prevent them from pursuing more radical paths. As Andreas Bodenstein of Karlstadt, who in 1522 invokes iconoclasm in the parish church of Wittenberg. The symbols of the old church are destroyed - sculptures, images of saints, defaced. Only the word, the Holy Scripture, may create the connection to God. This forces Luther to return from the Wartburg. He wants to translate his new doctrine into word and deed - but not with violence, not so radically. He puts Bodenstein in his place. He subsequently leaves Wittenberg.

Luther is soon exposed to fresh misunderstandings. The peasants take up arms. Having extracted from Luther’s scriptures that a Christian is only bound to the Word of God, and is otherwise free and subject to none, they fight against ever-rising taxes and unpaid labour, and for the preaching of the Gospel - in vain. Against the ruling nobility, better armed and tactically superior, the peasants don’t stand a chance.