Brief Biography of Martin Luther

790 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Luther contribution in reformation

Martin Luther was born on November 10, 1483, in Eisleben, Germany. His parents Hans and Maragarette Luther were of peasant linage, but Hans had some success as a miner and an ore smelter. In 1484, the Luthers moved to nearby Mansfeld where Hans held successful ore deposits.
Hans knew that the mining industry was a tough business and wanted his son to have a more promising fortune and to become a lawyer. At the age of seven, Martin Luther entered the local school at Mansfeld. At the age of 14, Martin Luther went up north to Magdeburg, to continue his studies. Then by 1498, the young man came back down to Mansfeld to enroll himself in a school where he studied grammar, rhetoric, and logic. He later compared this experience to purgatory and hell.
In 1501, Martin Luther entered the University of Erfurt where he received a Master of Arts. At this time, it seemed pretty obvious that Mr. Luther was on his way to becoming a lawyer. However, in July 1505, Luther had a life changing experience that set his life on a new course. He was caught in horrific thunderstorm where he feared for his life, so Luther cried out to St. Anne, the patron saint of miners, “ Save me, St, Anne, and I’ll become a monk!” The storm then passed and his life was saved. His decision to become a monk was difficult and greatly disappointed his father, but to him a promise is a promise. Martin Luther also feared hell and God’s wrath so he thought that life in a monastery would help him seek salvation.
The first couple of years in the monastery were difficult he didn’t seek the spiritual enlightenment he was seeking. At the age of 27, Martin Luther was given the opportunity to be a delegate to a church conference in Rome. He was very disappointed and discouraged by...

... middle of paper ...

...ed many followers and was even able to get support from a German prince. When a peasant revolt began in 1524, Luther denounced the peasants and sided with the rulers whom he depended on to keep his church growing. Despite the exceeding numbers of deaths, Luther’s church kept growing.
From 1533 to his death in 1546, Martin Luther served as the dean of theology at the University of
Wittenberg. During this period of time Mr. Luther suffered an illness, including arthritis, heart problems, and digestive disorders, and perhaps the physical and emotional pain he suffered from being a fugitive had been reflected on his writings. Some of his later works contained inappropriate and offensive language used against many segments of society, especially Jews and Muslims. During a trip to his hometown, Eisleben, he died two days ago on February 18, 1546 at the age of 62.

Show More
Related

  • Comparing Martin Luther And King Henry VIII

    832 Words  | 2 Pages

    As a result, Luther burned the letter and other papal documents. Then in 1521, Luther was asked to attend the Diet of Worms, where he would recant what he had written. Once again, he refused. He was strong to his beliefs. Unlike Henry VIII, Luther was not selfish in reforming the Church. For instance, the peasants were one of Luther’s major supporters. They had a list of demands that Luther would try to resolve. He initially backed them up but in 1525 when they turned to violence in a revolt, he exhorted the nobles to slaughter them. Luther could have had all of those supporters who admired him, but instead, he had them slaughtered. Although he could have had the support, he believed violence was not the answer. No matter how many supporters he could have has, his beliefs were always put first. Overall, Martin Luther wanted to reform the Church to create a more simple Christian life as it was in the

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Luther The Reformer

    1099 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • The Lutheran Hymnal

    717 Words  | 2 Pages

    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 ...

    Read More

  • Writings of Martin Luther versus Michel de Montaigne

    1383 Words  | 3 Pages

    Martin Luther was born on November 10, 1483. He was a German monk, priest, professor, theologian and church reformer. His teaching helped to inspire the Reformation, and influenced the doctrines of the Lutheran and Protestant traditions, as well as the course of western civilization. Luther's works and writing helped bring the Middle Ages to a close, and brought about the Modern Era of western civilization. His translation of the Bible furthered the development of a standardized German language. Due to the development of the printing press, his teachings were widely read and influenced many reformers and thinkers. (Peterson 1)

    Read More

  • Martin Luther and The German Peasant Revolt of 1525

    1952 Words  | 4 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • Reasons That Led Martin Luther's Protestant Reformation

    384 Words  | 1 Pages

    Born in Germany, in 1483, Martin Luther went on to become one of western history’s most significant figure. Luther spent his early life as a priest and a lawyer. He was also the professor of theology. Considering his background it was a total surprise that Luther protested and criticized the catholic church. Even more surprising since he was a priest. However, Martin Luther didn’t want to destroy the church after all he was a priest. He just wanted to reform some of the church’s perceived abuses. There are different reasons that sparked Martin Luther’s protestant reformation, namely. 1) salvation or getting to heaven, was won by faith alone, 2) the selling of indulgences, 3) the bible

    Read More

  • Martin Luther's Religious Beliefs Essay

    473 Words  | 1 Pages

    Martin Luther was a former Priest/Monk and that saw some corruption in the Roman Catholic Church. Luther tried to bring his concerns to the Church in his writing of the “Ninety-five Theses on the Power of Indulgences.” When these question that Luther proposed to the Archbishop of Mainz went unsatisfactorily unanswered in 1517, Luther started defaming the Roman Church and pushed for the utter destruction of the Roman Church. What started out as an internal reform of Church’s discipline, turned into a war against the Roman Church for their total destruction. This was the intent of Luther’s sermon of 1521.

    Read More

  • Martin Luther Was The Worst Anti-Semite Of All Time

    1034 Words  | 3 Pages

    Martin Luther was born to Hans Luder and his wife Margarethe on November tenth, 1483, in Eisleben, Saxony, which was then part of the Holy Roman Empire. Since he was his father’s firstborn, his father wanted him to pursue being a lawyer, which was a good job even at that time. However, since his school focused mainly on persuasive speaking and writing, grammar, and logic, Luther came to despise it. The only aspect of it that he appreciated was that it sparked him into having an early interest in monastic life. He then went on to go to the University of Erfurt, where he learned arithmetic, astronomy, geometry and philosophy. (wikepedia.org) He graduated and received a master’s degree in 1505. (History.com staff. Martin Luther and the 95 Theses)

    Read More

  • Maryland: The Background Of The State Of Maryland

    899 Words  | 2 Pages

    Garraty, John A., and Mark C. Carnes. "Martin, Luther." American National Biography. Vol. 14. New York: Oxford UP, 1999. 605-08. Print.

    Read More

  • Martin Luther's Impact On The Church

    1280 Words  | 3 Pages

    Martin Luther’s (1483-1546) actions and teachings have had a profound influence on Christian faith. His crucial decision to go on a pilgrimage to Rome (1510) enabled him to witness and act against the objectionable corruption of the Catholic Church. Luther’s teachings developed through his work at Wittenburg University where his revolutionary theology evolved from the examination of the New Testament. On 31 October 1517 Martin Luther posted the controversial 95 Thesis, condemning the corruption of the Church and sharing his beliefs and ideas such as the 5 solas. Luther started a religious revolution that resulted in the formation of a new variant of Christianity that had changes to the expression of faith and key beliefs. This Protestant Church

    Read More

  • Martin Luther Thesis Statement

    644 Words  | 2 Pages

    Thesis statement: Martin Luther was responsible for the break-up of the Catholic Church Martin Luther was a representative during the 16th century of a desire widespread of the renewal and reform of the Catholic Church. He launched the Protestant reform a continuation of the medieval religious search. From the Middle ages, the church faced many problems such as the Babylonian Captivity and the Great Schism that hurt the prestige of the church. Most of the clergy lived in great luxury while most people were poor and they set an immoral example. The clergy had low education and many of them didn’t attend their offices.

    Read More

  • Martin Luther Influence

    1114 Words  | 3 Pages

    Luther started his education at a Latin school in Mansfield. There he received training in the Latin language and learned about the Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer and morning and evening prayers. In 1497 Luther was sent to a school in Magdeburg run by the Brethren of the Common Life, a lay monastic group whose focus on personal piety had a lasting influence on him. In 1501 he enrolled at the University of Erfurt, the best University of the time in Germany. Luther took course in the liberal arts and received the baccalaureate degree in 1502. He obtained his master’s degree three years later. Since Luther graduated from the arts faculty he could chose to pursue graduate work in one of the three disciplines law, medicine, or theology. Due...

    Read More

  • Comparing Martin Luther and Jean Calvin

    1850 Words  | 4 Pages

    Martin Luther, also known as the “Reformator,” was a superior asset in the Protestant Reformation. He was born on November 10, 1483 in the town of Eisleben, which was located in East Germany. Luther’s parents were Hans Luder and Margaretha nee Lindemann. His father was a farmer and later became a copper miner in Mansfeld. Martin Luther’s parents brought him up in the strict environment of the Roman Catholic Church. With his new job in Mansfeld, Hans made the decision to move his family there in 1484. Hans expected Martin to become a lawyer, so Luther went to Erfurt in 1501 to study law. Luther received his master’s degree in 1505. Shortly after this, he felt like law was not the right place for him. This act upset his father, not only because he dropped out of the university, but he decided that he wanted to become an Augustinian monk in Erfurt. Luther believed that if he was serious about his religion, he could please and do good works for God. However, once again, he was still unhappy. Luther decided to make another life-changing decision by studying theology. He went to Wittenberg to study this subject. Martin...

    Read More

  • Martin Luther The Great Reformer Biography

    1376 Words  | 3 Pages

    Then in 1502, he took the degree of Bachelor of Arts and three years later that of Master of Arts. Luther had been hunted by fears that God's wrath was being stored up against him. Luther didn't look to the Bible for an answer to his burning question.

    Read More

  • Reflection Paper On The Movie Luther

    1052 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

More about Brief Biography of Martin Luther

Open Document