On October 31st, Lutherans celebrate Reformation Day, the day Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of All Saints Church in Wittenberg. His action started the series of events that became The Reformation.
Martin Luther was born on November 10, 1483, in Eisleben, Saxony, then part of the Holy Roman Empire. His family soon moved to Mansfeld, where his father had a copper-smelting business, and later became a town councilor. Luther attended the Latin school in Mansfeld before matriculating at the University of Erfurt in 1501. While there, he received a baccalaureate in 1502 and a master’s degree in 1505. Luther then continued his studies in law in order to fulfill his father’s wish that he become a lawyer. While traveling, Luther experienced a dramatic turning point in his life when a terrifying thunderstorm reportedly caused him to vow to become a monk if he survived.
Thus, in July 1505, Luther abandoned his law studies and joined the Augustinian monastery in Erfurt. Newly ordained as a priest, he celebrated his first mass in May 1507. Frrom 1507 until 1512, Luther continued his studies in theology at the University of Erfurt and the University of Wittenberg. After receiving his doctorate, he succeeded Johannes von Staupitz as professor of Biblical studies at the University of Wittenburg. It was in this environment that Luther’s deep spiritual anxieties led him to the doctrine that salvation is by God’s grace through faith, rather than by human works alone.
Then, in 1517, Luther famously challenged the practice of selling indulgences, which he argued mis-represented the nature of divine grace. Tradition holds that on October 31, 1517, Luther posted his “Ninety‑five Theses” on the door of All Saints Church (also referred to as Castle Church) in Wittenberg, inviting debate. The Ninety Five Theses were printed on the recently invented Guttenberg Press in their original Latin. In January 1518, the Ninety Five Theses were printed in German and distributed throughout Europe.
Meanwhile, Luther’s bishop, Albrecht von Brandenburg, sent the Ninety Five Theses to the Pope in Rome. Luther’s refusal to recant led to his excommunication by Pope Leo X in 1521 and condemnation as an outlaw at the Diet of Worms under Emperor Charles V. Protected by Frederick the Wise of Saxony, Luther used his time in refuge at Wartburg Castle to translate the New Testament into German, thus making the Scriptures much more accessible to ordinary people.
Following his return to Wittenberg, Luther continued to write prolifically on theology, liturgy, hymns, and church life. His writings contributed to the formation of a distinct Lutheran tradition. In 1525 he married Katharina von Bora, a former nun, and they had six children, four of whom lived to adulthood. Luther’s translation of the Bible is regarded as a landmark in the development of the German language and in the Protestant movement more broadly. He died on February 18, 1546, in his birthplace of Eisleben.
Luther’s insistence on the authority of Scripture over institutional church authority, and on justification by faith alone, catalyzed the Protestant Reformation and reshaped Western Christianity. His cultural and linguistic legacy—especially his German translation of the Bible—had a profound impact beyond theology: in education, literacy, and national identity. While his theological work remains foundational for Lutheranism and other Protestant streams, historians also note that he was a polemicist, whose writings were often shaped by controversies of his time.
Sorces:
- Wikipedia contributors. (2025, October 24). Martin Luther. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 00:34, October 30, 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Martin_Luther&oldid=1318560493
- Hillerbrand, H.J. (2025, October 27). Martin Luther. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Martin-Luther
- Hillerbrand, H. J. (Ed.). (1996). Luther, Martin. In The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Reformation (Vol. 2, pp. 461–467). Oxford University Press.