Biography of Martin Luther

(1483/11/10 - 1546/02/18)
Martin Luther
Martin Luther
German theologian who began the Protestant Reformation

He was born on November 10, 1483 in Eisleben.
The family took their surname in different variants: Luder, Lüder, Loder, Ludher, Lotter, Lutter or Lauther. His father Hans (1459-1530) and his wife Margaret, née Lindemann (1459-1531), were farmers and owners of mines. It is believed that it was the first or second son of probably in nine siblings. He was raised in the nearby Mansfeld.
He studied at the Latin school in Mansfeld from 1488 and then at Magdeburg, and then in Eisenach. In 1501, he studied in Erfurt with the intention of becoming a lawyer. Four years later is Dr. He entered the monastery of the Augustinians of Erfurt. In 1506 he professed monk and a year later was ordered priest. In 1509 he took a degree in theology and returned to Erfurt.
In 1510, he travels to Rome on behalf of seven Augustinian monasteries. It outraged the worldliness of the Roman clergy. In 1512 he obtained his doctorate and took the Chair of Biblical Theology until his death.
October 31, 1517 his 95 theses or propositions became a public figure by exhibiting at the door of the Church of all the saints of Wittenberg written in latin against the sale of indulgences to the great work of the Popes Julius II and Leo X: the construction of the basilica of Saint Peter in Rome. Quickly translated into German, they got a wide spread.
Defending their views in debates University at Wittenberg, and in other cities, so it was investigated by the Roman Church, determining the condemnation of Pope León X (June 15, 1520) of his teachings and his excommunication in January of 1521. In April of that year, was summoned to the Emperor Charles V at the diet of Worms, is asking that retractase to the secular and ecclesiastical authorities there collected. He denied making that to do so they would have to convince him with Scripture and reason. The Emperor condemned it, but the elector Frederick the wise detained it in his Castle (Wartburg), where launched its translation of the New Testament from the original Greek into German.
Disorders caused in Wittenberg by his followers was forced to return to the city in March 1521. He was involved in the peasants war (1524-1526). Thomas Münzer (founder of the sect of the Anabaptists) based their demands on the writings of Luther and although this supported many of their political aspirations, their theological arguments considered false. He took a stance totally contrary to the peasants. While the requests of these were common sense: right to take firewood from the forests, abolition of serfdom, reducing taxes, stop arbitrary punishments, etc. Stood on the side of the authorities by writing a hard allegation against the murderous hordes and thieving peasants.
He married on 27 June 1525 with Catherine of Bora, a former nun, who became his collaborator. Luther had with her three daughters and three sons born in Wittenberg: Johannes (1526-1575), Elisabeth (1527-1528), Magdalena (1529-1542), Martin (1531-1565), Paul (1533 – 1593), and Margarete (1534-1570).
After articulate their basic theology in his first writings -of Christian freedom (1519), the nobility of Christian of the German nation (1520), Babylonian Church captivity (1520), from the bondage of the will (1525) - published his most famous book, small catechism (1529) where he shows the theology of the Evangelical reform commenting briefly, in the form of questions and answers the ten commandments, the Apostolic creed, the Lord's prayer, baptism and the Eucharist.
To be banned to attend the Diet of Augsburg, the defense of the reformers, formulated in the Augsburg Confession (1530), in his friend, the humanist delegated Philip Melanchthon (Felipe Schwarzerd). His translation of the Hebrew original of the New Testament was published in 1532.
Martin Luther died February 18, 1546 in Eisleben.