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Martin Luther biography briefly in German. Christian Online Encyclopedia

Now we will talk about a person who left a huge mark on, to some extent even changed the vector of its development, the name of this person is Martin Luther. Biography of Luther very rich and interesting. He was born in 1483 in Germany, in the city of Eisleben. He received a good education, and at the insistence of his father studied law. Our hero never graduated from the course of legal sciences, because he decided to become an Augustinian monk.

In 1512 he graduated from the University of Wittenberg, received a doctorate in theology and began to teach. All these years, dissatisfaction with the Roman Catholic Church grew in Martin's heart. Two years before graduation, he visited Rome and was struck by the scale of corruption and venality that was going on in the church. On October 31, 1512, Luther posted 95 theses on the door of the church in Wittenberg. In his theses, Martin sharply condemned the church for venality, for the practice of selling indulgences. The abstracts were printed in a printing house, copies were distributed among the townspeople, and were also sent to the Archbishop of Mainz. Actions Luther took on an increasingly radical character, he soon began to deny the authority of the Pope. He declared that in matters of religion one should be guided by the Bible and common sense. The Church could not let such statements go unnoticed. Martin was soon called to a meeting with church officials. The result of the meeting was the declaration of Martin as a heretic, and all his works automatically became banned.

Before Martin Luther loomed not a bright prospect - to be burned at the stake. Luther was saved by the fact that his views found strong support in Germany. Many German princes liked Luther's thoughts. People were annoyed by the luxury in which the Roman curia lived. The German people did not want to obey the Pope, because they had to pay a rather large tithe. Therefore, Luther had many admirers. For some time he had to live in secrecy, but everywhere he found the necessary support. Our hero was one of the smartest and most prominent people of his time. He had a lively mind, he perfectly expressed his thoughts, was eloquent. He also had an excellent style, wrote a lot, and actively conveyed his thoughts to people. He had a lot of work ahead of him. Martin decided to translate into German, and he succeeded perfectly. This translation opened up new horizons for literate Germans. Now you can read the Bible yourself, and draw the right conclusions without relying on not always honest priests. In addition, the translation of Holy Scripture gave impetus to the development of literature in Germany.

Luther opposed the fact that the clergy would take a vow of celibacy. A consequence of the Reformation was the emergence of numerous Protestant movements and communities. And then bloody religious wars arose, which for some time simply swept over the whole of Europe. One of the longest and most brutal wars of this period is the Thirty Years' War in Germany, which lasted from 1618 to 1648. Conflicts between Catholics and Protestants have become commonplace in European political life.

After the reformation, it became easier to live for freethinkers and who began to suffer much less from the repression of the Roman Catholic Church. What else can be said about Luther? He was a staunch anti-Semite. He also believed that the church should not interfere in the affairs secular power. Luther was married and had six children. Martin Luther died in 1546.

Martin Luther short biography Christian theologian, initiator of the Reformation, translator of the Bible into German.

Martin Luther biography briefly

The future figure and reformer was born into the family of a miner on November 10, 1483 in Saxony. When the baby was six months old, the family moved to Mansfeld, where his father received the status of a wealthy burgher.

In 1497, the parents sent 14-year-old Martin to the Franciscan school in Magdeburg. At that time, Luther and his friends earned their bread by singing under the windows of the pious inhabitants.

After graduating from the university, the philosopher decided to devote himself to the service of God, refusing worldly life. In the temple, he performed the work of a gatekeeper, served the elders, swept the churchyard, wound the tower clock, collected alms in the city.

In 1506, Luther took the monastic vows. In 1507 he was ordained a priest.

In 1511 he visited Rome, where he first encountered the conflicting facts of Catholicism. A year later, Martin Luther holds the position of professor of theology, in 11 monasteries he acts as caretaker and reads sermons.

In 1518, a papal bull was issued, which caused conflicting thoughts in the theologian and disappointment in Catholic teachings. The philosopher wrote his 95 theses, refuting the postulates of the Roman Church. Martin Luther's speech with 95 theses brought him popularity in society. They said that the state does not depend on the clergy, and the clergy should not act as an intermediary between the Lord and the person. The figure categorically did not accept the requirements and sayings regarding the celibacy of spiritual representatives. Thus, he destroyed the authority of the decrees issued by the Pope. His stance was bold and shocking.

In 1519, the Pope invited Martin Luther to his court, but he did not appear. Then the pontiff anathematized the Protestant, that is, excommunicated him from the holy sacraments.

In 1520, the philosopher publicly burns the bull of the Pope and calls on the people to fight against papal dominance. For this, he was deprived of his Catholic rank. According to the Edict of Worms of May 26, 1521, Martin is accused of heresy. Supporters of the reformer save him by staging a kidnapping. Luther moved to the Wartburg castle and began translating into German Holy Scripture.

The public activity of Martin Luther led to the fact that in 1529 his Protestantism was officially accepted by society and began to be considered a current of Catholicism.

Until the end of his days, he worked hard: he preached, lectured, wrote books.

Last years During his lifetime, Luther suffered from chronic ailments. He died in Eisleben February 18, 1546.

Martin Luther (German: Martin Luther). Born November 10, 1483 in Eisleben, Saxony - died February 18, 1546. Christian theologian, initiator of the Reformation, leading translator of the Bible into German. One of the directions of Protestantism is named after him.

Martin Luther was born into the family of Hans Luther (1459-1530) - a former peasant who moved to Eisleben (Saxony) in the hope of better life. There he took up mining in the copper mines. After the birth of Martin, the family moved to the mountain town of Mansfeld, where his father became a wealthy burgher.

In 1497, the parents sent the 14-year-old Martin to the Franciscan school in Marburg. At that time, Luther and his friends earned their bread by singing under the windows of the pious inhabitants.

In 1501, by decision of his parents, Luther entered the university in Erfurt. The fact is that in those days the burghers sought to give their sons a higher legal education. But he was preceded by a course in the Seven Liberal Arts.

In 1505, Luther received a master's degree in liberal arts and began to study jurisprudence. In the same period, against the will of his father, he entered the Augustinian monastery in Erfurt.

There are several explanations for this unexpected decision. One refers to the oppressed state of Luther as a result of "consciousness of his sinfulness." According to another, one day Luther was caught in a severe thunderstorm and was so frightened that he took a vow of monasticism. The third refers to the excessive severity of parental education, which Luther could not stand. The reason must be sought, apparently, in Luther's entourage and in the fermentation of minds that existed then in the burgher environment. Apparently, Luther's decision was to be influenced by his acquaintance with the members of the humanist circle.

Luther later wrote that his monastic life was very difficult. Nevertheless, he was an exemplary monk and carefully followed all the instructions. Luther entered the Augustinian order in Erfurt. The year before, John Staupitz, later a friend of Martin, had received the position of vicar of the Order.

In 1506, Luther took the monastic vows, and in 1507 he was ordained a priest.

In 1508 Luther was sent to teach at the new University of Wittenberg. There he first became acquainted with the work Blessed Augustine. Among his students was, in particular, Erasmus Alberus. Luther taught and studied at the same time to earn his doctorate in theology.

In 1511, Luther was sent to Rome on business for the order. The trip made an indelible impression on the young theologian. It was there that he first encountered and saw firsthand the depravity of the Roman Catholic clergy.

In 1512 he received the degree of Doctor of Divinity. Luther then took over as professor of theology in place of Staupitz.

Luther constantly felt himself in a state of suspension and incredible weakness in relation to God, and these experiences played a significant role in shaping his views.

In 1509, Luther taught a course on the "Sentences" of Peter Lombard, in 1513-1515 on the Psalms, 1515-1516 on the Epistle to the Romans, in 1516-1518 on the Epistles to the Galatians and the Hebrews. Luther was a painstaking student of the Bible, and in addition to his duties as a teacher, he was the caretaker of 11 monasteries and preached in the church.

Luther said that he was constantly in a state of feeling sin. Having experienced a spiritual crisis, Luther discovered for himself a different understanding of the Epistles of St. Paul. He wrote: "I understood that we receive divine righteousness as a consequence of faith in God itself and thanks to it, thus the merciful Lord justifies us by the consequence of faith itself." At this thought, Luther, as he said, felt that he was born again and through the open gates he entered into paradise.

The idea that a believer is justified by his faith in God's mercy was developed by Luther in 1515-1519.

On October 18, 1517, Pope Leo X issues a bull of absolution and the sale of indulgences in order to "Promote the construction of the Church of St. Peter and the Salvation of the Souls of Christendom".

Luther bursts into criticism of the role of the church in salvation, which is expressed on October 31, 1517 in 95 theses.

The theses were also sent to the Bishop of Brandenburg and the Archbishop of Mainz. It is worth adding that there were protests against the papacy before. However, they were of a different nature. The humanist-led anti-indulgences approached the problem from a human point of view. Luther criticized dogmas, that is, the Christian aspect of teaching.

The rumor about the theses spreads with lightning speed and Luther is summoned to court in 1519 and, having softened, to the Leipzig dispute, where he appears, despite the fate of Jan Hus, and in the dispute expresses doubt about the righteousness and infallibility of the Catholic papacy. Then Pope Leo X anathematizes Luther; in 1520, Pietro of the House of Accolti drew up a curse bull (in 2008 it was announced that the Catholic Church plans to "rehabilitate" him). Luther publicly burns the papal bull Exsurge Domine excommunicating him from the church in the courtyard of the University of Wittenberg, and in his address “To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation” declares that the fight against papal dominance is the business of the entire German nation.

Emperor Charles V summoned Luther to the Diet of Worms, where Luther showed great fortitude. He declared: “Since Your Majesty and you, sovereigns, wish to hear a simple answer, I will answer directly and simply. Unless I am convinced by the evidence of Holy Scripture and clear arguments of reason - for I do not recognize the authority of either popes or councils, since they contradict each other - my conscience is bound by the Word of God. I cannot and do not want to renounce anything, because it is not good and unsafe to act against conscience. God help me. Amen". In the earliest editions of his speech, the words were added: “I stand on this and I cannot do otherwise,” although they are not in the notes made directly at the meeting of the Sejm.

Luther was released from Worms, according to the imperial safe-conduct, but a month later, in May 1521, the Edict of Worms followed, condemning Luther as a heretic. On the way back, Luther was captured at night by the knights of Elector Frederick of Saxony and hidden in the Wartburg castle; for some time he was considered dead. Luther hid in the castle from 1520 to 1521. There, the devil allegedly appears to him, but Luther (together with like-minded people) starts translating the Bible into German. Kaspar Kruziger, professor of theology at the University of Wittenberg, helped him edit this translation.

In 1525, 42-year-old Luther ties the knot with 26-year-old former nun Katharina von Bora. They had six children in their marriage.

During the Peasants' War of 1524-1526, Luther sharply criticized the rebels, writing "Against the murderous and plundering hordes of peasants", where he called the massacre of the instigators of unrest a charitable deed.

In 1529, Luther draws up the Large and Small Catechisms, which were put at the forefront of the Book of Concord.

Luther did not participate in the work of the Augsburg Reichstag in 1530; the positions of the Protestants were represented by Melanchthon.

Luther repeatedly appeared in Jena. It is known that in March 1532 he stayed incognito at the Black Bear Hotel. Two years later he preached in the city church of St. Michael against staunch opponents of the reformation. After the founding of "Salan" in 1537, which later became a university, Luther received ample opportunity here to preach and call for the renewal of the church.

Luther's follower Georg Röhrer (1492-1557) edited Luther's works during his visits to the University and the library. As a result, Luther's Jena Bible was published, which is currently in the city's museum.

In 1546, Johann Friedrich I commissioned the master Heinrich Ziegler of Erfurt to make a statue for Luther's tomb in Wittenberg. It was supposed to use a wooden statue created by Lucas Cranach the Elder as the original. The existing bronze plaque ended up in storage at the Weimar castle for two decades. In 1571, the middle son of Johann Friedrich donated it to the university.

The last years of Luther's life were overshadowed by chronic ailments. He died at Eisleben on 18 February 1546.

The fundamental principles of achieving salvation according to Luther's teachings: sola fide, sola gratia et sola Scriptura (only faith, only grace and only Scripture).

Luther declared untenable the Catholic dogma that the church and the clergy are necessary mediators between God and man.

The only way to save a soul for a Christian is faith, given directly by God (Gal. 3:11 “The righteous shall live by faith”, and also Eph. 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you, it is the gift of God” ). Luther declared his rejection of the authority of papal decrees and epistles and called for the Bible, rather than the institutional church, to be regarded as the main source of Christian truth. The anthropological component of the teaching Luther formulated as "Christian freedom": the freedom of the soul does not depend on external circumstances, but solely on the will of God.

One of the central and popular provisions of Luther's views is the concept of "calling" (German: Berufung). In contrast to the Catholic teaching on the opposition of the worldly and the spiritual, Luther believed that God's grace is realized in the professional field in worldly life. God predestines people for this or that kind of activity, investing in them various talents or abilities, and it is the duty of a person to work diligently, fulfilling his calling. In the eyes of God there is no work noble or contemptible.

The concept of "calling" appears in Luther in the process of translating a fragment of the Bible into German (Sirach 11:20-21): "keep in your work (calling)".

The main purpose of the theses was to show that priests are not mediators between God and man, they should only guide the flock and be an example of true Christians. “Man saves his soul not through the Church, but through faith,” wrote Luther. He opposed the dogma of the divinity of the person of the pope, which was vividly demonstrated in Luther's discussion with the famous theologian Johann Eck in 1519.

Refuting the divinity of the pope, Luther referred to the Greek, that is, Orthodox, church, which is also considered Christian and dispenses with the pope and his unlimited powers. Luther affirmed the inerrancy of Holy Scripture, and the authority Holy Tradition and cathedrals questioned.

According to Luther, "the dead know nothing" (Eccl. 9:5). Calvin counters this in his first theological work, The Dream of Souls (1534).

According to Max Weber, the Lutheran preaching not only gave impetus to the Reformation, but served as a turning point in the birth of capitalism and defined the spirit of the New Age.

Luther also entered the history of German social thought as a cultural figure - as a reformer of education, language, and music. In 2003, according to the results of public opinion polls, Luther became the second great German in German history. He not only experienced the influence of the Renaissance culture, but in the interests of combating the "papists" sought to use folk culture and did a lot to develop it. Of great importance was Luther's translation into German of the Bible (1522-1542), in which he managed to establish the norms of a common German national language. IN latest work he was actively assisted by his devoted friend and colleague Johann-Kaspar Aquila.

Concerning Luther's anti-Semitism ("On the Jews and Their Lies") there are different points of view. Some believe that anti-Semitism was a personal position of Luther, which did not affect his theology in any way and was only an expression of the spirit of the times. Others, such as Daniel Gruber, call Luther a "holocaust theologian", believing that the private opinion of the founding father of the denomination could not but influence the minds of fledgling believers and could contribute to the spread of Nazism among the Lutherans of Germany.

At the beginning of his preaching activity, Luther was free from anti-Semitism. He even wrote in 1523 the pamphlet "Jesus Christ was born a Jew."

Luther condemned the Jews as bearers of Judaism for their denial of the Trinity, so he called for their expulsion and destruction of synagogues, which subsequently aroused the sympathy of Hitler and his supporters. It is no coincidence that the Nazis designated the so-called Kristallnacht as a celebration of Luther's birthday.

Writings of Martin Luther:

Berleburg bible
Lectures on the Epistle to the Romans (1515-1516)
95 Theses on Indulgences (1517)
To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation (1520)
On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church (1520)
Letter to Mülpfort (1520)
Open letter to Pope Leo X (1520), 6 September.
On the freedom of a Christian
Against the accursed bull of the Antichrist
Speech at the Reichstag of Worms on 18 April 1521
On the Bondage of the Will (1525)
Large and Small Catechism (1529)
Letter of transfer (1530)
Praise of Music (German translation) (1538)
Of the Jews and Their Lies (1543)

Martin Luther - head of the Reformation in Germany, Christian theologian, founder of Lutheranism (German Protestantism); he is credited with translating the Bible into German and establishing the norms of the common German literary language. He was born in Saxony, Eisleben, on November 10, 1483. His father was the owner of copper mines and a smelter, who had come out "into people" from miners. At the age of 14, Martin entered the Marburg Franciscan school. Fulfilling the will of his parents, the young man enters the University of Erfurt in 1501 to receive a higher legal education. After completing a liberal arts course and receiving a master's degree in 1505, Luther began to study jurisprudence, but he was much more interested in theology.

Ignoring the opinion of his father, Luther, remaining in the same city, goes to the monastery of the Augustinian order, where he takes up the study of medieval mysticism. In 1506 he became a monk, in next year he is ordained a priest. In 1508, Luther arrives at Wittenberg University to lecture. To become a doctor of theology, he studied in parallel. Sent to Rome on behalf of the order, he was greatly impressed by the depravity of the Roman Catholic clergy. In 1512 Luther became a doctor of theology and a professor. Teaching activity was combined with reading sermons and acting as the caretaker of 11 monasteries.

In 1517, on October 18, a papal bull was issued on the remission of sins and the sale of indulgences. On October 31, 1517, on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Martin Luther hangs out 95 theses composed by him, criticizing Catholic Church who reject its main postulates. According to Luther's new religious doctrine, secular state should not be dependent on the church, and the clergy themselves do not have to act as an intermediary between God and man, Luther assigned him the role of a teacher of Christians, an educator in the spirit of humility, etc. They rejected the cult of saints, the demand for celibacy of clerics, monasticism, and the authority of papal decrees. The opposition-minded population saw in Luther's teachings a call to overthrow the authority of Catholicism, as well as to speak out against the social order with which he was one.

Luther was summoned to Rome for a church trial, however, feeling public support, he did not go. In 1519, during a dispute with representatives of Catholicism, he openly voiced his agreement with many of the theses of Jan Hus, the Czech reformer. Luther is anathematized; in 1520, in the courtyard of the university, he arranges a public burning of a papal bull, in which the head of the Catholics excommunicates him from the church, and in his appeal “To the Christian nobility of the German nation” the idea is heard that the cause of the whole nation is the struggle against papal dominance. Later, in 1520-1521, with a change in the political situation, his calls become less radical, he interprets Christian freedom as spiritual freedom, which is compatible with bodily lack of freedom.

Support for the Pope is provided by Emperor Charles, and during the years 1520-1521. Luther takes refuge in Wartburg Castle, owned by Elector Friedrich of Saxony. At this time, he begins to translate the Bible into his native language. In 1525, Luther arranges his personal life by marrying a former nun who bore him six children.

The next period of Martin Luther's biography is marked by harsh criticism of radical burgher reformist trends, popular uprisings, and demands for reprisal against the rebels. At the same time, the history of German social thought captured Luther as a person who made a great contribution to the development of folk culture, a reformer of the literary language, music, and the education system.

Martin Luther's report will briefly tell you a lot useful information about this outstanding personality, the founder of Protestantism, theologian and reformer.

Message about Martin Luther

The future figure and reformer was born into the family of a Saxon miner on November 10, 1483. The father of the family was a very hardworking person and tried to provide for his family with everything. When the baby was six months old, they moved to Mansfeld, where his father received the status of a wealthy burgher.

At the age of 7, his parents sent Martin to a city school, where he was constantly humiliated and punished. For seven years of study here, the young man only learned to write, read and learned 10 commandments, several prayers. In 1497, Luther entered the Magdeburg Franciscan school, but a year later he was transferred to Eisenach due to lack of finances. One day, young Martin met Eisenach's wealthy wife, Ursula. She revealed a favor for him and decided to help by inviting him to temporary residence in her house.

In 1501, he entered the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Erfurt. The young man stood out noticeably among his peers with the ability to easily assimilate even complex materials and an excellent memory. In 1503, the young Luther received a bachelor's degree and an invitation to lecture on philosophy. In parallel with work, at the insistence of his father, he studied the basics of legal affairs. Once, after visiting the university library, a Bible fell into his hands. After reading it inner world young man overturned. However, like the life of Martin Luther: after graduating from the university, the philosopher decided to devote himself to serving God, abandoning worldly life. No one could have foreseen such an act and no one expected it. In the temple, the theologian performed the work of a gatekeeper, served the elders, swept the churchyard, wound the tower clock, collected alms in the city.

In 1506, Luther takes monastic vows, and a year later he takes the priesthood, taking on a new name, Augustine. In 1508 he was recommended by the vicar general for a teaching position at the University of Wittenberg. Augustine himself did not stop developing, studying foreign languages and receiving a biblical bachelor's degree.

In 1519, the Pope invited Martin Luther to his court, but he did not appear. Then the pontiff anathematized the Protestant, that is, excommunicated him from the holy sacraments.

In 1520, the philosopher publicly burns the bull of the Pope and calls on the people to fight against papal dominance. For this, he was deprived of his Catholic rank. According to the Edict of Worms of May 26, 1521, Martin is accused of heresy. Supporters of the reformer save him by staging a kidnapping. Luther moved to Wartburg Castle and began translating the Holy Scriptures into German.

The public activity of Martin Luther led to the fact that in 1529 his Protestantism was officially accepted by society and began to be considered a current of Catholicism.

Until the end of his days, he worked hard: he preached, lectured, wrote books. Martin Luther died suddenly in February 1546.

The real name of the philosopher and theologian Luder. Having become a monk, he took a more sonorous surname.
Luther's future wife was a nun who had previously given a celibate dinner. Her name was Katerina. In 1523, he helped her and 12 other girls escape from the convent. When they got married, she was 26 years old, and he was 41. 6 children were born in the marriage.
Over the years, Martin Luther began to suffer from dizziness, sudden fainting. The philosopher became the owner of a stone disease.
It is believed that the figure was the first person who put up a Christmas tree at home for Christmas, decorating it with small candles and fruits.
According to Historychannel, in 2004, an archaeological excavation of Martin Luther's house was carried out. A sensational discovery was made: his house had sewerage and even primitive floor heating.

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