Martin Luther  

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 +"Preachers of [[indulgence]]s are in error, who say that by the pope's indulgences a man is freed from every [[penalty]], and saved." --Thesis 21 of the ''[[Ninety-five Theses]]''
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 +[[You should not write a book before you have heard an old sow fart]]
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 +'''Martin Luther''' (10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a [[Germans|German]] priest and professor of [[Theologian#Christian Theology|theology]] who initiated the [[Protestant Reformation]]. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment of sin could be purchased with money. He confronted [[indulgence]] salesman [[Johann Tetzel]] with his ''[[The Ninety-Five Theses|Ninety-Five Theses]]'' in 1517. His refusal to retract all of his writings at the demand of [[Pope Leo X]] in 1520 and the [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Holy Roman Emperor Charles V]] at the [[Diet of Worms]] in 1521 resulted in his [[excommunication]] by the [[pope]] and condemnation as an [[outlaw]] by the emperor.
 +
 +Luther taught that [[salvation]] is not earned by good deeds but received only as a free gift of God's [[Divine grace#Grace in the Protestant Reformation|grace]] through [[Faith in Christianity#Lutheranism|faith]] in [[Lutheranism#Christ|Jesus]] as redeemer from sin. [[Theology of Martin Luther|His theology]] challenged the authority of the [[pope]] of the Roman Catholic Church by teaching that the [[Sola Scriptura|Bible]] is the only source of [[Divinity|divinely]] revealed knowledge and opposed [[sacerdotalism]] by considering [[priesthood of all believers|all baptized Christians to be a holy priesthood]]. Those who identify with Luther's teachings are called [[Lutheranism|Lutherans]].
 +
 +[[Luther Bible|His translation of the Bible]] into the language of the people (instead of [[Latin]]) made it more accessible, causing a tremendous impact on the church and on German culture. It fostered the development of a standard version of the [[German language]], added several principles to the art of translation, and influenced the translation into English of the [[King James Bible]]. His [[hymn]]s influenced the development of singing in churches. His marriage to [[Katharina von Bora]] set a model for the practice of [[clerical marriage]], allowing Protestant priests to marry.
 +
 +In his later years, Luther became strongly [[antisemitic]], writing that Jewish homes should be destroyed, their synagogues burned, money confiscated and liberty curtailed. These statements have contributed to his controversial status.
 +==Translation of the Bible==
 +:''[[Luther Bible]]''
 +
 +Luther had published his German translation of the New Testament in 1522, and he and his collaborators completed the translation of the Old Testament in 1534, when the whole Bible was published. He continued to work on refining the translation until the end of his life.
 +
 +Others had translated the Bible into German, but Luther tailored his translation to his own doctrine. When he was criticised for inserting the word "alone" after "faith" in [[Epistle to the Romans|Romans]] 3:28, he replied in part: "[T]he text itself and the meaning of St. Paul urgently require and demand it. For in that very passage he is dealing with the main point of Christian doctrine, namely, that we are justified by faith in Christ without any works of the Law . . . But when works are so completely cut away – and that must mean that faith alone justifies – whoever would speak plainly and clearly about this cutting away of works will have to say, 'Faith alone justifies us, and not works'."
 +
 +Luther's translation used the variant of German spoken at the Saxon chancellery, intelligible to both northern and southern Germans. He intended his vigorous, direct language to make the Bible accessible to everyday Germans, "for we are removing impediments and difficulties so that other people may read it without hindrance."
 +
 +Published at a time of rising demand for German-language publications, Luther's version quickly became a popular and influential Bible translation. As such, it made a significant contribution to the evolution of the German language and literature. Furnished with notes and prefaces by Luther, and with woodcuts by [[Lucas Cranach the Elder|Lucas Cranach]] that contained [[anti-papal]] imagery, it played a major role in the spread of Luther's doctrine throughout Germany. The Luther Bible influenced other vernacular translations, such as [[William Tyndale]]'s English Bible (1525 forward), a precursor of the [[Authorised King James Version|King James Bible]].
 +
 +== Literary treatments ==
 +*''[[The Nightingale of Wittenburg]]'' by [[August Strindberg]] (German title, ''Luther'')
 +==See also==
 +*''[[Young Man Luther]]''
 +*[[Colloquia oder Tischreden Doctor Martini Lutheri]]
 +*[[Martin Luther's anti-Semitic and antipapal pamphlets]]
 +*[[You should not write a book before you have heard an old sow fart]]
 +* [[Christianity and antisemitism]]
 +* [[Consubstantiation]]
 +* [[John Calvin]]
 +* [[John Wycliffe]]
 +* [[Propaganda during the Reformation]]
{{GFDL}} {{GFDL}}

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"Preachers of indulgences are in error, who say that by the pope's indulgences a man is freed from every penalty, and saved." --Thesis 21 of the Ninety-five Theses


You should not write a book before you have heard an old sow fart

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Martin Luther (10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest and professor of theology who initiated the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment of sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517. His refusal to retract all of his writings at the demand of Pope Leo X in 1520 and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms in 1521 resulted in his excommunication by the pope and condemnation as an outlaw by the emperor.

Luther taught that salvation is not earned by good deeds but received only as a free gift of God's grace through faith in Jesus as redeemer from sin. His theology challenged the authority of the pope of the Roman Catholic Church by teaching that the Bible is the only source of divinely revealed knowledge and opposed sacerdotalism by considering all baptized Christians to be a holy priesthood. Those who identify with Luther's teachings are called Lutherans.

His translation of the Bible into the language of the people (instead of Latin) made it more accessible, causing a tremendous impact on the church and on German culture. It fostered the development of a standard version of the German language, added several principles to the art of translation, and influenced the translation into English of the King James Bible. His hymns influenced the development of singing in churches. His marriage to Katharina von Bora set a model for the practice of clerical marriage, allowing Protestant priests to marry.

In his later years, Luther became strongly antisemitic, writing that Jewish homes should be destroyed, their synagogues burned, money confiscated and liberty curtailed. These statements have contributed to his controversial status.

Translation of the Bible

Luther Bible

Luther had published his German translation of the New Testament in 1522, and he and his collaborators completed the translation of the Old Testament in 1534, when the whole Bible was published. He continued to work on refining the translation until the end of his life.

Others had translated the Bible into German, but Luther tailored his translation to his own doctrine. When he was criticised for inserting the word "alone" after "faith" in Romans 3:28, he replied in part: "[T]he text itself and the meaning of St. Paul urgently require and demand it. For in that very passage he is dealing with the main point of Christian doctrine, namely, that we are justified by faith in Christ without any works of the Law . . . But when works are so completely cut away – and that must mean that faith alone justifies – whoever would speak plainly and clearly about this cutting away of works will have to say, 'Faith alone justifies us, and not works'."

Luther's translation used the variant of German spoken at the Saxon chancellery, intelligible to both northern and southern Germans. He intended his vigorous, direct language to make the Bible accessible to everyday Germans, "for we are removing impediments and difficulties so that other people may read it without hindrance."

Published at a time of rising demand for German-language publications, Luther's version quickly became a popular and influential Bible translation. As such, it made a significant contribution to the evolution of the German language and literature. Furnished with notes and prefaces by Luther, and with woodcuts by Lucas Cranach that contained anti-papal imagery, it played a major role in the spread of Luther's doctrine throughout Germany. The Luther Bible influenced other vernacular translations, such as William Tyndale's English Bible (1525 forward), a precursor of the King James Bible.

Literary treatments

See also




Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "Martin Luther" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.

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