Martin Luther was born in 1483 in Eisleben Germany. Luther’s father was a businessman, (he owned a copper mine in Mansfield.) Luther went to school there and learned reading, writing and Latin. At 13, Luther attended a school that was run by Brethren of Common life in Magdeburg.
Luther’s father Hans Luther wanted him to become a lawyer so he pulled Luther out of school in Magdeburg and sent him to a school in Eisenach. Later in 1501 Luther went to the University of Erfurt. He studied arithmetic, astronomy, geometry, and philosophy and at the end of 4 years had earned a Master’s degree from the school in 1505. When Luther was returning from school, he got caught in a storm, in which he was struck by thunder. He believed that the incident was a sign from God so he promised to become a monk if he survived the storm. When the storm cleared and he dropped out of law school and instead entered a monastery.
Martin Luther began to live the life of a monk but he did not stop his studies. Luther studied at the University of Erfurt and the university in Wittenberg. In 1510 he decided to take break from his education and to serve as a representative in Rome for the German monastery. In 1512 he received his doctorate and became a professor of biblical studies.
In the 16th century some theologians and scholars began to question the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. The Catholic Church taught people that through good works, they could be granted salvation, but Luther believed that the salvation could only be reached through faith and divine grace. He also didn’t the like the practice of selling indulgences. Because of this, he wrote the “The Ninety-Five Theses”. The Ninety-Five Theses was a list of questions and propositions for debate but it basically accused the Roman Catholic Church of heresy. On Halloween, Luther nailed a copy of his The Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church.
The Ninety-Five Theses became the foundation of the Protestant Reformation. The first two theses were Luther’s idea that God wanted believers to see repentance and faith. The other 93 theses, just criticized the practice of indulgences. The Ninety-Five Theses were passed out throughout Germany and made its way to Rome. In 1518 Luther was summoned to Augsburg to defend his opinions.
Luther’s views were condemned as heretical by pope Leo. He believed that Luther’s writings conflicted with the teachings of the Church. Commissions were gathered to examine Luther’s teachings. The Papal commission found them to be “scandalous and offensive to pious ears.” In July 1520, Pope Leo X issued a papal bull that concluded that Luther’s propositions were heretical and gave Luther 120 days to deny it in Rome. Of course Luther refused and on January 3, 1521 Pope Leo excommunicated him from the Catholic Church.
Luther returned to Wittenberg where the reform happened. Although Luther’s writings had started the reformation, he wasn’t really involved in it during the later years.
Martin Luther was probably one of the most influential people in history. It was his writings that were responsible for dividing the Catholic Church and sparking the Protestant Reformation. Luther is remembered as a controversial figure and his writings led to religious reform and division.