Martin Luther 1483 – 1546
Martin Luther (1483 – 1546) was a German philosopher of the Modern era, associated with Christian Philosophy and Renaissance.
Martin Luther was a German Augustinian friar, theologian, and the principal initiator of the Protestant Reformation. After years of monastic struggle over the question of how a sinful human being can stand before a righteous God, he came to the conviction that justification is by faith alone in the grace of Christ. His Ninety-five Theses of 1517, originally an academic protest against the sale of indulgences, set off the religious upheavals that broke the unity of Western Christendom. His translation of the Bible into German, his catechisms, his hymns, and his vast pastoral and polemical writings reshaped European religion, literature, and political life.
Martin Luther was born in 1483 at Eisleben in Saxony, the son of a copper miner who had risen to the rank of mine smelter. After Latin school in Mansfeld, Magdeburg, and Eisenach, he took his bachelor's and master's at Erfurt, and was on his way to a legal career when, after the famous fright in a thunderstorm at Stotternheim in 1505, he entered the Augustinian friary at Erfurt. He was ordained priest in 1507 and from 1512 held the chair of biblical theology at the new University of Wittenberg.
On 31 October 1517 he sent his Ninety-Five Theses on the abuses of indulgences to Albrecht of Mainz; the events of the next four years — the Heidelberg Disputation, the Leipzig Debate, the great reforming treatises of 1520, the burning of the bull threatening excommunication, the trial at Worms in 1521 — broke the unity of Latin Christendom. His New Testament (1522) and complete Bible (1534) reshaped the German language, and his many works — the Small and Large Catechisms, The Bondage of the Will (against Erasmus), the Lectures on Galatians, the Table Talk, the hymns and pastoral letters — created the vocabulary of an entire Christian tradition.
Luther's doctrines of justification by faith alone, of the priesthood of all believers, of the freedom of the Christian conscience, and of the authority of scripture made him the founder of the Protestant Reformation, with incalculable consequences for European religion, politics, and intellectual life. He died at Eisleben in February 1546, the day after preaching his last sermon.
Key facts
- Nationality
- German
- Era
- Modern
- Movements
- Christian Philosophy, Renaissance
Selected quotes
-
“Here I stand. I can do no other.”
Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against con -
“Faith is a living, daring confidence in God's grace.”
An Introduction to St. Paul's Letter to the Romans from Dr. Martin Luthers Vermischte Deutsche Schriften . Johann K. Irmischer, ed. Vol. 63(Erlangen: Heyder and Zimmer, 1854), pp. 124-125. (EA 63:124-125) -
Attributed to Martin Luther:
“I am more afraid of my own heart than of the pope and all his cardinals.”
-
“Pray, and let God worry.”
In, I Am a Christian: The Nun, the Devil, and Martin Luther , Carolyn M. Schneider, Fortress Press 2010, ISBN 0800697324 ISBN 978-0800697327 p . 49. (citing in Notes (p. 148), WA , Tr 2:131–32). | Expurgated version in, What Luther Says , Ewald M. Plass, vol. 1, pp. 403-404, (citing WA , Tr 2, No. 1557). 1191 How Luther Handled the Devil, May 20, 1532. "When the devil comes during the night to pla -
Attributed to Martin Luther:
“A simple layman armed with Scripture is greater than the mightiest pope without it.”
Martin Luther by topic
Frequently asked about Martin Luther
- When did Martin Luther live?
- Martin Luther was born in 1483 and died in 1546.
- Where was Martin Luther from?
- Martin Luther was a German philosopher of the Modern era.
- What philosophical movements is Martin Luther associated with?
- Martin Luther was associated with Christian Philosophy and Renaissance.
- What was Martin Luther known for?
- Martin Luther was a German Augustinian friar, theologian, and the principal initiator of the Protestant Reformation.
- How many quotes are attributed to Martin Luther?
- There are 43 attributed quotations from Martin Luther in the 1001Philosophers collection, organized by topic.
Quotes that are not actually from Martin Luther
These lines are widely circulated as Martin Luther, but they do not appear in Martin Luther's works. Each entry below identifies the actual source.
-
“Hier stehe ich, ich kann nicht anders.”
Translation: Here I stand; I can do no other. Often attributed as part of Luther's statement before the Diet of Worms (19 April 1521), there are no indications in the transcripts of the Diet or in eyewitness accounts that he ever said this, and most scholars now doubt these words were spoken. See 'Hier Stehe Ich!' by Elesha Coffman , in Christianity Today (1 April 2002) . Diarmaid MacCulloch in 'Reformation: Europe's House Divided' (2003), attributes the origins of the quotation to Georg Rörer, the editor of Luther's collected works, who wanted to add a summary of Luther's statement. Variants: (Disputed.)
-
“Here I stand; I can do no otherwise. God help me. Amen!”
As reported in Dictionary of Burning Words of Brilliant Writers (1895) by Josiah Hotchkiss Gilbert, p. 186; and in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations , 10th ed. (1919) (Disputed.)
-
“I’d rather be ruled by a competent Turk than an incompetent Christian.”
The earliest published source for such a statement yet located is in Pat Robertson — Where He Stands (1988) by Hubert Morken, p. 42, where such a comment is attributed to Luther without citation. (Disputed.)
-
“Whoever drinks beer, he is quick to sleep; whoever sleeps long, does not sin; whoever does not sin, enters Heaven! Thus, let us drink beer!”
Widely attributed to Luther, but actually is an example given in 1658 book Ἑρμηνεια logica of faulty logic. In Latin: Si vero termini in sorite sunt causae subordinatae per accidens, sorites non valet; ut ia hoc, Qui bene bibit, bene dormit; qui bene dormit, non peccat; qui non peccat, est beatus; ergo: qui bene bibit est beatus. Vitium est, quod bene bibere sit causa per accidens somni. Translated via Fauxtations : If, however, the conclusions in the sorite are subordinate by accident, the sorites is not valid; as in this one, He who sleeps well, drinks well; he who sleeps well, does not sin; he who does not sin, is blessed; therefore, he who drinks well is blessed. The problem is that to… (Disputed.)
-
“Widely attributed to Luther, but actually is an example given in 1658 book Ἑρμηνεια logica of faulty logic. In Latin:”
Si vero termini in sorite sunt causae subordinatae per accidens, sorites non valet; ut ia hoc, Qui bene bibit, bene dormit; qui bene dormit, non peccat; qui non peccat, est beatus; ergo: qui bene bibit est beatus. Vitium est, quod bene bibere sit causa per accidens somni. (Disputed.)
-
“Translated via Fauxtations :”
If, however, the conclusions in the sorite are subordinate by accident, the sorites is not valid; as in this one, He who sleeps well, drinks well; he who sleeps well, does not sin; he who does not sin, is blessed; therefore, he who drinks well is blessed. The problem is that to drink well is a cause of sleep only by accident. (Disputed.)
-
“Do not fight against these harmful spells. For you do not know what God wants with them. You do not know the greater divine plan behind it all."”
As attributed by Kai Lehmann, curator of the exhibition "Luther und die Hexen" ("Luther and the witches"). (2013) in “Interview with Dr. Kai Lehmann, curator of the exhibition "Luther und die Hexen" ("Luther and the witches")“ (Disputed.)
-
“Even if I knew the world would end tomorrow, I would continue to plant my apple trees.”
Earliest record is in a circular letter from Hessian Church minister Karl Lotz on 5 October 1944 and modified from a quote by Johanan ben Zakai according to Landes, Richard Allen (2011). Heaven on Earth: The varieties of the millennial experience . USA: Oxford University Press. p. 48. ISBN 978-0-19-975359-8 . (Disputed.)