The Basic Facts . . .
Birth: November 10, 1483
Death: February 18, 1546
Married: Katrina von Bora
Occupation: Monk; Priest; Professor of theology; noted for beginning the.Protestant Reformation.
Children: Hans (Johannes), Elizabeth, Magdalena, Martin, Paul, Margarethe.
Death: February 18, 1546
Married: Katrina von Bora
Occupation: Monk; Priest; Professor of theology; noted for beginning the.Protestant Reformation.
Children: Hans (Johannes), Elizabeth, Magdalena, Martin, Paul, Margarethe.
Luther's Early Life
Hans and Margret Luther gave birth to their first child, Martin Luther, in Saxony, Germany on November 10th 1483. His parents were peasants, but his father worked hard to raise the family's status; first as a miner and then as an owner of several small mines. Although a peasant, Hans had great aspirations for his son. Luther's father wanted him to become a lawyer, and sent him to a school in Mansfield then later Magdeburg. However, Martin was not happy there, calling it "Hell". What Luther was really interested in was religion and theology.
The game changer . . .
One day while Martin was walking, he was nearly struck by lightning and killed. Fearful, he cried out to St. Anne saying, "Save me and I'll become a monk!" He survived the lightning, so he became a monk. But no matter how long he spent repenting of his sins, he still didn't feel good enough in God's eyes. It wasn't until he read Saint Paul's Epistle to the Romans that said, "He who through faith is righteous shall live," that he began to believe that salvation was achieved through faith alone. Thus, he named his belief "Justification by Faith." People to follow his exact belief were known as Lutherans.
Death
After a very successful life, Luther died on February 18th 1546. His last written words were, "Know that no one can have indulged in the Holy Writers sufficiently, unless he has governed churches for a hundred years with the prophets, such as Elijah and Elisha, John the Baptist, Christ and the apostles... We are beggars: this is true."