Luther, Martin
Luther, Martin ( 1483 – 1546 ),the leader of the Reformation in Germany. He was born of humble parents at Eisleben, and entered the Augustinian order. As a monk he visited Rome, and his experience of the corruption in high ecclesiastical places influenced his future career. He attacked the principle of papal indulgences by nailing his famous Theses to the door of the church at Wittenberg, and as a consequence the papal ban was pronounced on him ( 1521 ) at the Diet of Worms. He left the monastic order and married, and devoted himself to forming the League of Protestantism. His chief literary work, apart from polemical treatises, was his translation into German of the Old and New Testaments, known as the Lutheran Bible ( 1534 ; portions had appeared earlier). He also composed hymns of great popularity in Germany, notably ‘Ein’ feste Burg’. Luther's power lay in these hymns of joy and strength and in his revival of...
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