Martin Luther Martin Luther, German Martin Luther (Eisleben, November 10, 1483 – Eisleben, February 18, 1546) was an Augustinian Catholic priest and German professor of theology who was a central figure in the Protestant Reformation. This stance against the views of the Catholic Church which vehemently challenges the claim that freedom from God’s punishment for sin can be bought, confronted the indulgence merchant Johann Telzel with his 95 theses in 1517. His refusal to withdraw his writings at the request of Pope Leo X in 1520 and Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms in 1521 resulted in his excommunication by the Pope and his conviction as an outlaw by the Germanic emperors of the Holy Roman Empire. Luther taught that salvation is not achieved by good works alone, but is a free gift from God, received only by grace, by faith in Jesus as the sinner’s sole Redeemer. His theology challenged papal authority in the Roman Catholic Church because it taught that the Bible is the only source of divinely revealed knowledge and opposed the priesthood, because it viewed all baptized Christians as a holy priesthood. Those who identified with Luther’s teachings were called Lutherans. His German translation of the Bible made the book more accessible, which had a great impact on the German Church and culture. He promoted the development of a standard German version and influenced the English translation of the King James Bible. His hymns influenced the development of singing in churches. His marriage to Catarina Von Bora established a model for the practice of clerical marriage, allowing the marriage of Protestant ministers.
