Helga testorf biography of martin luther

Without his knowledge or permission, these Theses were translated by some of his students from Latin to German and distributed. Thanks to the new technology of the printing press, within 2 weeks nearly every village in Germany had a copy. The ideas soon took hold, and storm clouds began to loom on the horizon. All at once, as if reading it for the first time, Luther came to understand the full meaning of Romanswhich says.

Salvation is by grace through faith — not by prayers or fasting or pilgrimages or sacraments. Righteousness before God was not earned by our works, but was a gift from God to us received by faith! Luther was overjoyed — But this Gospel truth of salvation by grace alone through faith alone and not of works immediately brought Luther into even greater contention with Catholic doctrine.

Helga testorf biography of martin luther

What was he to do? Should he ignore Scripture to obey the church, or should he challenge the church to obey Scripture? Rather than being subject to both sacred Scripture and sacred tradition, as the church taught, Luther believed that we are to be subject to Scripture alone — and that Scripture has the authority to correct the traditions when they are in error.

He said:. A war of words ensued. A papal bull, or edict, called Luther to repent and threatened him with excommunication. On December 10,Luther burned it. This was tantamount to treason. Luther wrote more theological works, many of which spoke against the sacramental system of the Roman church. On April 17,Luther was summoned to the Diet of Worms — an imperial council held in Worms, Germany which would decide the fate of this troublesome monk.

The Holy Roman Emperor, Charles the 5 th presided over the affair. The Roman officials demanded to know if these were his writings and whether or not he would recant. Luther had expected to debate his ideas, not be forced to recant them. He asked for a day to consider the matter. If he recanted, his life would be saved. If he did not, he would be declared a heretic, which was a death sentence in those days.

Although he had a letter granting him safe passage to and from Worms, when this expired he knew he could be killed by anyone and they would not be punished. The civil government would likewise put him to death, as they had countless others who crossed Rome. Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Holy Scriptures or by evident reason-for I can believe neither pope nor councils alone, as it is clear that they have erred repeatedly and contradicted themselves-I consider myself convicted by the testimony of Holy Scripture, which is my basis; my conscience is captive to the Word of God.

Here I stand, I can do no other. God help me. Luther took a stand that his highest authority was going to be the Word of God, regardless of what the church taught. To protect his life, his friends kidnapped him and hid him away in Wartburg Castle. Here he hid for ten months in disguise. He grew a beard and took the name Junker Jorge, or Knight George.

He was not simply laying low. During his time in exile, Luther undertook the translation of the New Testament into the language of the German people. Remember, at this time Scripture was only available in Latin. Reading and studying Scripture was helga testorf biography of martin luther reserved only for the academics and the elite.

Luther did not simply take the Vulgate and translate the Latin into German. He translated his German New Testament out of the original Greek. Within three months Luther had translated the whole of the New Testament. This is an amazing feat, and is even more so considering the monumental impact that this translation would have on the German people.

For the first time, an ordinary believer could read the Bible for themselves. It examines Luther's family background, education, and key life events, such as his transformation from a promising law student to a dedicated monk, reflecting on his relationships and personal struggles. Ultimately, the piece seeks to provide a nuanced understanding of Luther as both a reformer and a man, emphasizing the personal experiences that shaped his beliefs and actions.

Metrolab BrusselsBrussels, Metrolab Series, p. New Covenant Publications International Ltd. Log in with Facebook Log in with Google. Remember me on this computer. Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link. Need an account? Click here to sign up. Philosophy UFS ; B. Theology UFS. It provides a particularly tricky task to produce something valuable for a Protestant audience obviously familiar with the great reformer, a man ranked by Time Magazine in as the 17th most influential human being in history.

However, his personal life, i. What kind of things was he really passionate about, what drove him, exited him or, if you will, got his adrenalin pumping? Who was he as a man to those contemporaries of his who truly knew him on a personal level? The Luther family was, at the time, a prominent farming family in the Thuringia district in what is now central Germany.

Routledge: New York, Working Paper. Martin Luthers: des Lehrer wahrer Theologie nach bestem Wissen beschreiben. WeinachtTheologischer Verlag: Zurich, Abington Press: Nashville,8. He would spend more than five years at the Erfurt monastery, until inas part of the plan of John Staupitz, a professor of theology at the young University of Wittenberg, to turn the institution into a theological hub, Luther was transferred there.

In Medieval times, it was tradition that a man teach at the University where they earned their degree. Until the middle of the fifteenth century, oaths taken to this end were common, whereas the practice fell into disuse thereafter. It seems to have been revived at Erfurt at the beginning of the sixteenth century, 64 Jayson Scott Galler, Logic and Argumentation in the Book of Concord.

Proquest: Ann Arbor, MI, Irvington: New York, Erlanger Ausgabe der Werke Luthers. Erlangen,vol. Luther, angered, responded harshly — by his own admission — too harshly. A more recent short biography is that by the distinguished Lutheran historian, Martin Marty, in the Penguin Brief Lives series. You can read the whole thing herewhich also includes recommended reading from Luther himself and by others on his theology.

Justin Taylor is executive vice president for book publishing and publisher for books at Crossway. You can follow him on Twitter. Browse Articles Featured Essay. An essay by. Read Now. Kidd and Taylor. Melissa Kruger. Ray Ortlund. Erik Raymond. Scotty Smith.