Sidonie dumas biography of martin luther

This is a stunning fact—and a powerful way to introduce the significance and timeliness of this book. Marty Paraclete Press, The eminent scholar Martin Marty wrote this book to commemorate the th year anniversary of the Reformation. The book is quite brief—and for that reason alone may be worth picking up and giving it a quick read. The rest of the book, though, explores the ways that many Catholics, Lutherans, and others have attempted to regain some of the unity that was lost due to the Reformation fissures.

The result is a brief but powerful devotional reflection on the possibility of restoring Christian unity across theological and historical divides. Bainton is still the foremost biographer associated with Martin Luther and the Reformation. His biography of Luther was first published in and has undergone numerous re-issues since then.

The most recent, I believe, is the edition listed above. Kilcrease and Erwin W. Lutzer Baker Books, As always, there are many other books that could be added to the list. Add your favorite in the comment section. Resource Library. Luther said he would not recant unless scripture proved him wrong. The meeting ended in a shouting match and initiated his ultimate excommunication from the Church.

Following the publication of his 95 Theses , Luther continued to lecture and write in Wittenberg. In June and July of Luther publicly declared that the Bible did not give the pope the exclusive right to interpret scripture, which was a direct attack on the authority of the papacy. Finally, in , the pope had had enough and on June 15 issued an ultimatum threatening Luther with excommunication.

On December 10, , Luther publicly burned the letter. In March , Luther was summoned before the Diet of Worms , a general assembly of secular authorities. Again, Luther refused to recant his statements, demanding he be shown any scripture that would refute his position. There was none. Friends helped him hide out at the Wartburg Castle.

Though still under threat of arrest, Luther returned to Wittenberg Castle Church, in Eisenach, in May to organize a new church, Lutheranism. He gained many followers, and the Lutheran Church also received considerable support from German princes. When a peasant revolt began in , Luther denounced the peasants and sided with the rulers, whom he depended on to keep his church growing.

Thousands of peasants were killed, but the Lutheran Church grew over the years. In , Luther married Katharina von Bora, a former nun who had abandoned the convent and taken refuge in Wittenberg. Born into a noble family that had fallen on hard times, at the age of five Katharina was sent to a convent. She and several other reform-minded nuns decided to escape the rigors of the cloistered life, and after smuggling out a letter pleading for help from the Lutherans, Luther organized a daring plot.

With the help of a fishmonger, Luther had the rebellious nuns hide in herring barrels that were secreted out of the convent after dark - an offense punishable by death. Luther ensured that all the women found employment or marriage prospects, except for the strong-willed Katharina, who refused all suitors except Luther himself. We believe that faithful proclamation of the gospel is what our hostile and disoriented world needs.

Do you believe that too? Help TGC bring biblical wisdom to the confusing issues across the world by making a gift to our international work. Carl Trueman :. His thinking, while remarkably consistent, does develop over time. He nuances his positions on various issues as he faces challenges which his own Reformation theology generated. Thus, knowing what issues he is facing and when is important when reading him.

The benchmark biography of Luther in English is the three volumes by the German historian, Martin Brecht. These look rather forbidding: nearly pages of text, excluding notes. The first five books, the Pentateuch, appeared in and the Psalms were finished in By the entire Bible had been translated. This was not the first German translation, but it was the finest and became the primary Bible of the German people.

Luther knew that for the people to return to the truth of the Gospel — that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, they needed Scripture in their own language. If Luther had done nothing else, had never preached a sermon, had never written a treatise, had never insulted a pope, had never taken a stand at Worms, his translating of Scripture into German would have propelled the Reformation onward.

Sidonie dumas biography of martin luther

Because the Bible was no longer in a foreign language, but the language of the people, the Reformation was not dependent on the works of any of the Reformers but depended instead on the Word of God. The people consumed the Word at an phenomenal rate. On Wittenberg printer sold about a hundred thousand copies in 40 years, which is an enormously large number at that age, and these copies were read and reread by millions of Germans.

I deserve nothing better; for all my wish has been to lead souls to the Bible, so that they might afterwards neglect my writings. Great God! Translating Scripture into the language of the common people would become a hallmark of the Protestant Reformation, with translations in Spanish, French, English, and other languages close behind.

And take hold it did. Thanks in large part to the preaching, teaching, and writing of Luther the theology of the Reformation spread throughout Germany and to other countries in Europe. Martin Luther, whose heart was held captive by the Word of God and who was used by God to usher in the Protestant Reformation, died on February 18, in Eisleben — the city of his birth.

Luther left us a complex and sometimes controversial legacy. But it is clear that — despite his faults — he was used greatly by God to restore Scripture to its proper place of authority in the life of the church and in the life of the individual believer. Luther was emboldened to risk his life for the truth that Scripture alone is to be our ultimate authority in all spiritual matters.

This doctrine came to be known as Sola Scriptura. It is for this reason that the Protestant Reformation was able to continue spreading even after his death. As bold a leader as Luther was, the Reformation was not about a cult of personality — it was a movement to return to the truth of Scripture. Hi, I'm Clay. I created ReasonableTheology. Thanks for stopping by!

Great informative article! I cannot wait to share it with my Sunday School kids! Thank you for your work! These articles on the reformation have been very educational both mentally and spiritually. Thank you! Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Keep up with our latest videos — Subscribe to the YouTube channel!