Introduction to Martin Luther

                                     Timeline of Martin Luther's life
                                    
                                     1483 (November 10) Born in Eisleben 
                                     1505 Monk in Erfurt
                                     1512 Doctor of Theology in Wittenberg
                                     1517 Nailed the 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church
                                     1521 Outlawed and exiled to the Wartburg
                                     1522 Return to Wittenberg
                                     1525 Married Katharina von Bora 
                                     1534 Published the complete Bible in German 
                                     1546 (February 18) Died in Eisleben


Martin Luther (November 10, 1483 - February 18, 1546) was a Christian theologian and Augustinian monk whose teachings inspired the Protestant Reformation and deeply influenced the doctrines of Protestant and other Christian traditions. Martin Luther was born to Hans and Margaretha Luder on 10 November 1483 in Eisleben, Germany and was baptised the next day on the feast of St. Martin of Tours, after whom he was named. Luther’s call to the Church to return to the teachings of the Bible resulted in the formation of new traditions within Christianity and the Counter-Reformation in the Roman Catholic Church, culminating at the Council of Trent.

His translation of the Bible also helped to develop a standard version of the German language and added several principles to the art of translation. Luther's hymns sparked the development of congregational singing in Christianity. His marriage, on June 13, 1525, to Katharina von Bora, a former nun, began the tradition of clerical marriage within several Christian traditions.