Luther Martin eBooks

Martin Luther was a German priest best known for his role in the Protestant Reformation. Born in 1483, he became a monk after dropping out of law school. He was ordained as a priest in 1507 and earned his Doctor of Theology in 1512.

Luther’s best known writing was his opposition to the sale of indulgences. The document, which would come to be known as The Ninety-Five Theses, was his response to the actions of the Catholic Church. Written in 1517, it would be distributed widely the following year. In 1521, Luther was excommunicated because of his refusal to recant much of his writing. This was enforced by the Diet of Worms, which ruled that Luther was an outlaw.

Much of Luther’s writing is based on his theological philosophy. His 1525 book, On the Bondage of the Will, was a response to Erasmus’ On Free Will, published the year before. In it, he put forth an argument about acts of righteousness. The same year, Luther married a former nun.

Though often controversial, Luther’s work formed the basis of a new church, which was named after him. Through his writing, Luther attacked many of the practices and doctrines of the Catholic Church. He also produced German translations of the New Testament. Along with a German Mass, he also wrote other church documents in German.

Luther continued to write until his death in 1546, though many of his later works have been disregarded for their anti-Semitism.