It’s that time of year again. You may be thinking of Halloween, but I’m thinking of Reformation Day.

Almost 500 years ago, Europe was being taken over by Roman Catholic traditions of man. October 31 was an important day. Read my report on Martin Luther to find out why. (I’m not talking about Martin Luther King JR.)

Martin Luther

The German Reformer

by Nathan Hayden

October 31, 2006

Martin Luther was born to Hans and Margret Luther on November 10, 1483, the day before what Roman Catholics recognize as St. Martin’s Day. His family moved to Mansfield in 1484 where his father, Hans, operated a few copper mines of Germany. Martin went to school at Mansfield which was directed by a “lay group” called “Brethren of common life” when he was 14. Then he went to Eisenach for school in 1498. At the age of 17, He entered the University of Erfurt where he played the lute and was nicknamed “The philosopher.” His father was determined to see Martin a lawyer. Martin entered law school according to what his father wanted. On a day that changed his life, he was walking to law school in a thunder storm. A lightning bolt struck close to him. Terrified, he called out, Help! Saint Anna, I’ll become a monk! He left law school, sold his books, and entered the Augustinian monastery, where he became a monk for the Catholic church in 1505. He did many things as a monk including going to Rome in the year 1510. At about 1511 he became professor in Wittenburg (Vittenberg). While a professor, he started meditating on the Bible and read, In it the righteousness of God is revealed, as it is written, ‘He who through faith is righteous shall live.’ He heeded this call and thus was converted (Reformed) from the Catholic church to a Bible believing follower of Jesus Christ. He started reading more from the Bible such as, He who through faith is righteous shall live. He started speaking out against the Catholic church, and on October 31, 1517, he posted the 95 theses to the door of the castle church of Wittenburg. Germany quickly made copies of the 95 theses. In two weeks, copies spread all over Germany. After about two months, copies circulated all over Europe. Three years later, Luther was kicked out of the Catholic church. After he was out of the Catholic church, he began a trip to Worms (vorms) where he preached to a group of people and said, Unless I am convinced by Scripture and plain reason – I do not accept the authority of the popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other – my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. Amen. He said later, I am finished. After he said that, he was bid leave and was not arrested because he had a letter of safe conduct. He began his trip home when he was stated as an outlaw. On June 13, 1525 at the age of 42, Martin married Katharina von Bora who had been a nun for the Catholic church. They had 3 boys and 3 girls. He died 2:45 A.M. February 18, 1546 aged 62, in Eisleben, the city of his birth. Luther was buried in the Castle Church in Wittenberg, underneath the pulpit. A piece of paper was found in Luther’s pocket with his last known written statement:

No one who was not a shepherd or a peasant for five years can understand Virgil in his Bucolica and Georgica. I maintain that no one can understand Cicero in his letters unless he was active in important affairs of state for twenty years. Let no one who had not guided the congregations with the prophets for one hundred years believe that he has tasted Holy Scripture thoroughly. For this reason the miracle is stupendous (1) in John the Baptist, (2) in Christ, (3) in the Apostles. Do not try to fathom this divine Aeneid, but humbly worship its footprints. We are beggars. That is true.

(Scroll down to the next post to see the 95 theses.)