Church History

On May 4, 1521, as Martin Luther was making his way home to Wittenberg from the Diet of Worms, he was abducted by a mysterious group of armed, masked riders. His traveling companions feared the abductors were either under authority from the Emperor Charles V or from the Roman Church itself. Since Luther had just been condemned by both the Pope and the Emperor at the Diet of Worms as a heretic, their fears were probably justified.

In fact, Luther had been taken by soldiers of Elector Frederick of Saxony, who rushed him in secrecy to Frederick’s own Wartburg Castle in Eisenach. Luther’s whereabouts was kept a secret for almost a year. Even a few letters sent to friends by Luther during this time never identified his location. While much is unknown about the reasons for Frederick’s actions, it clearly was intended to protect Luther, since the dual condemnations against him at the Diet made him a wanted man with a price on his head. It is also unclear if Luther was initially a part of this plot. Whether he was or not, he made good use of his eleven months in hiding.Continue Reading

To most modern minds and in many history books, Luther’s posting of his 95 Theses to the Wittenberg Church doors was his most famous activity. That action is usually given credit for beginning the Reformation in Germany that soon spread across most of Europe. And no doubt that seminal document did help begin a revolution in thought and religious belief.

Yet, the greatest document Martin Luther produced during his lifetime was the translation into German, with the help of others, of the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. He then oversaw its printing and wide distribution.Continue Reading

Today we will look at an incident in the life of Martin Luther that, until our present pandemic, constituted only a footnote in Christian history. It involved a plague striking Wittenberg in 1527 where Luther lived and ministered.

Some 180 years earlier Europe had been decimated by the Black Death, commonly believed today to be the bubonic plague. Between 1347 and 1351 it is estimated that 35-65% of Europe’s population DIED as a result of this pandemic. It came from Asia where it had already killed untold numbers in China and India. More details about the Black Plague can be gained from the Wikipedia article and from this History Channel article. But this plague was not done after its initial surge. Additional outbreaks continued in every generation at least until the 17th Century (some even say the 19th). These additional outbreaks were not as widespread but were still both feared and deadly. One such outbreak happened in and around Wittenberg in Germany in late 1527.Continue Reading

I did not know much about Martin Luther until I began teaching Christian History. I knew he was credited with helping begin the Reformation, that he nailed a document to a church door challenging some of the Catholic Church’s doctrines and practices, is said to have taught “salvation by faith alone,” and that a major religious group, Lutherans, look to him as their founder. I turns out there is so much more to know about him, his reforms, and his work.

Maybe I should preface the next several articles I write about Luther with the expression, “Credit where credit is due.” I do not agree with everything Martin Luther taught, and there were occasional personal flaws in his character and conduct. But of every person except Jesus, including myself, I would say the same. Yet, Martin Luther was a monumental person who changed the history of Christianity for the better, and we would all benefit by knowing more about the good he did.Continue Reading