Tuesday, November 01, 2005
Reformation Day
Yesterday was the anniversary of the day on which Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the Schlosskirche (Castle Church) in Wittenberg (inside which both he and Melanchthon are now buried). Luther's impact on the church and on Western culture in general has been enormous. Here is the introductory paragraph from Luther's Wikipedia entry:
Martin Luther (November 10, 1483–February 18, 1546) was a German theologian, an Augustinian monk, and an ecclesiastical reformer whose teachings inspired the Reformation and deeply influenced the doctrines and culture of the Lutheran and Protestant traditions. Luther's call to the Church to return to the teachings of the Bible led to the formation of new traditions within Christianity and to the Counter-Reformation, the Roman Catholic reaction to these movements. Luther's contributions to Western civilization went beyond the life of the Christian Church. Luther's translations of the Bible helped to develop a standard version of the German language and added several principles to the art of translation. Luther's hymns inspired the development of congregational singing in Christianity. His marriage on June 13, 1525, to Katharina von Bora began a movement of clerical marriage within many Christian traditions.
