A Chronology of Martin Luther's Life

1483 - Born at Eisleben, Germany, November 10

1484 - Parents, Hans and Margaretha Luder, move family to Mansfield, where Hans works in copper mines

1492 - Attends school in Mansfield

1497 - Attends school in Magdeburg

1498 - Attends school in Eisenach

1501 - Enters University of Erfurt

1502 - Receives B.A. at Erfurt

1505 - Earns M.A. at Erfurt; begins law studies; in thunderstorm on July 2, vows to become a monk; enters Order of Augustinian Hermits

1507 - Ordained and celebrates first Mass

1509 - Receives bachelor of Bible

1510 - Visits Rome

1511 - Transferred to Augustinian house at Wittenberg

1512 - Becomes doctor of theology

1513 - Begins lecturing on the Psalms

1515 - Begins lecturing on Romans; appointed district vicar over ten monasteries

1516 - Begins lecturing on Galatians

1517 - Begins lecturing on Hebrews; on October 31, posts 95 Theses on indulgences

1518 - At meeting of Augustinians in Heidelberg, defends his theology; in October, appears before Cardinal Cajetan at Augsburg, but refuses to recant; in December, his prince, Frederick the Wise, refuses to hand him over to Rome.

1519 - Understands the "righteousness of God" as "passive righteousness with which God justifies us by faith" [some scholars date this discovery earlier]; in July, debates Professor John Eck at Leipzig and denies supreme authority of popes and councils

1520 - Papal bull Exsurge Domine gives Luther 60 days to recant or be excommunicated; writes his 3 seminal treatises, To the Christian Nobility, On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church, The Freedom of a Christian; burns papal bull and books of canon law

1521 - Excommunicated by the papal bull Decet Romanum Pontificem; at Diet of Worms in April, on trial before Emperor Charles V and other leaders of church and state, he refuses to recant writings; an edict (in May) condemns him as heretic and outlaw; after the Diet of Worms, he is "kidnapped" by Frederick the Wise, and hidden at Wartburg Castle; begins translating the New Testament

1522 - in March, comes out of hiding and returns to Wittenberg, helping to reestablish order there; finishes New Testament translation, first published in September

1525 - Writes Against the Heavenly Prophets, contending against Andreas Karlstadt and Thomas Müntzer; marries Katherine von Bora in June; writes Against the Robbing and Murdering Hordes, criticizing the Peasants' Revolt; writes Bondage of the Will against Erasmus

1526 - Writes German Mass; becomes a father (son Hans); begins writing against Zwingli's views on the Lord's Supper;

1527 - Fights sickness and intense depression; plague strikes Wittenberg; writes "A Mighty Fortress is our God"; daughter Elizabeth born; continues to write against Zwingli

1528 - Writes Great Confession Concerning Christ's Supper; grieves over Elizabeth's death; visits churches

1529 - Attends Marburg Colloquy with Zwingli and Southern Germans, but no agreement is reached on the Lord's Supper; publishes Large Catechism and Small Catechism; daughter Magdalena born

1530 - Luther, as outlaw cannot attend Diet of Augsburg, held in attempt to end religious division in the Holy Roman Empire; Philipp Melanchthon, Luther's co-worker, presents the Augsburg Confession, a statement of Lutheran beliefs

1531 - Begins lecturing on Galatians; son Martin, born

1532 - Writes On Infiltrating and Clandestine Preachers; is given the Augustinian Cloister for his home

1533 - Son Paul is born

1534 - Publishes complete German Bible; daughter Margaret born

1536 - Agrees to Wittenberg Concord on the Lord's Supper, in attempt to resolve differences with other reformers, but Zwinglians do not accept it; writes Smalcald Articles to prepare for upcoming ecumenical council

1538 - Writes against the Jews in Against the Sabbatarians

1539 - Writes On the Councils and the Church

1542 - drafts his will ; daughter Magdalena dies

1545 - Writes Against the Papacy at Rome, an Institution of the Devil

1546 - Dies in Eisleben, February 18

1552 - Katherine Von Bora dies

While a professor at Wittenberg, Luther devised this seal which he declared was meant to be"expressive of his theology." This explanation is the gist of a letter to his friend, Herr Spengler, town clerk of Nuremberg.

"The first thing expressed in my seal is a cross, black, within the heart, to put me in mind that faith in Christ crucified saved us. 'For with the heart man believes unto righteousness.' Now, although the cross is black, mortified, and intended to cause pain, yet it does not change the color of the heart, does not destroy nature -- i.e., does not kill, but keeps alive. 'For the just shall live by faith,' -- by faith in the Savior. But this heart is fixed upon the center of a white rose, to show that faith causes joy, consolation and peace. The rose is white, not red, because white is the ideal color of all angels and blessed spirits. This rose, moreover, is fixed in a sky-colored ground, to denote that such joy of faith in the spirit is but an earnest and beginning of heavenly joy to come, as anticipated and held by hope, though not yet revealed. And around this groundbase is a golden ring, to signify that such bliss in heaven is endless, and more precious than all joys and treasures, since gold is the best and most precious metal. Christ, our dear Lord, He will give grace unto eternal life. Amen."

Luther's Colorful Sayings

ON EVANGELISM: There is nothing I want more than to make His Gospel known to the world and to convert many people (LW 26:379).

ON FAITH: Faith is a living, daring confidence in God’s grace, so sure and certain that a man would stake his life on it a thousand times . . . O, it is a living, busy, active, mighty thing, this faith; and so it is impossible for it not to do good works incessantly (Romans’ Preface).

ON GOD’S LOVE: Rather than seeking its own good, the love of God flows forth and bestows good. Therefore sinners are attractive because they are loved; they are not loved because they are attractive (LW 31:57).

ON PRAYER: Oh, if I could only pray the way this dog watches the meat! All his thoughts are concentrated on the piece of meat. Otherwise he has no thought, wish, or hope (LW 54:38).

I am accordingly compelled to pray it [the Catechism] every day, even aloud, and whenever I happen to be prevented by the press of duties from observing my hour of prayer, the entire day is bad for me (LW 54:17).

ON MARRIAGE: It is impossible to keep peace between man and woman in family life if they do not condone and overlook each other’s faults, but watch everything to the smallest point. For who does not at one time offend (W 1, 457)?

ON DEPRESSION: Those who are troubled with melancholy ought to be very careful not to be alone, for God created the fellowship of the church and commanded brotherliness, as the Scriptures testify, ‘Woe to him who is alone when he falls, etc.’ [Eccles. 4:10] (LW 54:16).

ON GOD’S LOVE AGAIN: Our Lord God must be a devout man to be able to love knaves. I myself can’t do it, although I am a knave myself (LW 54:32).

ON BIBLE READING: For some years now I have read through the Bible twice every year. If you picture the Bible to be a mighty tree and every word a little branch, I have shaken every one of these branches because I wanted to know what it was and what it meant (LW 54:165).

ON KATY, HIS WIFE: I wouldn’t give up my Katy for France or for Venice (LW 54:7).

ON CHURCH GROWTH: We should preach the Word, but the results must be left solely to God’s good pleasure . . . I opposed indulgences and all the papists, but never with force. I simply taught, preached, and wrote God’s Word; otherwise I did nothing. And while I slept, or drank Wittenberg beer with my friends Philip and Amsdorf, the Word so greatly weakened the papacy that no prince or emperor ever inflicted such losses upon it. I did nothing; the Word did everything (LW 51:77).

ON FAITH WITHOUT LOVE: Dear friends, the kingdom of God, - and we are that kingdom - does not consist in talk or words, but in activity, in deeds, in works and exercises. God does not want hearers and repeaters of words, but followers and doers, and this occurs through faith and love. For a faith without love is not enough - rather it is not faith at all, but a counterfeit faith (LW 51:71).

ON THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN DOCTRINE AND LIFE: Therefore doctrine and life should be distinguished as sharply as possible. Doctrine belongs to God, not to us; and we are called only as its ministers. Therefore we cannot give up or change even one dot of it (Matt. 5:18). Life belongs to us; therefore when it comes to this, there is nothing that the Sacramentarians can demand from us that we are not willing and obliged to undertake, condone, and tolerate (LW 27:37).

ON LOVE THAT TOLERATES FALSE DOCTRINE: A curse on a love that is observed at the expense of the doctrine of faith, to which everything must yield - love, an apostle, an angel from heaven, etc.! (LW 27:38).

ON MUSIC: Music is an outstanding gift of God and next to theology. I would not give up my slight knowledge of music for a great consideration. And youth should be taught this art; for it makes fine skillful people (W-T 3, No. 3815).

Nor am I at all of the opinion that all the arts are to be overthrown and cast aside by the Gospel, as some superspiritual people protest; but I would gladly see all the arts, especially music, in the service of Him who has given and created them (W 35, 474).

ON HUMILITY: Iif you are highly pleased when someone praises you in the presence of others; if perhaps you look for praise, and would sulk or quit what you are doing if you did not get it — if you are of that stripe, dear friend, then take yourself by the ears, and if you do this in the right way you will find a beautiful pair of big, long, shaggy donkey ears (LW 34:288).