Dr. Martin Luther by Lucas Cranach

An Augustinian monk and professor of exegesis at the University of Wittenberg, Luther initiated the Lutheran reform with an attack on scholastic theology in 1517. He followed this with Ninety-Five Theses against the issuing of indulgences. This led to a thorough reckoning with the theology and ecclesiastical practice of the late medieval ages and a confrontation with the authorities of the Roman Catholic Church and the Holy Roman Empire. Eventually condemned by these authorities as a heretic, Luther exercised leadership of the Lutheran reform through hundreds of published works, the translation of the Bible into German, the creation of catechisms and liturgies, and practical leadership until his death.