Martin Luther: Ninety-five Theses (1517) Commentary by Andrew J. Waskey, Dalton State College

About the Author

Luther was born on November 10, 1483, as Martin Luder (later Latinizing his name) in the town of Eisleben in what is now Germany. (At the time, Germany was a loose collection of independent states, each ruled by a noble, that were part of the Holy Roman Empire.) Early in life, he was content to follow his family's wishes and enter the family copper business. But on July 2, 1505, his life was altered when, according to legend, he was knocked off his horse by a lightning bolt. Grateful that his life had been spared, he vowed to become a monk and entered the monastery of the Augustinian monks at Erfurt, where he devoted himself to an ascetic life of fasting, prayers, and pilgrimages.

In 1507 Luther was ordained as a Catholic priest. After earning bachelor's degrees in theology in 1508 and 1509 and a doctorate in theology in 1512, he joined the theology faculty at Wittenberg University. He also served as a parish priest at Castle Church in Wittenberg. On October...