Martin Luther (1483–1546)
Martin Luther is the towering figure of the Protestant Reformation. An Augustinian monk and professor of theology at Wittenberg, he ignited a continent-wide spiritual revolution when he posted his 95 Theses against indulgences in 1517.
Justification by Faith
Luther's great rediscovery — sola fide, justification by faith alone — struck at the heart of Rome's penitential system. His three foundational principles — sola scriptura, sola fide, sola gratia — became the pillars of Protestant theology.
The German Bible
Luther's translation of the New Testament into vernacular German (1522) and the complete Bible (1534) was one of the most consequential acts of the Reformation. It standardized the German language and gave ordinary people direct access to Scripture.
Diet of Worms
Before the assembled powers of the Holy Roman Empire at the Diet of Worms (1521), Luther refused to recant: "Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me." His stand is the defining moment of the Reformation.
Ellen White and the Great Controversy
The Great Controversy devotes multiple chapters to Luther, presenting his life as the fulfillment of Huss's prophecy of the swan. Ellen White saw the Reformation as a direct movement of the Holy Spirit recovering the truths buried under centuries of papal tradition.