Martin Luther
History: KS3, topic 5.2.2
Martin Luther
The Reformation in Europe began with Martin Luther. His most famous work was the '95 Theses'.
Martin Luther
- Luther was a monk from Germany.
- Luther believed that the Catholic Church was corrupt (greedy and abusing its power).
The 95 Theses
- The '95 Theses' criticised the Catholic Church.
- In particular, Luther took issue with the Church selling ‘indulgences’ (cancelling punishment for sins for a price).
- Luther pinned the '95 Theses' to the door of his local church. This shows it was meant for clergymen and normal people.
Luther and the Protestant Church
- Luther established his own church, called the Lutheran Church.
- Luther disagreed with ‘transubstantiation’ (the idea that the substance of the wine and bread in communion becomes Christ's body and blood).
- Luther also believed the Bible should be translated into the vernacular (language of the local area).
- For his church, he translated the Bible into German.
Test yourself on Martin Luther
Where was Martin Luther from?
How do we know that the 95 Theses was meant for clergymen?