Christopher columbus brief biography of martin luther

German priest, theologian and author (1483–1546)

Not to be confused with Martin Luther King Jr.For other uses, see Martin Luther (disambiguation).

Martin LutherOSA (LOO-thər;German:[ˈmaʁtiːnˈlʊtɐ]; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation, and his theological beliefs form the basis of Lutheranism. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in Western and Christian history.

Luther was ordained to the priesthood in 1507. He came to reject several teachings and practices of the Roman Catholic Church, in particular the view on indulgences. Luther attempted to resolve these differences amicably, first proposing an academic discussion of the practice and efficacy of indulgences in Ninety-five Theses, which he authored in 1517. In 1520, Pope Leo X demanded that Luther renounce all of his writings, and when Luther refused to do so, excommunicated him in January 1521. Later that year, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V condemned Luther as an outlaw at the Diet of Worms. When Luther died in 1546, Pope Leo X's excommunication was still in effect.

Luther taught that salvation an

What does the Protestant Reformation have to do with the exploration of the New World? Today, Dr. Stephen Nichols discusses the overlap between these two pivotal moments in history and the impact that they had on the church.

Transcript

Welcome back to another episode of 5 Minutes in Church History. On this episode, let’s start with a pop quiz. Do you know the year in which Columbus sailed to the New World? You might have learned that little rhyme. In blank year, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. What year was it? If you said 1492, you were right. In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. Well, here’s another question for you. How old was Martin Luther when Columbus set sail? Well, to help you with this, I’ve written my own rhyme. Might not be as catchy as that one, but here it goes. When Columbus sailed the ocean wide, Martin Luther was only nine. Now, songwriters call that an approximate rhyme, but we’ll just move on. The issue here is that we think of these two significant times in history, the Age of the Reformation and the Age of Exploration, as two separate movements or two separate entities when the reality is the two came along at the exact same time.

In one sense, they sort of grew up together, the Reformation and the Age of Exploration. Here’s another sort of two dates that come together to show how this works. Of course, we know Luther stood behind the Diet of Worms in 1521. There he was in front of Charles V, the young Holy Roman emperor, and he was on trial for his life, and he made his courageous “Here I Stand” speech. Well, two years later, 1523, that same Holy Roman emperor, Charles V, declared that Spain is exploring the New World with the singular purpose to convert the Native Americans, or the Indians as they called them, that were there in the New World. So again, the Age of Reformation and the Age of Exploration came right alongside each other. And as we see what happened in the Age of Exploration, we see the impact on t

In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. In 1517, Martin Luther posted the 95 Theses. So began two stories that have shaped the West since the 16th century. But what happens if we link the two?

The first story cast the relationship between Europe and the Western hemisphere in terms of conquest: Columbus crossed the Atlantic and "discovered" islands. He was followed by Hernán Cortés and Francisco Pizarro, who conquered first Central and then South America for Spain. The second is the foundation story for modern western Christian churches, both Catholic and Protestant. A small handful of men who were God's instruments on earth broke with Catholicism, which was traditional and medieval, to found modern, liberal churches. Each Church caught in that battle for souls claimed the authority of God's will; each found its origins in the person of Christ; and each claimed those origins were exclusive of any other understanding of Christianity.