Martin Luther

Martin Luther
(1483-1546)


Martin Luther is important in the history of hymnody for restoring congregational singing in worship. In addition, Luther wrote hymns and composed hymn tunes. Luther (along with John Calvin) was one of the primary theologians of the Protestant Reformation and established the [Evangelical] Lutheran Church in Germany. Lutheranism eventually spread throughout Europe (particularly Scandinavia) and North America.

Initially, Luther had no intention of separating from Catholicism but instead intended to reform it. Among other things, his list of reforms included:

  • The Mass would be in the language of the people -- German not Latin.
  • The Bible would be translated into everyday language so that anyone who could read, could read the Bible.
  • The tradition of congregational hymn singing would be restored in the Mass.

Luther had a unique theological perspective: JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH (salvation is a gift from God and is available through acceptance. It is not attained through 'works.'

Read a concise article on Justification by Faith from BELIEVE.
Read an extensive article on Justification from the New Catholic Encyclopedia.
Read what Luther had to say about Justification by Faith.
Read what Luther had to say about faith.

In order to disseminate his theological ideas, Luther created a Catechism.

In order to unify the princes and cities of his German territories, Emperor Charles V had Philip Melanchthon, a close friend of Martin Luther and a Professor of New Testament at Wittenberg University, to create a common confession for the Lutheran Lords and Free Territories. The resulting document was the Augsburg Confession of 1530.

Martin Luther was involved with the publication of several hymnals, particularly the Achtliederbuch, 1524. See Important Lutheran Hymnals.

Luther's theological views are evident in his hymns. Read an article about Luther's hymns by Leonard Woolsey Bacon.

Here is a short list of some of Martin Luther's best known hymns:

"A mighty fortress is our God" (Ein' feste burg) -- UMH 110
"Out of the depths I cry to you" (Aus tiefer not) -- UMH 515
"From heaven above to earth I come" (Von himmel hoch)
"Christ Jesus lay in death's strong bands" (Christ lag in todesbanden) -- UMH 319
Luther had strong ideas about church music, particularly hymns. Read the Prefaces to some collections of hymns with which Luther was associated:

Preface 1 to Geystliche Gsangbuechlin, 1524
Preface 2 to Christliche Geseng, Wittenberg 1542
Preface 3 to the Hymnbook printed at Wittenberg by Joseph Klug (Geistliche Lieder auff new gehessert), 1543
Preface 4 to Valentine Bapst's Hymnbook (Geystliche Lieder), Leipzig, 1545
See scanned pages from an original Achtliederbuch, 1524 (Wurttembergische Landesbiblioteck, Stuttgart, Germany)
Luther was a musician and wrote hymn tunes (chorales). Listen to the original versions of some of his most well known tunes: (MIDI)

EIN' FESTE BERG ("A mighty fortress is our God") -- UMH 110
AUS TIEFER NOT ("Out of the depths I cry to you") -- UMH 515
VOM HIMMEL HOCH ("From heaven above to earth I come")
CHRIST LAG IN TODESBANDEN ("Christ Jesus lay in death's strong bands") -- UMH 319


Read a concise article on Martin Luther from Believe.
Read an extensive article on Martin Luther from The Catholic Encyclopedia.
Read a concise article on The Reformation from Believe.
Read an extensive article on The Reformation from the Catholic Encyclopedia.
Read a concise article on the Radical Reformation (Anabaptists) from Believe.
Read about Martin Luther from Project Wittenberg at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN.
Read Martin Luther's Hymns in the original German and in English translation (Project Wittenberg)
Read Luther's 95 Theses.
Read Selected works by Martin Luther (Project Wittenberg)

Read a critique of Luther's 95 Theses by Wesley Calvert (Notre Dame University): An Analysis of Luther's 95 Theses.

Read about the history of the Lutheran Chorale.
Read a variety of selected primary sources from the Reformation era at the Internet Medieval Sourcebook.
See a Chronology of Reformation History. (from a Reformation history class at Yale University.)

Download a lengthy (17 pages) PDF file on Lutheran Church music, hymnody, liturgy, etc: Giving God the Glory Through Music (KuschelMusic.PDF) by: Harlyn J. Kuschel.

Explore some sites devoted to Martin Luther and Lutheran beliefs

For a brief introduction to the life and theology of Martin Luther, see Martin Luther and Lutheranism, particularly The Lutheran Tradition: Doctrines [from Believe].

For a comprehensive discussion of Lutheran history and theology see Martin Luther and Lutheranism [from the Catholic Encyclopedia.]

All about Martin Luther (Michigan State University)
Life and Times of Martin Luther (Wittenberg University)
Luther's Hymns in English and the original German (The Wittenberg Project)
The Lutheran Bible (Library at Cornell University)
The Lutheran Mass of 1526 (The Wittenberg Project at Concordia Theological Seminary)
The Musical Reforms of Martin Luther (Charles K. Moss, Composers.net)

Explore some sites devoted to The Protestant Reformation
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Site last updated: January 17, 2004