Martin Luther was born in 1483 and died in 1546. He was a German reformer and founder of the Lutheran church. Luther is the most famous of all the reformers, as he is credited with starting the Protestant Reformation on October 31, 1517 when he posted his now famous "95 Theses" opposing the doctrine of Catholic indulgence on a church door in Wittenberg, Germany. .Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Martin Luther was originally a Roman Catholic monk and scholar who soon found himself opposing not only the abuses in his Church, but, more importantly, some of its doctrines or teachings. After the publication of his '95 Theses', Luther found himself increasingly in trouble with the ecclesiastical authorities, so much so that in 1519 he definitively broke with the Church and continued to write and preach and, through these activities, to continue the work of the Reformation . Luther's theological premises Ultimately Luther formulated three main premises, which were also accepted by many other Protestant groups. Christians should believe in: Justification by faith (it is only through faith that Christians will be saved, not by good works as the Catholic Church claimed); The primacy of Scripture (the literal meaning of the Bible should be preferred to any tradition or learned reading, and anything not specifically grounded in Scripture was to be rejected); the 'priesthood of all believers' (ordained priests were not the only ones who should be considered members of the 'true spiritual state', so here Luther with the priesthood, although many Protestant groups still use ministers or pastors to lead others). Luther also explained the sacrament of the Eucharist in terms of consubstantiation. This is the belief that Christ is truly present in the celebration of the Eucharist. This doctrine derives from the same Aristotelian philosophical assumptions as the doctrine of transubstantiation, but while believers in transubstantiation believe that during the celebration of the Eucharist the bread and wine are literally transformed into the body and blood of Jesus, believers in consubstantiation believe that the bread and wine wine remains bread and wine which also includes the presence of Christ. Lutheranism was formed from the works of Luther. His Small Catechism, written in 1529, is a foundational statement of faith for all Lutherans. One of Luther's significant contributions to all of Christianity is his emphasis on singing hymns during worship, many of which he wrote. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Conclusion Overall many Germans followed Luther and his teachings, but this particular form of Protestantism did not prove very popular outside of its native Germany, although the majority of Scandinavian Protestants are Lutherans. There are also large numbers of Lutherans wherever Germans settle, especially in America and some parts of Australia.