Martin Luther and the Word

Martin Luther regarded the Bible as the source of faith and as the critical benchmark of all Christian activity. Through his translation of the Bible into German, he made its contents accessible to all believers, striving for a language that was both rich in imagery and easy to understand. Thus his translation of the Bible became the basis for the New High German language.

As a prerequisite for access to the Bible, Luther attached great importance to the education of boys and girls and encouraged the founding of Christian schools. Luther’s friend and fellow reformer Philipp Melanchthon not only wrote schoolbooks, but also drafted educational plans and school regulations, so that he is considered the founder of the Protestant school system.

For Luther, music was also an important key to attaining salvation, and he composed numerous German-language hymns himself. Congregational singing created a particularly engaging means of proclaiming salvation, and for the first time everyone was included in the service. In the form of the sermon, Luther made ‘the Word’ the central element of the congregational service. More than 2,000 of his sermons have been preserved. He also wrote a large number of letters as well as pamphlets, treatises and devotional texts.