Produced by Charles Aldarondo, Tiffany Vergon, Anne Folland, Charles Franks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team. [Illustration: LUTHER. (From a Portrait by Cranach in the Town Church at Weimar.)] LIFE OF LUTHER BY JULIUS KOSTLIN WITH ILLUSTRATIONS from AUTHENTIC SOURCES TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN _AUTHOR'S DEDICATION_ TO MY DEAR WIFE PAULINE WITH THE WORDS OF LUTHER 'God's highest gift on earth is to have a pious, cheerful, God-fearing, home-keeping wife.' AUTHOR'S PREFACE. No German has ever influenced so powerfully as Luther the religious life, and, through it, the whole history, of his people; none has ever reflected so faithfully, in his whole personal character and conduct, the peculiar features of that life and history, and been enabled by that very means to render us a service so effectual and so popular. If we recall to fresh life and remembrance the great men of past ages, we Germans shall always put Luther in the van: for us Protestants, the object of our love and veneration, who will not prevent, however, or prejudice the most candid historical inquiry; for others, a rock of offence, whom even slander and falsehood will never overcome. I have already in my larger work, 'Martin Luther: his Life and Writings,' 2 vols., 1875, put together all the materials available for that subject, together with the necessary references, historical and critical, and have endeavoured to explain and illustrate at length the subject matter of his various writings. I now offer this sketch of his life to the wide circle of what are called educated German readers. For further explanations and proofs of statements herein contained I would refer them to my larger work. Further investigation has prompted me to make some alterations, but only a few, in matters of detail. For the illustrations and illustrative documents I beg to express my warm thanks, and those of the publisher, to the friends who have kindly assisted us in the work. J. KOSTLIN, Professor at the University of Halle-Wittenberg. _Oct_. 31, 1881, the anniversary of Luther's 95 Theses. CONTENTS. PART I. _LUTHER'S CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH, UP TO HIS ENTERING THE CONVENT.--1483-1505._ I. Birth and Parentage II. Childhood and School-days III. Student-days at Erfurt and Entry into the Convent.--1501-1505 PART II. _LUTHER AS MONK AND PROFESSOR, UNTIL HIS ENTRY ON THE WAR OF REFORMATION.--1505-1517._ I. At the Convent at Erfurt, till 1508 II. Call to Wittenberg. Journey to Rome III. Luther as Theological Teacher, to 1517 PART III. _THE BREACH WITH ROME, UP TO THE DIET OF WORMS.--1517-1521._ I. The Ninety-five Theses II. The Controversy concerning Indulgences III. Luther at Angsburg before Caietan. Appeal to a Council IV. Miltitz and the Disputation at Leipzig, with its Results V. Luther's further Work, Writings, and Inward Progress until 1520 VI. Alliance with the Humanists and Nobility