1483-1586
Today is Martin Luther's birthday, the German theologian who set in motion the Protestant Reformation. Among other things, he translated the Latin Bible into the vernacular, and out of the ensuing chaos the Lutheran Church was eventually born. Martin Luther loved music as Lutherans do to this day. And no skipping verses, either.
Here's some interesting tidbits, courtesy of Garrison Keillor this morning on The Writer's Almanac:
Luther was an intense young monk, devoted to self-punishment, and would often lie in the snow through the night during the worst of winter until he was in such a state that he needed to be carried back inside.
It has been said that Luther was inspired to begin the Protestant Reformation while on his chamber pot, though this can’t be confirmed. However, in 2004, archaeologists did discover that Luther’s privy area was quite modern, featuring a heated floor and even a primitive drain.
Martin Luther never accepted any wages for his work. He had six children with his wife, Katharina, a former nun who had escaped her convent by hiding in a pickle barrel. To make a living, he installed a lathe and learned woodworking and also became a master gardener, growing lettuces, beans, melons, and cucumbers.
When a young man wrote to him, anxious that he might be going to hell, Martin Luther advised him to drink heavily, since that was what he did in times of despair.
He purportedly once said, “Beer is made by men, wine by God.”
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