“You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say.”Martin Luther German Reformer 1483-1546

Martin Luther was a German theologian who led the Reformation; He began to study the new and old testament and began to question his own faith, and would wonder if he would really go to heaven. He strongly believed that salvation was gained through faith alone and the bible was the sole source of religious truths. The 95 theses and the diet of worms were two of his big accomplishments.

  • Martin luther used rhetorical skill, the vernacular, and the new printing press to spread his message
  • Luther bashed the catholic church with his 95 theses, by posting flyers/posters on the catholic church door
  • Rhetoric also gave him power, his knowledge of the political world saved him from wyclif and huss
  • believed THAT RHETORIC AND OTHER ARTS WERE SERVANTS OF GOD
  • LUTHER TRANSLATED THE NEW TESTAMENT AND THEN THE BIBLE IN GERMAN, WHICH ALLOWED “EVERYMAN TO BECOME HIS OWN PRIEST(IT SOLD OVER 100,000 COPIES)
  • Diet of the worms- Pope Leo X demanded Luther to give up his beliefs, but Luther did the unthinkable and burned his order in a crowd full of cheering people. He then hid in a castle and translated the new and Old Testament into German, so more people could read the bible.

Luther matters to rhetorical history, because he used rhetoric in so many ways. He wanted people to see his views on the catholic church. With that in mind he did everything in his will power to try and get the catholic church to clean up their act. He led people to try and believe what he did about religion and god. Later on he had his own group who followed his views which are known as the Lutherans.

Martin Luther can be compared to some of our famous leaders in today’s world. Martin Luther, Marin Luther King Jr, and Obama are all alike in many ways. The three of them are all advocate leaders and fought hard for what they believed in. They also are all very well speakers to an audience, and did everything in their will power for the world to see “their” side.