Martin Luther

1483 – 1546

Martin Luther was a German theologian and former Augustinian friar whose 1517 Ninety-Five Theses inaugurated the Protestant Reformation and broke the religious unity of Western Christendom. In his later years he wrote bitterly antisemitic works—most notoriously the 1543 tract On the Jews and Their Lies, which urged the burning of synagogues, the destruction of Jewish homes and books, the expulsion of Jews from German lands, and the use of forced labor against them. The work was extensively cited by Nazi propagandists four centuries later and is still officially repudiated by many Lutheran bodies today.

Last checked: May 10, 2026, 1:06 PM