Bible Fact · Romans 10:14 — 'How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?'
Luther's German Bible
The Fact
After being excommunicated and declared an outlaw at the Diet of Worms in 1521, Martin Luther was secretly escorted to Wartburg Castle by supporters of Frederick the Elector of Saxony. There, disguised as 'Junker Jörg' (Knight George), he translated the entire New Testament from Erasmus's Greek text into German in approximately 11 weeks. His complete Bible — including both Testaments — was finished in 1534. Luther's genius was linguistic: he translated not in formal theological German but in the common German of merchants and household servants. He was known to go to the marketplace to observe how ordinary people spoke. His translation became the first literary work accessible to Germans across regional dialects — essentially standardizing the German language and playing a role similar to what Shakespeare's works did for English. Within weeks of publication, Luther's New Testament sold out its first printing. It was revised 19 times in his lifetime. It was the first real 'best-seller' in German publishing history.
Context
Luther translated the New Testament from the Greek of Erasmus's new critical edition (1516) — not from Jerome's Latin Vulgate. This return to the Greek original was itself a theological statement: Scripture, not tradition, was the final authority.
Significance
The combination of Luther's theology, his translation, and Gutenberg's press created the Reformation. Scripture in the people's language, interpreted by ordinary believers, was the tectonic force that reshaped Western Christianity.
Reflection
Luther, in hiding and under threat of death, spent his time translating the Bible so ordinary people could read it. In your present circumstances — however difficult — what is the most important thing you could be doing for the kingdom?