Katharina Luther had not labored in vain. Thanks to her tireless efforts, the financial security of her children was assured, even after she was gone. A year after his mother’s death, Hans married Elizabeth Cruciger, the daughter of his parents’ close friend, Caspar Cruciger. He worked in Duke Albrecht of Prussia’s chancery and died in the duke’s service in 1575. Martin, who had studied theology but was unable to work as a pastor due to his ill health, married the daughter of Wittenberg’s mayor and died in 1565 at the age of thirty-four. Paul became a highly respected doctor, professor, and personal physician and counselor to the duke in Jena, about one hundred miles south of Wittenberg. Later he served as the private physician for the electors of Brandenburg and Saxony. He married Anna von Warbeck and died in 1593. Margarete married the lord George von Kunheim in 1555, had nine children, and died in 1570.
18
A Chancy Thing
A man and woman, backpacks in hand, cameras slung around their necks, pose arm in arm in front of the doorway while a friend snaps their picture with a cell phone. When they are finished and have disappeared inside to tour the building, another couple steps up to the same spot. They sit opposite one another on the stone seats flanking the entrance and smile broadly at the camera. Then they, too, step across the threshold into Martin and Katharina Luther’s home.
Tourists visiting the Black Cloister (called Lutherhaus today) often gather at this particular entrance, which opens from the former monastery into the courtyard. The intricately carved doorway is known as the Katharinenportal (Katharina’s door) and was commissioned by Katharina as a gift for Luther on his fifty-seventh birthday. Designed in the late Gothic style, the sandstone carving arches elegantly over the original wooden door in a graceful gable, at the top of which is etched 1540, the year Katharina gave Luther the gift. On each side of the doorway a small stone seat is tucked beneath a stone awning. A portrait of Luther is carved into the underside of the left awning; under the right awning is carved the Luther coat of arms, which includes a rose, its petals encircling a heart and a cross. The letters V.I.V.I.T.—spelling “He lives” in Latin, referring to Christ—are engraved around the coat of arms. According to Luther, the letters also represent the first five words of his personal motto, which the Reformer took with him to his grave. Luther never revealed his personal motto to anyone, saying only that the five letters represented German words connected to faith and God. The words “Etatis sue 57,” indicating Luther’s age, are engraved around his portrait, along with Isaiah 30:15, one of Luther’s favorite verses: “In quiet and hope will be my strength.”1 Katharina clearly put a great deal of thought into the doorway’s design, which highlights elements of Luther’s faith and personality in intricate detail. The doorway is a love letter of sorts, an intimate portrait of Katharina’s devotion to her husband.
This carved doorway, called the Katharinenportal, was given by Katharina as a gift to Luther on his fifty-seventh birthday. [Onnola, “Lutherstadt Wittenberg—Katharinenportal am Lutherhaus (1540),” https://www.flickr.com/photos/30845644@N04/13900958438]
Martin Luther and Katharina von Bora each had an agenda when they crossed the threshold of the Black Cloister on June 13, 1525, to marry: Katharina to survive in a world hostile to women; Luther to put his theological beliefs about marriage, grace, and obedience into practice for the world to witness. We don’t know if they walked through the doorway together with confidence or fear, with hope or despair, with excitement or dismay. What we do know is that their motives began to shift with each subsequent step over that threshold. As months and then years passed and their bond as a couple strengthened, Luther and Katharina turned away from their own personal interests and toward each other. As their respect, trust, and love for one another grew, their marriage flourished.
Luther saved Katharina. He rescued her from the convent, from a life she didn’t choose for herself, and offered her security, stability, and a place in a society that regarded her very existence with suspicion. Marriage opened a life of relative freedom to Katharina. As Luther’s wife, she was allowed a voice and a degree of autonomy unavailable to most women, as well as the opportunity to experience the gift of motherhood and to enjoy the status society offered her in that role. In Luther, Katharina also finally found the love, connection, and companionship she had yearned for since childhood.
What history has largely failed to acknowledge, however, is that Katharina saved Luther as well. She first came to him as a burden, a woman abandoned and unwelcome in the world. But what was once a burden grew into an unexpected grace that surprised and delighted Luther with the richness of its gifts.
Luther’s commitment to Katharina began as a test of his charity and a practical expression of his theology. Not only was Katharina instrumental in helping Luther live out his theology, but in loving her, he came to understand how self-sacrifice, empathy, compassion, and love flowed freely out of his love for God. But even beyond that, Katharina was living proof that Luther’s theology and beliefs weren’t just intellectual, theoretical exercises, but real, attainable reforms grounded in human respect and love. Luther thrived as a reformer not only because Katharina served as an astute business, financial, and household manager, but also because she showed him again and again that a love for others, as much as a love for God, was at the core of his beliefs. The Protestant Reformation would have happened without the marriage of Luther and Katharina. But Luther would not have been the same Reformer without Katharina.
Martin and Katharina Luther are arguably the most famous couple in Christian history. A close look at their lives reveals a daily existence shockingly different from our own. Yet as remote as their world is from ours, and as different as they are from us, they also offer us a surprisingly accurate picture of ourselves. In Martin and Katharina we recognize how flawed we are. We see our own stubbornness, pride, self-righteousness, and fears. We recognize our loneliness, isolation, and brokenness; we realize how desperately we need the grace of God. At the same time, we also see in them our own capacity for connection, our triumphs and joys, the depth and breadth of our compassion, the potential within us to love others as well as we love our own selves, and our desire to live wholeheartedly as followers of Christ. In short, the lives of Martin and Katharina Luther point to a common humanity that spans time, distance, and difference.
Many years after he took his first step over the threshold as a husband, Luther acknowledged the challenges inherent in matrimony. “Marriage does not always run smoothly, it is a chancy thing,” he admitted. “One has to commit oneself to it.”2 The day they walked through the doorway of the Black Cloister for the first time as husband and wife, neither Luther nor Katharina could have comprehended the dramatic and lasting impact their commitment would have on the world and on history. Together they changed the institution of marriage and left an enduring legacy as Christian leaders. Yet perhaps even more significantly, Martin and Katharina Luther were also real people not so unlike us—a man and a woman who committed to a “chancy thing” nearly five hundred years ago, and in doing so, continue to teach us much about faith, love, and life today.
Appendix
The following three letters are a small representation of Luther’s correspondence to Katharina that spans the nearly twenty-one years of their marriage.1 Although I quote from his letters extensively throughout this book, reading even a small sample of his correspondence in full offers a deeper perspective on the Luthers’ relationship. The three letters included here represent three periods of their marriage: the early years (1529), the middle years (1540), and the last days (February 1546). Each of the letters also includes an explanatory paragraph that offers some context.
At the end of September 1529, Luther was invited by Landgrave Philip of Hesse to attend a conference in Marburg with Huldrych Zwingli, leader of the Reformation in Switzerland, and German theologian Johannes Oecolampadius to hash out differences of opinion and theology regarding the symbolic interpretation of the Lord’s Supper. At the end o
f the conference, which was called the Marburg Colloquy, both sides declared victory. This letter illustrates Luther’s willingness to talk candidly with Katharina about important and complicated theological and political matters.
To Mrs. Martin Luther
October 4, 1529
Marburg
To my kind, dear Lord, Catherine Luther, a doctor and preacher in Wittenberg:
Grace and peace in Christ, Dear Sir Katie! You should know that our amiable colloquy at Marburg has come to an end, and we are in agreement on almost all points, except that the opposition insists on affirming that there is only simple bread in the Lord’s Supper, and on confessing that Jesus Christ is spiritually present there. Today the Landgrave is negotiating [to see] if we could be united, or whether, even though we continue to disagree, we could not nevertheless mutually consider ourselves brethren, and members of Christ. The Landgrave works hard on this matter. But we do not want this brother-and-member business, though we do want peace and good [will]. I assume that tomorrow or the next day we shall depart here and travel to our Gracious Lord in Schleiz/Vogtland, where His Electoral Grace has ordered us [to go].2
Tell Mr. Pomer3 that the best arguments have been, in Zwingli’s case, that a body cannot exist without a location, therefore Christ’s body is not in the bread, [and] in Oecolampadius’ case, [that] this sacrament is a sign of Christ’s body.4 I assume that God has blinded them so that they had nothing else to offer.
I am very busy, and the messenger is in a hurry. Say “good night” to all, and pray for us! We are all still alert and healthy, and live like kings. Kiss Lenchen and Hänschen on my behalf.5
Your obedient servant,
Martin Luther
John Brenz, Andrew Osiander, [and] Doctor Stephen from Augsburg have also come here.6
The people here have become almost mad with fear of the English fever; about fifty people fell ill yesterday, of whom one or two have [already] passed away.7
This letter was written in July 1540, when Luther was summoned by Elector Johann Frederick to travel to Weimar, where Melanchthon had become gravely ill (Melanchthon had been en route to Hagenau to participate in reconciliation negotiations between Protestant and Roman Catholic theologians). After Melanchthon had recuperated, the two traveled with another friend, Caspar Cruciger, to Eisenach in order to find a solution to Landgrave Philip of Hesse’s bigamy problem. Luther was away from Wittenberg for approximately six weeks. This letter to Katharina is indicative of Luther’s often playful tone with her. It’s also a testament of his trust in her, as he instructs her to assist with the interview process for a pastor in nearby Greussen.
To Mrs. Martin Luther
July 2, 1540
Weimar
To my dearly beloved Katie, Mrs. Doctor Luther, etc., to the lady at the new pig market:
Grace and Peace! Dear Maid Katie, Gracious Lady of Zölsdorf (and whatever other names Your Grace has)! I wish humbly to inform Your Grace that I am doing well here. I eat like a Bohemian and drink like a German; thanks be to God for this. Amen. The reason for this is that Master Philip truly had been dead, and really, like Lazarus, has risen from death.8 God, the dear father, listens to our prayers. This we [can] see and touch [with our hands], yet we still do not believe it. No one should say Amen to such disgraceful disbelief of ours.
I have written to Doctor Pomer, the pastor, that the Count of Schwarzburg is asking that a pastor be sent to Greussen. As a wise woman and doctor, you, with Master George Major and Master Ambrose, might also give counsel to which of the three candidates I suggested to Pomer might be convinced [to go].9 It is not a bad parish. Yet you people are wise and will find a better solution [than I suggested].
There at Arnstadt the pastor has driven a devil out of a young girl in a truly Christian way. Regarding this event we say: may the will of God, who is still alive, be done, even though the devil should be sorry about this.10
I have received the letters from the children, also the one from the baccalaureus (who is no child)—(Marushe [is] also not [one])—but from Your Grace I have received nothing.11 If it please God, then you might now, at least once, answer this, the fourth letter, with your gracious hand.
I am sending along with Master Paul the silver apple which my Gracious Lord presented to me.12 As I previously said, you may divide it among the children and ask them how many cherries and apples they would wish in exchange for it; give them these at once, and you retain the stalk, etc.
Give my heart greetings and good will to our dear boarders, especially to Doctor Severus or Schiefer, and tell them to help in all affairs of the church, school, house—wherever the need arises.13 Also [tell] Master George Major and Master Ambrose to help you around the house. By God’s will we shall be here until Sunday, and then, with Philip, we shall travel from Weimar to Eisenach.
With this I commend you to God. Tell our Lycaon not to neglect the mulberries by oversleeping; of course, he won’t oversleep unless he forgets about it.14 Also, he should tap the wine at the right time. All of you be happy and pray. Amen.
Martin Luther
who loves you from his heart
This letter, one of the last written to Katharina before Luther died on February 18, illustrates both his humor and his deep concern and care for his wife. He attempts to ease her anxieties by joking about the misfortunes that have befallen him in recent days, and he urges her to release her worries to God.
To Mrs. Martin Luther
February 10, 1546
Eisleben
To the holy lady, full of worries, Mrs. Catherine Luther, doctor, the lady of Zölsdorf, at Wittenberg, my gracious, dear mistress of the house:
Grace and peace in Christ! Most holy Mrs. Doctor! I thank you very kindly for your great worry which robs you of sleep. Since the date that you [started to] worry about me, the fire in my quarters, right outside the door of my room, tried to devour me; and yesterday, no doubt because of the strength of your worries, a stone almost fell on my head and nearly squashed me as in a mouse trap. For in our secret chamber mortar has been falling down for about two days; we called in some people who [merely] touched the stone with two fingers and it fell down. The stone was as big as a long pillow and as wide as a large hand; it intended to repay you for your holy worries, had the dear angels not protected [me]. [Now] I worry that if you do not stop worrying the earth will finally swallow us up and all the elements will chase us. Is this the way you learned the Catechism and the faith? Pray, and let God worry. You have certainly not been commanded to worry about me or about yourself. “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you,” as is written in Psalm 55[:22] and many more passages.
We are chipper and healthy, praise be to God, except that that affair is disgusting to us and that Jonas would also like to have a bad calf; and so he accidentally bumped into a chest. So great is human envy that he did not want me to have a bad calf all by myself.15
With this I commend you to God. We would gladly be free [of the matter] now and drive home, if God would will it. Amen.
Your Holiness’ willing
servant,
Martin Luther
Notes
Abbreviations Used in Notes
LW: Jaroslav Pelikan and Helmut T. Lehmann, gen. eds., Luther’s Works, American Edition, 55 vols. (St. Louis: Concordia; Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1955–1986).
WA: D. Martin Luthers Werke, 67 vols. (Weimar: Hermann Bohlaus Nachfolger, 1883–1997).
WA, TR [Table Talk]: D. Martin Luthers Werke: Kritische Gesamtausgabe, Tischreden, 6 vols. (Weimar: Hermann Bohlaus Nachfolger, 1912–1921).
WA, BR [Correspondence]: D. Martin Luthers Werke: Kritische Gesamtausgabe, Briefwechsel (Weimar: Hermann Bohlaus Nachfolger, 1930–1970).
Introduction
1. Martin Brecht, Martin Luther: His Road to Reformation, 1483–1521, trans. James L. Schaff (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1895), 3:376.
2. LW, vol. 50, 311; Letter from Martin Luther to Katharina Luther, February 1
4, 1546.
3. Ernst Kroker, The Mother of the Reformation: The Amazing Life and Story of Katharine Luther, trans. Mark E. DeGarmeaux (St. Louis: Concordia, 2013), 221.
4. LW, vol. 50, 291; Letter from Martin Luther to Katharina Luther, February 1, 1546.
5. LW, vol. 50, 302; Letter from Martin Luther to Katharina Luther, February 7, 1546.
6. Ibid.
7. Ibid.
8. LW, vol. 50, 305; Letter from Martin Luther to Katharina Luther, February 10, 1546.
9. Ibid.
10. Ibid.
Chapter 1 To the Cloister School
1. Moritz Meurer, Katharina Luther geb. Von Bora, 2nd ed. (Leipzig, Germany: Justus Naumann, 1873); quoted in an endnote in Rudolf K. Markwald and Marilynn Morris Markwald, Katharina von Bora: A Reformation Life (Saint Louis: Concordia, 2002), 204.
2. Martin Treu, “Katharina von Bora: The Woman at Luther’s Side,” Lutheran Quarterly XIII (1999): 157.
3. Merry Wiesner, Gender, Church and State in Early Modern Germany: Essays by Merry E. Wiesner (London: Addison Wesley Longman Limited, 1998), 116.
4. Ibid., 124.
5. Markwald and Markwald, Katharina von Bora, 15.
6. Kroker, Mother of the Reformation, 108.
7. Markwald and Markwald, Katharina von Bora, 14–17.
8. Ibid., 22.
9. Michelle DeRusha, 50 Women Every Christian Should Know: Learning from Heroines of the Faith (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2014), 19.
10. Kroker, Mother of the Reformation, 10.
Katharina and Martin Luther Page 23