{"product_id":"martin-luther-isbn-9781101980019","title":"Martin Luther","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNEW YORK TIMES \u003c\/i\u003eBESTSELLER\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Metaxas is a scrupulous chronicler and has an eye for a good story. . . . full, instructive, and pacey.” \u003ci\u003e—The Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author Eric Metaxas comes a brilliant and inspiring biography of the most influential man in modern history, Martin Luther, in time for the 500th anniversary of the Reformation\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e On All Hallow’s Eve in 1517, a young monk named Martin Luther posted a document he hoped would spark an academic debate, but that instead ignited a conflagration that would forever destroy the world he knew. Five hundred years after Luther’s now famous Ninety-five Theses appeared, Eric Metaxas, acclaimed biographer of the bestselling \u003ci\u003eBonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eAmazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery\u003c\/i\u003e, paints a startling portrait of the wild figure whose adamantine faith cracked the edifice of Western Christendom and dragged medieval Europe into the future. Written in riveting prose and impeccably researched, \u003ci\u003eMartin Luther\u003c\/i\u003e tells the searing tale of a humble man who, by bringing ugly truths to the highest seats of power, caused the explosion whose sound is still ringing in our ears. Luther’s monumental faith and courage gave birth to the ideals of liberty, equality, and individualism that today lie at the heart of all modern life.“A meticulously researched and detailed account of Luther’s life and times . . . a very human portrait. . . . Metaxas is a scrupulous chronicler and has an eye for a good story. The result is full, instructive, and pacey.” \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—The Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Metaxas knows how to tell a story and how to develop characters, and this talent makes his narrative at once gripping and accessible . . . an excellent glimpse of the whole of Luther’s life.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—The New York Times Book Review (Editors' Choice)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Mr. Metaxas has a knack for capturing the heart and mind of his subjects . . . his conclusions about the 16th-century revolutionary are uniquely Metaxas, a deep and thoughtful writer with much to teach the world.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—The Washington Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A new magisterial biography . . . another epic work [from Eric Metaxas] . . . Extensively researched . . . A beautifully balanced separation of fact from fiction.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Hugh Hewitt\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e“If you had to make a list of five people who shaped the modern West, Martin Luther would be on it. Yet almost everything you think you know about Luther is wrong, as Eric Metaxas shows in this brilliant biography. This is an amazing story, beautifully told. You’ll emerge wiser.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Tucker Carlson, host of \u003ci\u003eTucker Carlson Tonight\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“When Martin Luther made it possible to read the Bible for yourself, he did more than anyone else to create the future. Read this book for yourself to understand the story we’re all still living through.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Peter Thiel, cofounder of PayPal, entrepreneur, and author of \u003ci\u003eZero to One\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “A marvelous, brilliant book that is equal parts biography, theology, political philosophy, and cultural history. With a light and rapid touch that nonetheless is capable of conveying deep truths and insights, Metaxas deftly blends these many elements into a narrative that reads as compellingly as a novel. I imagine that Luther himself—not an easy man to please—would be deeply impressed by this master portraiture.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Mark Helprin, bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eWinter’s Tale\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eA Soldier of the Great War\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Brilliant . . . powerful . . . a must read.” \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Mike Huckabee\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “A very, very good book.” \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Fox News\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Metaxas’s \u003ci\u003eMartin Luther\u003c\/i\u003e is a breathtaking achievement and a gripping read. Bold, fast-paced, and magisterial like its hero, yet always stylish and witty like its author, this account blows the cobwebs off long-settled expectations, and helps us to understand the man who shook the medieval world and helped to shape the modern world.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Os Guinness, author of \u003ci\u003eImpossible People\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Eric Metaxas has blessed us with yet another indispensable biography. With his customary verve and elegance, profound reverence, and biting wit, Metaxas’s \u003ci\u003eMartin Luther \u003c\/i\u003eis an education in the meaning of man’s relation to God. It makes Luther’s life come alive and illuminates how deeply that life has affected our own.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Bret Lott, bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eJewel\u003c\/i\u003e and nonfiction editor of \u003ci\u003eCrazyhorse\u003c\/i\u003e magazine\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “As with his seminal work on Bonhoeffer, Eric Metaxas, in this extraordinary work on Martin Luther, reveals those nuances that made Luther the force that he was. As the details gather in the book, you soon feel the presence of the man himself.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Dr. Gerald L. Schroeder, lecturer and teacher at College of Jewish Studies Aish HaTorah’s Discovery Seminar\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “This massive but eminently readable biography of Luther deserves no less an adjective than ‘formidable.’ Eric Metaxas is to religious biographers what Pixar is to cartoons.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Peter Kreeft, author of \u003ci\u003eCatholics and Protestants: What Can We Learn from Each Other?\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “Extraordinary. A tour de force.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Johnnie Moore, Jr., founder of The Kairos Company\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“If you wish to know why Martin Luther is remembered as one of the most consequential figures in history, and why Eric Metaxas has emerged as one of the most prominent storytellers of our generation, you’ll find the answers in this book. Eric’s skill as a writer and biographer are on full display here, even as he corrects the myths and secures the history of a monk who changed the world.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—John Stonestreet, president of the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“One of the most engaging, inspiring, and entertaining books on Luther I've ever read. Every page a joy.”\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e —J.D. Greear, pastor of The Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, NC\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“Deeply researched and surprising.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—Tampa Bay Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Metaxas is the best storyteller among the Luther biographers.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—WORLD \u003c\/i\u003emagazine\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Outstanding . . . full of clever turns of phrase and humor that makes the incredible story of Luther all the more accessible.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—ChristianHeadlines.com\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A biography designed to peel back the myths and reveal Luther as the fascinating and influential man he was . . . A fast, easy read.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eThe Houston Chronicle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e “Metaxas offers something different and special . . . the author’s fast-paced style and attention to interesting details sets this 450-page book apart.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Institute for Faith, Work \u0026amp; Economics\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Turns some centuries-long legends upside down.” \u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e—The Blaze\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e“A masterful portrait of a seminal figure.” \u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e (starred review)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A meaty autobiography of the Reformation leader. Metaxas brings his flair for epic biography that was on such impressive display in his 2010 book, \u003ci\u003eBonhoeffer\u003c\/i\u003e . . . Metaxas offers something different and special.” \u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eKirkus\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eReviews\u003c\/i\u003e (starred review)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“Highly readable, fast-paced . . . cheerful.” \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eEric Metaxas\u003c\/b\u003e is the #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eIf You Can Keep It\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eBonhoeffer\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eAmazing Grace\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eMiracles\u003c\/i\u003e. His books have been translated into more than twenty-five languages. His writing has appeared in \u003ci\u003eThe Wall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e, and Metaxas has appeared as a cultural commentator on CNN, the Fox News Channel, and MSNBC. He is the host of \u003ci\u003eThe Eric Metaxas Show\u003c\/i\u003e, a nationally syndicated daily radio show. Metaxas is also the founder and host of \u003ci\u003eSocrates in the City\u003c\/i\u003e, the acclaimed series of conversations on “life, God, and other small topics,” featuring Malcolm Gladwell, Dick Cavett, and Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, among many others. He is a senior fellow and lecturer at large at the King’s College in New York City, where he lives with his wife and daughter.chapter one\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Beyond the Myths\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e There is no beginning to the story of Martin Luther. This is      because in telling the genuinely extraordinary story of a      genuinely extraordinary human being, one immediately stumbles over      two perfect conundrums, both of which make a clean beginning      impossible. One is calendric, and the other is so odd that it can      hardly help seeming more than coincidental.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The first and calendric conundrum is that-although we now know far      more about Martin Luther than about anyone from his era and      possess endless corroborative documentation about him-we cannot      establish one of the simplest and most foundational facts of all:      the year in which he was born. We are sure of the date of his      birth, November 10, and we are even sure of the hour, which was      just past midnight, according to his mother. But the year, alas,      eludes us. Much for this reason, Luther would heap scorn upon      astrological prognostications of any kind during his      life-especially those of his future co-conspirator Melanchthon, a      dedicated devotee of this art. Luther always maintained that he      was probably born in 1484, but neither Luther nor even his own      mother could be sure, and current reckoning puts it more likely at      either 1482 or 1483, with the preponderance of evidence favoring      the latter, so that in the course of this book we shall use that      year.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The second conundrum is of another order entirely. We know that on      November 11-the day following his birth-the infant was bundled and      trundled a mere hundred yards away from his home to the      awe-inspiring majesty of the Church of SS. Peter and Paul, there      to be baptized and forever snatched from the gaping maw of      everlasting fire and death. Because November 11 was St. Martin's      Day-the feast day of Saint Martin of Tours-the child was given the      saint's name, a common enough practice at that time. But      unbeknownst to Luther's parents, there was a detail of this      saint's life that would one day form an eerie and seemingly      prophetic parallel with the career of the newborn that day named      for him.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Saint Martin lived in the fourth century. He was born in what is      today Hungary; grew up in what is today Pavia, Italy; and spent      most of his adult life in what is today France, all three of which      at that time were within the borders of the Roman Empire. He      became a Christian at an early age, despite his father's      disapproval, and was enlisted in the Roman army. One day while in      the Gallic provinces-it was in the town of Borbetomagus, in what      is today central Germany-the future saint was ordered to      participate in a battle. But in the belief that shedding blood was      not consonant with his deep Christian convictions, Martin bravely      declared, \"I am a soldier of Christ. I cannot fight.\" For this      shocking refusal to submit to this duty assigned him, he was      imprisoned and charged with cowardice, but he turned this charge      on its head by then volunteering to go to the front lines unarmed,      because he did not fear for his life, only that he might take the      life of another. In the end, the battle did not take place, and he      was released from duty, shortly thereafter becoming a monk. The      Roman city called Borbetomagus where this Martin took the      death-defying stand for his faith that set him on his path of      sainthood would in the future become known as the German city of      Worms. Thus, eleven centuries from when this first Martin took his      Christian stand against the Roman Empire, the second Martin would      take his Christian stand against the Holy Roman Empire-in      precisely the same place. So on the second day of his life, Martin      Luther was linked with both the distant historic past and his own      historic future.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The world into which Luther was born was the world that had      existed unchanged for many centuries. It was a world separated by      an infinite ocean from the vast continents we know now as the      Americas. Christopher Columbus was during this time sailing and      trading along the West African coast, with no idea that within a      decade he would daringly set out across the Atlantic in three      caravels. The printing press was in its earliest infancy, having      been invented some forty years earlier by Johannes Gutenberg, and      although the great schism of 1054 had separated Eastern      Christianity from Western, the idea that the vast seamless      universe of the Holy Catholic Church led by the pope might be      challenged and then riven forever was perfectly nonexistent.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Martin Luther was born in the final year of the reign of Pope      Sixtus IV, one of a series of six popes at once so comically      bungling and tragically scandalous that it was almost as though      this sextet had deliberately placed their collective corruptions      in a papier-m‰chŽ monster, hung it from a tree, and begged an      Augustinian monk to take a dozen or so good whacks at it. But for      the name his parents had given him, there is nothing in the      childhood or the upbringing-or even the early adulthood-of Martin      Luther to suggest him as a candidate for the extraordinary life      that followed.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Before we pluck Martin's woven basket from the cattails and      proceed further, we should add that Luther's name was originally      not Luther at all but Luder or Ludher. Luther changed it at some      point later in life, although precisely when and why is unclear.      His father and mother eventually incorporated the change to their      own names, probably because of their son's increasing fame, and      perhaps also because the word Luder had a number of unattractive      associations they preferred to leave behind and thereby relegate      to the squint-eyed netherworld of historical footnotes.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e One of the greatest challenges in telling the story of Martin      Luther is in distancing him from the endless fables, myths, and      tall tales told about him in the last five centuries. The first of      these is that he was born into a family of peasants-that his      father was but a humble miner and that his mother was of even      humbler background and was probably a bathhouse attendant of low      morals. It is only because of very recent archaeological      discoveries that we can put the persistent untruth about Luther's      humble background to sleep.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The fact is that Martin's father-his name was Johannes, so he was      called Hans-was indeed a man of great intelligence and fire.      Although it is often said he was a miner, he was certainly no day      laborer, but was in fact an ambitious and ultimately successful      entrepreneur in the mining business. He owned several smelting      works and moved to Eisleben with his young wife, there to discover      and exploit the rich veins of copper that spidered beneath the      forested lands of that region. His young wife, Margarethe, was      from the local Lindemann family, who were established, prominent,      and quite well-to-do burghers in the Eisenach area. In fact, one      of them became mayor of the town in 1497. Two of Martin's first      cousins-the sons of his mother's eldest brother-made names for      themselves: one became a doctor of law and an electoral councillor      in Saxony, and the other studied in Leipzig, Frankfurt, and      Bologna, becoming a medical doctor who served as the personal      physician to Elector Frederick the Wise and sometimes treated      Luther. In the last years of his life, he taught medicine at the      University of Wittenberg, while Luther lived there. The humble      beginnings often attributed to Luther's parents, and especially to      his mother, are part of the sometimes misleading hagiographic      narrative that sprang into being after his death.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e We may also assume that the well-to-do Lindemann family lent Hans      Luther the substantial amount of money needed for him to get his      start in the risky copper-smelting business. Luther's father knew      that to make good on the serious investment his in-laws had made      in him and his business would be difficult, and that it was. He      worked very hard and clearly expected his son Martin to be a part      of the larger plan. Because Martin was exceedingly bright, Hans      planned an excellent education and a subsequent legal career for      him.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e We may also assume that the Ludhers were no more or less religious      than most people of their time and social station, which is to say      they took God and the church very seriously. They almost certainly      had a shrine in their home to Saint Anne, which not the Bible but      Christian tradition declared was the name of Mary's mother, who      became the patron saint of miners. The reason for this is that her      womb was said to have borne two inestimable jewels. From her own      womb had come Mary, and then from Mary's womb had come Jesus.      Anyone whose womb had  produced these eternal treasures could      hardly be improved upon as a patron saint for those making their      livings searching for treasures themselves.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Recent Archaeological Discoveries\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e A resounding boon to Luther studies arrived in very recent years      via archaeological discoveries in the city of Mansfeld, where      Luther lived from the age of six months until he went off to      school in Magdeburg. Most remarkable, in an excavation begun in      2003, the small and humble house in Mansfeld where for centuries      Luther was said to have been raised was demonstrated to be merely      one-third of the actual house in which his family lived. Thus, as      we have already stated, Luther's reference to himself in later      years as the son of \"peasants\" and \"poor miners\" is proven to have      been a typically Lutheran admixture of humility and hyperbole.      Contrary to the five centuries of myths born of this      self-characterization, he was raised in a well-appointed home. The      measure of how well can be taken from another (2008)      archaeological discovery on the site of that home. It was then      that a \"previously unknown brick-lined cellar room\" from the time      of Luther's childhood was discovered, and it was bursting with      such a dazzling variety of household waste as to constitute a      veritable King Tut's tomb of the late fifteenth-century quotidian.      The forensic details that emerge illuminate the day-to-day life of      the Luthers during this time. That Martin and his family handled      these long-buried objects in the course of their lives five      centuries ago is simply remarkable to consider, as is the scale      and breadth of the find. The findings confirm the idea that this      was not the home of poor or humble people but, on the contrary,      the home of a very respectable and established leading family of      the city.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e [AQ: eas? add usage?]\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Not less than seven thousand animal bones were analyzed, and from      these it was determined that 60 percent of the Luther family diet      was pork. The porcine fragments came principally from \"young,      fully grown\" animals, whose meat was more expensive than that of      older, less flavorful hogs. Thirty percent of the bones were from      sheep and goats, and the remaining 10 percent from cattle. More      than two thousand bones from domestic fowl were identified, most      of them goose, also higher on the price scale than other options.      Young chickens were also eaten regularly, \"along with the      occasional duck or pigeon.\" Some of the goose bones discovered had      been turned into pipes with drilled stops, indicating they had      been used as birdcalls, to lure smaller songbirds, which were      commonly part of the menu in German homes for many centuries.      Finally, the local fishes carefully plucked and identified      included freshwater species such as \"carp, bream, roach, asp,      pike, pike-perch, perch, and eel.\" There was also a significant      presence of imported saltwater fishes, including \"herring, cod,      and plaice,\" which would have arrived at the Luther house either      dried or salted.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e But more revealing yet in this 2008 trove were the objects of      kitchen life. A number of Grapen were found. These were the      earthenware tripod pots put directly into the fire. Some fragments      of much rarer metal Grapen pots were discovered too. These were so      valuable they are often mentioned in wills from that era. The      shards of whimsical IgelgefŠsse (hedgehog vessels) were also      found, as well as the remnants of \"stemmed glasses, knobbed      glasses, and ribbed beakers.\" The knife handles and all else      bespeak a household of upper-middle-class prosperity.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The archaeologists discovered many of the toys with which Martin      and his three brothers likely played. Seven marbles of irregular      sizes were recovered, indicating that they were probably made at      home and fired in Frau Luther's hearth. The \"phalanx bone\" of a      cow with a drilled hole was also found, and it is believed this      hole would have been filled with molten lead and this and      similarly weighted bones used as children's bowling pins. The      background of Brueghel the Elder's famous painting Children's      Games depicts just such an activity. There was also a Pfeifvogel      (bird whistle) that \"could be filled with water to produce a      warbling song.\" There is even a curious little object that was      identified as a miniature replica of the \"nut\"-part of the trigger      mechanism-of a crossbow. It seems this was from a toy crossbow      that belonged to Martin and his brothers, and so now, to the many      images we have of Luther in our collective cultural memory, we      must add this new one of him as a boy mischievously chasing and      shooting his brothers with this toy crossbow. To be sure, the son      of \"poor peasants\" would hardly have had access to something so      fanciful and expensive. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e A potentially tantalizing mystery of this great trash heap,      however, reveals itself in the variety of valuable objects that      are scattered throughout those less valuable. We have no      difficulty fathoming why someone would throw away a fishbone, but      why brass aglets and buttons, an embroidered purse affixed to a      belt, or even some silver coins? One current theory holds that      about 1505, immediately after Luther had become a monk against his      father's wishes, the plague struck Mansfeld, as it did many times      during these centuries. It is believed that two of Martin's      brothers perished. According to the medical advice of that time,      all of the clothes and bedclothes of someone who had died from the      plague would have to be burned. As the rooms of those who had died      were cleared out, some more valuable objects could have been mixed      in with the others, thus accounting for this otherwise strange and      highly revealing find. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Luther's Relationship with His Father\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Another fable that has clung like a burr to Luther's story is the      canard of Luther's father being so impossibly strict and      perpetually glowering that it resulted in the boy's eventual      rebellion against not just his earthly father but his heavenly      father too. Whereas no one should doubt that Hans Luther would      have clouted his son about the head when the situation demanded      it-and what boy would not create situations along these lines from      time to time?-such corporal discipline was de rigueur at that      time, and not only then but throughout nearly all of the history      and cultures of the world. So to attach some significance to it is      to embrace an anachronism. If corporal punishment of this kind had      anything like the effect so strongly suggested, the world would      have been filled with nothing but Luthers throughout the      centuries. Luther's upbringing, from all we know, was about as      typical as can be, and the only thing that would be worth      remarking on, given the ubiquitous practice of physical parental      discipline, would be if we had information that Luther's father      had indeed spared the rod. Martin's father once disciplined his      son so severely that the young Martin withdrew from his father for      some time, whether out of fear or anger. But again, this is hardly      beyond what we might expect, nor was Herr Luther the only one to      be at times severe. In later years, Luther would recall how his      dear mother once beat him-\"until the blood flowed\"-for the      terrible crime of having filched a single nut.","brand":"Viking","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46303317721317,"sku":"NP9781101980019","price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781101980019.jpg?v=1767732301","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/martin-luther-isbn-9781101980019","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}