Martin Luther (* 10. November 1483 in Eisleben, County of Mansfeld; † 18. February 1546 ibid) was a German Augustinian monk and theology professor who became the originator of the Reformation. He saw God's promise of grace and justification through Jesus Christ as the sole basis of the Christian faith. On this basis, he wanted to eliminate the undesirable developments of the Roman Catholic Church at the time and restore it to its original Protestant form (“reform”). Contrary to Luther's intention, a church split occurred during the Reformation, from which Evangelical Lutheran churches and other Protestant denominations emerged. The Luther Bible, Luther's theology and church politics contributed to profound changes in European society and culture in the early modern period. Last but not l.