Reformation Day ~ The Reformer and His Wife

Tim Challis has invited bloggers to participate in the "Reformation Day Symposium. So, in that spirit, here are a few interesting and entertaining excerpts from a book* in our study about Catherine Luther.

Born Catherine von Bora January 29, 1499, she married Martin Luther June 13, 1525.

"That they were happy together there can be no doubt, and mutually beneficial. He thanked God for a 'pious and faithful wife' to whom he could safely trust his heart. His 'dear rib' was 'gentle, obedient and kind in all things far beyond my hopes. I would not exchange my poverty with her, for all the riches of Croesus with her.' Again he said, 'I would not part from my Katie, no not to gain all France and Venice.' Late in life he said, 'Next to God's Word, his best gift is a pious, cheerful, God-fearing, home-keeping wife with whom you can live in peace and tranquility; to whom you can entrust your goods and body and life' and, to let her know it was not all one way, 'Katie you have a pious husband who loves you; you are a very empress; thanks be to God.'

Oh, there were trials and tribulations in marriage to be sure...'My whole life is patience. I have to have patience with the Pope, heretics, my family, and Katie.' However, he had to admit it was good for him..."

'There is a lot to get used to in the first year of marriage', Luther discovered. 'You wake up in the morning and find a pair of pigtails on the pillow which were not there before.' The pigtails belonged to a determined young lady with a mind of her own...she had a strong sense of her own identity and worth which she would need if she was not to feel swamped and overlooked in her husband's forceful presence. A shrinking violet would not have suited him anyway. His personality needed someone to come up against, someone who would always be herself. He called her 'My lord Katie' or on occasion pronounced her name 'Kette', German for 'chain'. He said that if he wanted an obedient wife he would have to carve one for himself out of stone."

"The letter which Luther wrote to Katie on the 4th shows that she was not merely on the fringe of the Reformation but took an informed interest in the questions of the day.

'Dear Katie,
Our friendly conferences at Marburg (where the leading Swiss and German theologians were endeavouring to reach agreement on a common confession) is almost ended, and we have agreed upon all points except that our opponents maintain that only the bread and wine are presented in the sacraments although admitting Christ's spiritual presence in the elements. Today the Landgrave is making every effort to unite us or at least to make us consider each other as brothers and members of Christ's body. Although we object to being brothers, we wish to live at peace and on good terms. Say to Here Pommer that Zwingli's argument was the best: "Corpus non potest esse sine loco, ergo Christi corpus non est in pane." That of Oecolampadius was, "Sacramentum est signum corporis Christi."

Goodnight to all and pray for us. We are all well and lively, and living like princes....
Your obedient servant, Martin Luther

* Luther and his Katie, by Dolina MacCuish