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Primary sourceBookSeptember 1522

September Testament

Martin Luther · September 1522

Luther's German translation of the New Testament, completed in weeks at the Wartburg and printed in September 1522 with Cranach's woodcuts.

Luther's own German translation of the New Testament, a central achievement of his Reformation project.

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Close photo of a page from a 16th-century German printed book in black-letter type, headed 'Zu den Romern' and 'III', with the chapter beginning 'Das Vierde Lapitel' and marginal glosses on the right. The page is Romans chapter 3 from Luther's New Testament.
Martin Luther, September Testament, 1522. Romans 3, JHU Hofmann Collection, Baltimore.

About this source

What it is

The first edition of Martin Luther's German translation of the New Testament, published in September 1522. Luther translated it during his stay at the Wartburg Castle, and the printed edition included woodcuts designed by Lucas Cranach the Elder. A surviving copy, shown here open at Romans 3, is held in the JHU Hofmann Collection, Baltimore.

Why it matters

This translation made the New Testament directly accessible to German-speaking readers rather than only to Latin-literate clergy. It was a major step in the Reformation's push for ordinary people to read scripture themselves, and it later formed part of the complete Luther Bible. The chapter shown, Romans 3, deals with justification by faith, a central idea in Luther's theology.

Look closer

  • Why would translating the Bible into German matter so much for who could read and interpret scripture?
  • What do the marginal notes on the page tell us about how Luther wanted readers to understand the text?
  • Why might Luther have worked with Cranach on the illustrations rather than leaving the text unillustrated?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Martin Luther on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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