1522 ADCode: LUTEarly New High German
Luther German Bible
Translated from original Greek and Hebrew while hiding in the Wartburg Castle, Luther’s Bible standardized the German language and ignited vernacular printing across Europe.
Historical Sources & Antecedents
What Texts and Translations Did This Version Use?
The foundational manuscripts, earlier translations, and polyglots consulted during compilation.
Subsequent Lineage & Revisions
Who In The Future Used This Translation?
Modern revisions, authorized successors, and descendants shaped by this text.
No subsequent descendant translations recorded in our current museum catalog.
Curatorial Commentary
Historical Context & Textual Significance
Following his defense at the Diet of Worms in 1521, Martin Luther was whisked into protective hiding at the Wartburg Castle under the pseudonym "Junker Jörg." In just eleven weeks, he translated the New Testament from Erasmus's Greek into idiomatic High German. Luther insisted on listening to "the mother in her house, the children on the street, the common man in the marketplace" to capture authentic spoken cadences.
Textual Legacy & Impact:
Set the standard for modern written German and served as an inspirational model for William Tyndale and Myles Coverdale.
Where Can You View Original Surviving Copies Today?
Known physical copies preserved in world archives and library vaults.
Wartburg Castle, Eisenach
Wittenberg Lutherhaus
British Library