Vom christlichen Abschied aus diesem tödlichen Leben des ehrwirdigen...

Martin Luther was a persona non grata with Henry VIII, who never forgave him for the obloquy Luther heaped on him in response to Henry’s Assertio septem sacramentorum. Henry wrote an open letter to Luther, printed in two editions (Latin and English) by Richard Pynson in Fleet Street in 1527. Although Lutheranism never gained a substantial following in England, it was the earliest form of Protestantism to make an impact there, with Luther’s insistence upon the biblical principle of justification by faith shattering Catholic Christianity in Britain as elsewhere. Shown here is a detailed account of Luther’s death and funeral by another German reformer, Justus Jonas (1493-1555). Jonas, a friend, colleague and translator of Luther, accompanied Luther on his final journey, from Halle to Eisleben, so was among the circle of supporters, doctors and minor nobility who watched Luther’s death: the death was significant because a ‘good death’ was seen as a sign of salvation, whereas a bad one might imply that the soul was hell-bound. Jonas’s description was rushed into print. A flood of commemorative images followed Luther’s demise. The one here, by Lucas Cranach the Elder, made Luther’s image iconic and instantly recognisable.