After living in a convent since the age of three, Katherine Von Bora, and several other nuns, were ready to leave the cloister after hearing about Luther’s Biblical teaching. When Luther received word of this, he encouraged a merchant friend, Merchant Kopp, to help them get out. While, Kopp was making a routine delivery to the convent he bundled 12 nuns into his wagon in empty fish barrels. Luther helped the nuns to find homes and a husbands. However, after two years Katherine still did not have a husband.
It took some persuasion from family and friends, but Katherine agreed to marry Luther. She moved into his monastery and helped to bring some much needed order and structure into Luther’s everyday life. After the first year of marriage Luther wrote a friend, "There is a lot to get used to in the first year of marriage. One wakes up in the morning and finds a pair of pigtails on the pillow which were not there before." He must have liked the changes that his new wife brought into his life; he later exclaimed to a friend, "There is no bond on earth so sweet, nor any separation so bitter, as that which occurs in a good marriage."
She managed the finances, along with raising 6 children, mending a vegetable garden, orchard, fishpond and barnyard animals, so Luther’s mid could be free to thinking about his writings, teachings, and ministering. Luther would refer to her as the "morning star of Wittenberg" for all the work she was able to do.
After Martin's death in 1546, she lived only six more years. Just long enough to see her all of children, except Magdalena who had died young, achieve positions of influence.
Sources:
http://www.reformationtours.com/site/490868/page/204052
Very interesting! I am curious as to how her life was after Luther's death. I wonder if she was taken care of by friends of Luther or if she went through hard times.
ReplyDeleteYou bring up an interesting point. I'm not sure. I will have to look that up
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