The Mother of the Reformation: The Amazing Life and Story of Katharine Luther

Kroker paints an intimate picture of Katie and of family life in the Black Cloister during the formative years of the Reformation, showing how Katie’s marriage to Martin Luther was a multifaceted vocation, with such tasks as household brew mistress, cloister landlady, property overseer, gardener, cow- and pig-herder, and fishwife. Indeed, Katie oversaw their home much like a “lord” in her kingdom, yet in the midst of it all stood the man to whom her work, concern, and duty were directed.

 

This readable, fresh translation of one of the standard biographical works on Katie Luther presents a compelling portrait for those desiring to know more about this quietly influential Reformation character. Mark DeGarmeaux brings the warmth of Kroker’s writing to a new generation of those interested in the Reformation and especially in Katie, the woman behind the hammer.

 

Rev. Mark E. DeGarmeaux is a professor and former chaplain at Bethany Lutheran College, Mankato, MN, and was a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod Worship Committee. He has translated a number of works from the original German and Norwegian to English.