Martin Luther

Despite the disagreements on the Eucharist the Marburg Colloquy paved the way for the signing in 1530 of the Augsburg Confession and for the formation of the Schmalkaldic League the following year by leading Protestant nobles such as John of Saxony Philip of Hesse and George Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach. Luther rarely encountered Jews during his life but his attitudes reflected a theological and cultural tradition which saw Jews as a rejected people guilty of the murder of Christ and he lived within a local community that had expelled Jews some ninety years earlier. "
Luther next set about reversing or modifying the new church practices.

His translation of the Bible into the vernacular (instead of Latin) made it more accessible which had a tremendous impact on the church and on German culture. Those who identify with Luther's teachings are called Lutherans. His refusal to retract all of his writings at the demand of Pope Leo X in 1520 and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms in 1521 resulted in his excommunication by the pope and condemnation as an outlaw by the Emperor.