July 11, 2014

Artifact: Souvenir Sheet Commemorating Martin Luther

Size: 4.25 x 3.25 inches

Date: October 18, 1983

Significance: Issued by the Deutsche Demokratische Republik (DDR), commonly referred to as East Germany, this souvenir sheet (Scott #2378) commemorates the life of Martin Luther, especially his translation of the Bible into German. The stamp was issued the year of the 500th anniversary of his birth. Luther’s translation was revolutionary; for the first time the Bible was available to the common man. No longer was God’s Word understandable only to the clergy and the few who knew Latin, but then everyone in the Holy Roman Empire could either read the Holy Scriptures or hear it read aloud. The stamp on the right of the souvenir sheet has Luther’s initials. The image on the left appears to be the title page of the 1541 edition of Luther’s Bible based on the words in the center, but the woodcut does not match the one done by Lucas Cranach, the Younger. Instead ten coats of arms surround the wording.

Reformation Stamps: As the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017 draws ever closer, more and more items will be introduced to honor the occasion. Postage stamps have commonly been used in recent times to celebrate the Reformation. A few years ago CHI received a collection of stamps commemorating Martin Luther and the Reformation from Ruth Webster. The collection contains over 50 different stamps and first day covers commemorating various events in the life of Martin Luther and other reformers. The stamps in this collection were issued by 12 different countries and range in date from 1933 to 1983. There is a wide variety of imagery from portraits of Luther, reformers and other significant people to buildings and events important to the Reformation.

Interesting Stamps in the Collection

Saar #B83 Issued: April 28, 1951 Image: John Calvin and Martin Luther Observance: 375th anniversary of the Reformation in the Saar region Comments: Saar was a protectorate of France from 1947 to 1956.	Spain #879 Issued: July 30, 1958 Image: Carlos I, King of Spain (Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor) Observance: 400th anniversary of the death of Charles V Comments: Charles V convened the Diet of Worms in 1521 and summoned Martin Luther to recant the “heresies” in his writings.
East Germany #877 Issued: November 23, 1966 Image: Bailiwick at the Wartburg (Luther House) Observance: 900th anniversary of the laying of the foundation of the castle in 1067 Comments: Martin Luther lived here for nearly a year following the Edict of Worms, which declared him a heretic and outlaw. During his stay Luther translated the New Testament into the German language.	East Germany #1386 Issued: July 4, 1972 Image: Margarete Luther, mother of Martin Luther Observance: 500th anniversary of the birth of Lucas Cranach, the Elder Comments: Cranach, a good friend of Martin Luther’s, painted many portraits of Luther, his family and other reformers. Cranach’s work includes this image of Luther’s mother, which he painted in 1527.
Germany #1296 Issued: July 12, 1979 Image: Moses receiving the Ten Commandments Observance: 450th anniversary of Martin Luther’s Catechism	Brazil #1850 Issued: April 18, 1983 Image: Portrait of Martin Luther Observance: 500th anniversary of the birth of Martin Luther

For more information about what is going on in the next three years leading up to the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, go to http://thewittenbergproject.org and http://www.luther2017.com.

Return to Series Homepage