The Hidden Translator

Wartburg

Hidden in a castle, writing

Luther was riding home from Worms as an outlaw when masked horsemen grabbed him. They were friends, sent by Prince Frederick the Wise. The “kidnapping” was a plan to hide him before his enemies could find him. They took him to the Wartburg, a castle high above the town of Eisenach. There he grew a beard and went by the name Knight George.

He stayed at the Wartburg for nearly ten months. He was restless and often sick, but he kept working. In about eleven weeks, he translated the whole New Testament from Greek into everyday German. It was the German that farmers and families really spoke. When it was printed in 1522, ordinary people could read the Bible in words that sounded like home.

Play this stop

Same story, three ways to learn it.

Word Search Find the names and words from Wartburg's story. Crossword A harder look at the same names and words. Key Terms Match each clue to the word it describes.
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At the kitchen table

A 10-minute guide for parents, grandparents, and mentors

You don't need the answers. Just ask, and listen.

“God who speaks, thank you for your word in our own language. Amen.”

  1. Hiding in a castle, Luther put the New Testament into German so everyone could read it. Why does it matter to read the Bible in your own language?

    Listen for
    So you can understand it yourself instead of being told what it says.

  2. Luther was stuck in hiding and used the time to make something lasting. What would you make with unexpected time?

    If they say “nothing”
    That's honest. Ask what they'd make if they could make anything.

  3. What does this mean for us this week?

    Why this question
    Maybe: read one verse together, in words you both understand.

Share: Show them your Bible and a verse you love.