Martin Luther

For sheer, selfless courage Luther is impossible to outdo and cannot but be admired. Behind that unappealing exterior lies a hero to rival any other. For a thousand years before he came along, the Catholic Church had been one of the great powers on earth, so powerful it even fixed the calendar the world still uses, taking as its pivot the birth of Jesus Christ. It had grown bloated, corrupt and complacent in its rule until along came Martin Luther, a relatively lowly born friar from the backwoods of Germany. He had the courage to take it on, to challenge its bishops, distinguished theologians and even popes, not to mention the princes who were their allies. He did so in the full and certain knowledge that it would most likely cost him his life. He was confronting the might of the first truly universal religion, and doing so in person and often alone with an extraordinary passion, intensity and energy that is all the more admirable for his selflessness. And most remarkable of all: not only did he survive, but he triumphed, and we are all better off because of him.