The time of reformations had begun before Martin Luther was born. Yet, Luther went on become the loudest voice of the Later Medieval Reformation. Martin Luther was born on November 11 of 1483. His family was of the middle class and understood that education was key to advancing through society. As such, Luther studied rigorously and in 1505 graduated with a Master 's degree from the University of Erfurt. Instead of returning to the university to study law, Luther was caught up in a storm. He vowed, if he survived the storm, to join a monastic order. So, in 1505, instead returning to study law, Martin Luther joined the Augustinian hermits at Erfurt. In 1506, Luther took his vows to be a professed hermit. In these vows, he pledged "obedience to God, to Mary, and to the prior general of the Order." Nowhere in these vows did he pledge to obey the Pope or the papacy. He went on to challenge the power held by the Pope and faced all of the difficulties that come with challenging the known authority. By 1517, Luther penned a document calling out the Catholic Church for its corruption through indulgences. His "Ninety-Five Theses" proposed two ideas: that the Bible is the central religious authority and that humans can only reach salvation through faith, not deeds. These ideas were not new but Luther used the unrest of the times to grab a foothold for his opinions. "Luther is the swinging door" of the Reformation. His writings and sermons changed religious and cultural history of