Of all the holidays in October, Reformation Day is probably the least well known. It aligns with All Saints Day and Halloween in the United States. In Germany, it’s a public holiday.

[Read the Bible Gateway Blog post, 7 Ways to Capture the Reformation Spirit at Bible Gateway]

Unlike Halloween, it has nothing to do with candy, but you could say it’s led to the nourishment for many souls around the world. It represents centuries of theological study and reflection.

Imagine how, in 1517, the small act of a monk named Martin Luther in Whittenberg, Germany, nailing 95 Theses to the door of a church on the eve of All Saints Day sparked revolutionary worldwide change.

Luther’s Theses were translated into German from their original Latin and were widely distributed. Outside Germany people like John Calvin, Ulrich Zwingli, and John Knox demanded similar change. The reformers believed Scripture alone held authority for Christians. And what that means for most of us today is that the Word of God became more broadly available.

With the Bible now translated into hundreds of languages—nearly 75 languages (and over 200 versions) on Bible Gateway alone—we can celebrate how the Word of God is available across the globe. We can study and compare different Bible versions in multiple languages, compare passages, and really dig in as individuals to learn on our own.

It’s been over 500 years since this famous act by Martin Luther that eventually resulted in getting your favorite translation on Bible Gateway and providing free access to the Word of God.

To commemorate Reformation Day, we encourage you to compare Bible versions on Bible Gateway. Learn their differences and similarities and dig into the over 50 Bible Gateway Plus resources to learn more about the beginning of Christian history.

Use Study Bibles, like the NRSV Cultural Backgrounds Bible and the NIV First Century Bible to explore the book of Acts to learn themes around the coming of the Holy Spirit, God’s purpose, and the movement of the gospel from Jerusalem to Rome.

Be like the Reformers. Dig into Scripture. Search for understanding. And discover how Scripture fits in your life. Join Bible Gateway Plus today.

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