Martin Luther entered the Augustinian monastery at Erfurt in 1505 after a vow made during a thunderstorm. The decision moved him from legal study into theology, preaching and biblical interpretation. It was a private spiritual crisis with consequences for the whole print culture of early modern Europe.

Luther's later vernacular Bible and hymns transformed religious reading and congregational song. His turn towards the monastery is therefore a key prelude to Reformation poetry, psalm paraphrase and the enormous pamphlet wars of the sixteenth century.