Martin Luther

Martin Luther (1483-1546) was a German theologian and scholar. His opposition to certain practices and doctrine of the Catholic Church which in turn led to the Protestant Reformation in Europe. Luther held that salvation was attained only through faith in Jesus. For his various theses critical of the Church, Luther was excommunicated and branded an outlaw. Nonetheless, his teachings survived and formed the basis of the Protestant denomination of Lutheranism.

Martin Luther in "But It Does Move"
Although Martin Luther had been dead for nearly a century when Galileo published his Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, the Catholic Church was still feeling the pressures of Luther's theology. Thus, Galileo's advocacy of the Copernican model of the universe was seen as just one more threat to the Church.

This is view is ironic, as Luther himself had dismissed the Copernican model within his lifetime.