 About ninety years earlier, Luther had bestowed a powerful legitimacy upon the German language with his translation of the Bible into German, but, as in other European countries, Latin remained the official language of learning for centuries.By the age of 14, Conring had developed into a skilled Latinist, broadly familiar with ancient classical writings and with the leading Latin writers of his own day and region.In 1620, at the age of 14, Conring began to take courses in the philosophy curriculum at the University of Helmstedt, one of the leading northern European universities of its day, where he would study for the next five years.