95 Theses Martin Luther nailed to the Wittenburg church door The 95 Theses Martin Luther nailed to the Wittenburg church door 1. When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, "Repent" (Mt 4:17), he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance. 2. This word cannot be understood as referring to the sacrament of penance, that is, confession and satisfaction, as administered by the clergy. 3. Yet it does not mean solely inner repentance; such inner repentance is worthless unless it produces various outward mortification of the flesh. 4. The penalty of sin remains as long as the hatred of self (that is, true inner repentance), namely till our entrance into the kingdom of heaven. 5. The pope neither desires nor is able to remit any penalties except those imposed by his own authority or that of the canons. 6. The pope cannot remit any guilt, except by declaring and showing that it has been remitted by God; or, to be sure, by remitting guilt in cases reserved to his judgment. If his right to grant remission in these cases were disregarded, the guilt would certainly remain unforgiven. 7.

God remits guilt to no one unless at the same time he humbles him in all things and makes him submissive to the vicar, the priest. 8. The penitential canons are imposed only on the living, and, according to the canons themselves, nothing should be imposed on the dying. 9. Therefore the Holy Spirit through the pope is kind to us insofar as the pope in his decrees always makes exception of the article of death and of necessity. 10. Those priests act ignorantly and wickedly who, in the case of the dying, reserve canonical penalties for purgatory. 11. Those tares of changing the canonical penalty to the penalty of purgatory were evidently sown while the bishops slept (Mt 13:25). 12. In former times canonical penalties were imposed, not after, but before absolution, as tests of true contrition. 13. The dying are freed by death from all penalties, are already dead as far as the canon laws are concerned, and have a right to be released from them. 14. Imperfect piety or love on the part of the dying person necessarily brings with it great fear; and the smaller the love, the greater the fear.

15. This fear or horror is sufficient in itself, to say nothing of other things, to constitute the penalty of purgatory, since it is very near to the horror of despair. 16. Hell, purgatory, and heaven seem to differ the same as despair, fear, and assurance of salvation. 17. It seems as though for the souls in purgatory fear should necessarily decrease and love increase. 18. Furthermore, it does not seem proved, either by reason or by Scripture, that souls in purgatory are outside the state of merit, that is, unable to grow in love. 19. Nor does it seem proved that souls in purgatory, at least not all of them, are certain and assured of their own salvation, even if we ourselves may be entirely certain of it. 20. Therefore the pope, when he uses the words "plenary remission of all penalties," does not actually mean "all penalties," but only those imposed by himself. 21. Thus those indulgence preachers are in error who say that a man is absolved from every penalty and saved by papal indulgences. 22.

As a matter of fact, the pope remits to souls in purgatory no penalty which, according to canon law, they should have paid in this life. 23. If remission of all penalties whatsoever could be granted to anyone at all, certainly it would be granted only to the most perfect, that is, to very few. 24. For this reason most people are necessarily deceived by that indiscriminate and high-sounding promise of release from penalty. 25. That power which the pope has in general over purgatory corresponds to the power which any bishop or curate has in a particular way in his own diocese and parish. 26. The pope does very well when he grants remission to souls in purgatory, not by the power of the keys, which he does not have, but by way of intercession for them. 27. They preach only human doctrines who say that as soon as the money clinks into the money chest, the soul flies out of purgatory. 28. It is certain that when money clinks in the money chest, greed and avarice can be increased; but when the church intercedes, the result is in the hands of God alone. 29.

Who knows whether all souls in purgatory wish to be redeemed, since we have exceptions in St. Severinus and St. Paschal, as related in a legend. 30. No one is sure of the integrity of his own contrition, much less of having received plenary remission. 31. The man who actually buys indulgences is as rare as he who is really penitent; indeed, he is exceedingly rare. 32. Those who believe that they can be certain of their salvation because they have indulgence letters will be eternally damned, together with their teachers. 33. Men must especially be on guard against those who say that the pope's pardons are that inestimable gift of God by which man is reconciled to him. 34. For the graces of indulgences are concerned only with the penalties of sacramental satisfaction established by man. 35. They who teach that contrition is not necessary on the part of those who intend to buy souls out of purgatory or to buy confessional privileges preach unchristian doctrine. 36. Any truly repentant Christian has a right to full remission of penalty and guilt, even without indulgence letters. 37.

Any true Christian, whether living or dead, participates in all the blessings of Christ and the church; and this is granted him by God, even without indulgence letters. 38. Nevertheless, papal remission and blessing are by no means to be disregarded, for they are, as I have said (Thesis 6), the proclamation of the divine remission. 39. It is very difficult, even for the most learned theologians, at one and the same time to commend to the people the bounty of indulgences and the need of true contrition. 40. A Christian who is truly contrite seeks and loves to pay penalties for his sins; the bounty of indulgences, however, relaxes penalties and causes men to hate them -- at least it furnishes occasion for hating them. 41. Papal indulgences must be preached with caution, lest people erroneously think that they are preferable to other good works of love. 42. Christians are to be taught that the pope does not intend that the buying of indulgences should in any way be compared with works of mercy. 43.

Christians are to be taught that he who gives to the poor or lends to the needy does a better deed than he who buys indulgences. 44. Because love grows by works of love, man thereby becomes better. Man does not, however, become better by means of indulgences but is merely freed from penalties. 45. Christians are to be taught that he who sees a needy man and passes him by, yet gives his money for indulgences, does not buy papal indulgences but God's wrath. 46. Christians are to be taught that, unless they have more than they need, they must reserve enough for their family needs and by no means squander it on indulgences. 47. Christians are to be taught that they buying of indulgences is a matter of free choice, not commanded. 48. Christians are to be taught that the pope, in granting indulgences, needs and thus desires their devout prayer more than their money. 49. Christians are to be taught that papal indulgences are useful only if they do not put their trust in them, but very harmful if they lose their fear of God because of them. 50.

Christians are to be taught that if the pope knew the exactions of the indulgence preachers, he would rather that the basilica of St. Peter were burned to ashes than built up with the skin, flesh, and bones of his sheep. 51. Christians are to be taught that the pope would and should wish to give of his own money, even though he had to sell the basilica of St. Peter, to many of those from whom certain hawkers of indulgences cajole money. 52. It is vain to trust in salvation by indulgence letters, even though the indulgence commissary, or even the pope, were to offer his soul as security. 53. They are the enemies of Christ and the pope who forbid altogether the preaching of the Word of God in some churches in order that indulgences may be preached in others. 54. Injury is done to the Word of God when, in the same sermon, an equal or larger amount of time is devoted to indulgences than to the Word. 55.

It is certainly the pope's sentiment that if indulgences, which are a very insignificant thing, are celebrated with one bell, one procession, and one ceremony, then the gospel, which is the very greatest thing, should be preached with a hundred bells, a hundred processions, a hundred ceremonies. 56. The true treasures of the church, out of which the pope distributes indulgences, are not sufficiently discussed or known among the people of Christ. 57. That indulgences are not temporal treasures is certainly clear, for many indulgence sellers do not distribute them freely but only gather them. 58. Nor are they the merits of Christ and the saints, for, even without the pope, the latter always work grace for the inner man, and the cross, death, and hell for the outer man. 59. St. Lawrence said that the poor of the church were the treasures of the church, but he spoke according to the usage of the word in his own time. 60. Without want of consideration we say that the keys of the church, given by the merits of Christ, are that treasure. 61.

For it is clear that the pope's power is of itself sufficient for the remission of penalties and cases reserved by himself. 62. The true treasure of the church is the most holy gospel of the glory and grace of God. 63. But this treasure is naturally most odious, for it makes the first to be last (Mt. 20:16). 64. On the other hand, the treasure of indulgences is naturally most acceptable, for it makes the last to be first. 65. Therefore the treasures of the gospel are nets with which one formerly fished for men of wealth. 66. The treasures of indulgences are nets with which one now fishes for the wealth of men. 67. The indulgences which the demagogues acclaim as the greatest graces are actually understood to be such only insofar as they promote gain. 68. They are nevertheless in truth the most insignificant graces when compared with the grace of God and the piety of the cross. 69. Bishops and curates are bound to admit the commissaries of papal indulgences with all reverence. 70.

But they are much more bound to strain their eyes and ears lest these men preach their own dreams instead of what the pope has commissioned. 71. Let him who speaks against the truth concerning papal indulgences be anathema and accursed. 72. But let him who guards against the lust and license of the indulgence preachers be blessed. 73. Just as the pope justly thunders against those who by any means whatever contrive harm to the sale of indulgences. 74. Much more does he intend to thunder against those who use indulgences as a pretext to contrive harm to holy love and truth. 75. To consider papal indulgences so great that they could absolve a man even if he had done the impossible and had violated the mother of God is madness. 76. We say on the contrary that papal indulgences cannot remove the very least of venial sins as far as guilt is concerned. 77. To say that even St. Peter if he were now pope, could not grant greater graces is blasphemy against St. Peter and the pope. 78.

We say on the contrary that even the present pope, or any pope whatsoever, has greater graces at his disposal, that is, the gospel, spiritual powers, gifts of healing, etc., as it is written, 1 Co 12[:28]. 79. To say that the cross emblazoned with the papal coat of arms, and set up by the indulgence preachers is equal in worth to the cross of Christ is blasphemy. 80. The bishops, curates, and theologians who permit such talk to be spread among the people will have to answer for this. 81. This unbridled preaching of indulgences makes it difficult even for learned men to rescue the reverence which is due the pope from slander or from the shrewd questions of the laity. 82. Such as: "Why does not the pope empty purgatory for the sake of holy love and the dire need of the souls that are there if he redeems an infinite number of souls for the sake of miserable money with which to build a church? The former reason would be most just; the latter is most trivial. 83.

Again, "Why are funeral and anniversary masses for the dead continued and why does he not return or permit the withdrawal of the endowments founded for them, since it is wrong to pray for the redeemed?" 84. Again, "What is this new piety of God and the pope that for a consideration of money they permit a man who is impious and their enemy to buy out of purgatory the pious soul of a friend of God and do not rather, because of the need of that pious and beloved soul, free it for pure love's sake?" 85. Again, "Why are the penitential canons, long since abrogated and dead in actual fact and through disuse, now satisfied by the granting of indulgences as though they were still alive and in force?" 86. Again, "Why does not the pope, whose wealth is today greater than the wealth of the richest Crassus, build this one basilica of St. Peter with his own money rather than with the money of poor believers?" 87. Again, "What does the pope remit or grant to those who by perfect contrition already have a right to full remission and blessings?" 88.

Again, "What greater blessing could come to the church than if the pope were to bestow these remissions and blessings on every believer a hundred times a day, as he now does but once?" 89. "Since the pope seeks the salvation of souls rather than money by his indulgences, why does he suspend the indulgences and pardons previously granted when they have equal efficacy?" 90. To repress these very sharp arguments of the laity by force alone, and not to resolve them by giving reasons, is to expose the church and the pope to the ridicule of their enemies and to make Christians unhappy. 91. If, therefore, indulgences were preached according to the spirit and intention of the pope, all these doubts would be readily resolved. Indeed, they would not exist. 92. Away, then, with all those prophets who say to the people of Christ, "Peace, peace," and there is no peace! (Jer 6:14) 93. Blessed be all those prophets who say to the people of Christ, "Cross, cross," and there is no cross! 94.

Christians should be exhorted to be diligent in following Christ, their Head, through penalties, death and hell. 95. And thus be confident of entering into heaven through many tribulations rather than through the false security of peace (Acts 14:22). Martin Luther posts 95 theses - Oct 31, 1517 - HISTORY.com This Day in History: 10/31/1517 - Martin Luther Posts Theses In this "This Day in History" video clip learn about different events that have occurred on October 31st. Some of the events include the publishing of Sherlock Holmes and the death of Harry Houdini. Also, the Prime Minister of India was assassinated and Martin Luther posted his 95 theses. Lead Story Martin Luther posts 95 theses Share this: Martin Luther posts 95 theses Author Martin Luther posts 95 theses URL Publisher A+E Networks On this day in 1517, the priest and scholar Martin Luther approaches the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, and nails a piece of paper to it containing the 95 revolutionary opinions that would begin the Protestant Reformation.

In his theses, Luther condemned the excesses and corruption of the Roman Catholic Church, especially the papal practice of asking payment—called “indulgences”—for the forgiveness of sins. At the time, a Dominican priest named Johann Tetzel, commissioned by the Archbishop of Mainz and Pope Leo X, was in the midst of a major fundraising campaign in Germany to finance the renovation of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Though Prince Frederick III the Wise had banned the sale of indulgences in Wittenberg, many church members traveled to purchase them. When they returned, they showed the pardons they had bought to Luther, claiming they no longer had to repent for their sins. Luther’s frustration with this practice led him to write the 95 Theses, which were quickly snapped up, translated from Latin into German and distributed widely. A copy made its way to Rome, and efforts began to convince Luther to change his tune. He refused to keep silent, however, and in 1521 Pope Leo X formally excommunicated Luther from the Catholic Church.

That same year, Luther again refused to recant his writings before the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V of Germany, who issued the famous Edict of Worms declaring Luther an outlaw and a heretic and giving permission for anyone to kill him without consequence. Protected by Prince Frederick, Luther began working on a German translation of the Bible, a task that took 10 years to complete. The term “Protestant” first appeared in 1529, when Charles V revoked a provision that allowed the ruler of each German state to choose whether they would enforce the Edict of Worms. A number of princes and other supporters of Luther issued a protest, declaring that their allegiance to God trumped their allegiance to the emperor. They became known to their opponents as Protestants; gradually this name came to apply to all who believed the Church should be reformed, even those outside Germany. By the time Luther died, of natural causes, in 1546, his revolutionary beliefs had formed the basis for the Protestant Reformation, which would over the next three centuries revolutionize Western civilization.

Related Videos Legends about Luther: 95 Theses Legends about Luther: Nailing the 95 Theses October 31, 1517: Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg with hammer strokes which echoed throughout all of Europe. This act has been portrayed numerous times thoughout the centuries, and until the 21st century it was accepted as fact. It has become a symbol of the Reformation as nothing else has. It was like a slap in the face when the catholic Luther researcher, Erwin Iserloh, asserted in 1961 that the nailing of the theses to the door of the Castle Church belonged to the realm of legends. The facts are convincing, the first written account of the event comes from Philipp Melanchthon who could not have been an eye-witness to the event since he was not called to Wittenberg University as a professor until 1518. Also, this account appeared for the first time after Luther's death and he never commented on 'nailing anything up' in 1517. Announcements of upcoming disputes were supposedly regularly hung on the door of the Castle Church.

But, openly hanging the theses without waiting for a reaction from the Bishops could have been seen as a clear provocation of his superiors. Luther would not have done that because he only wanted to clear up some misunderstandings. It is also worth noting, that there was no open discussion of the theses in Wittenberg and that no original printing of the theses could be found. One thing is sure: Luther wrote a letter to his superiors on October 31, 1517 in which he denounced the sale of indulgence and asked for repayment and removal of the misunderstandings. With the letter he included 95 theses which were to be the basis for a discussion on the topic. Today, the majority of Luther researchers see it as fact, that Luther did not nail his theses to the door of the Castle Church on that day. But the picture of Luther nailing the theses to the door of the church is still today the most common in regards to Luther, the reformation and Lutherstadt Wittenberg . Remarks, critique, praise to the Webmaster (2002-05-27). Reformation Day: Did Martin Luther really nail 95 theses on the castle door?

| AL.com Reformation Day: Did Martin Luther really nail 95 theses on the castle door? Martin Luther hammer.jpg In the current issue of First Things Journal , Samford University Beeson Divinity School Dean Timothy George takes a look back at Martin Luther on Reformation Day: By Timothy George It was around two o'clock in the afternoon on the eve of the Day of All Saints, October 31, 1517, when Martin Luther, hammer in hand, approached the main north door of the Schlosskirche (Castle Church) in Wittenberg. There he nailed up his Ninety-Five Theses protesting the abuse of indulgences in the teaching and practice of the Church of his day. In remembrance of this event, millions of Christians still celebrate this day as the symbolic beginning of the Protestant Reformation. October 31 is not a day for the ghosts and ghouls of Halloween but a time to remember the Reformation, especially what Luther wrote in thesis sixty-two: "The true treasure of the church is the most holy gospel of the glory and grace of God." But did this event really happen?

Erwin Iserloh, a Catholic Reformation scholar, attributed the story of the theses-posting to later myth-making. He pointed to the fact that the story was first told by Philip Melanchthon long after Luther's death. Other Luther scholars rushed to defend the historicity of the hammer blows of Wittenberg. In fact, the door of the Castle Church did serve as the official university bulletin board and was regularly used for exactly the kind of announcement Luther made when he called for a public disputation on indulgences. But whether the event happened at two o'clock in the afternoon--or at all--is not the point. Copies of Luther's theses were soon distributed by humanist scholars all over Europe. Within just a few weeks, an obscure Augustinian monk in a backwater university town had become a household name and was the subject of chatter from Lisbon to Lithuania. Today in Germany, Catholic and Protestant scholars alike are once again studying the Ninety-Five Theses and Luther's lengthy explanations of them. This ecumenical study project is in view of the 500th anniversary commemoration of the Reformation in 2017.

It was not Luther's intention to divide the Church, much less to start a brand new church. To the end of his life, he considered himself to be a faithful and obedient servant of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. Though Luther renounced his monastic vows and married a former nun, Katarina von Bora, he never forgot that he had received a doctorate in Holy Scripture. His vocation was to teach the written Word of God and to point men and women to the Lord of Scripture, Jesus Christ. On this Reformation Day, it is good to remember that Martin Luther belongs to the entire Church, not only to Lutherans and Protestants, just as Thomas Aquinas is a treasury of Christian wisdom for faithful believers of all denominations, not simply for Dominicans and Catholics. This point was recognized not long ago by Franz-Josef Hermann Bode, the Catholic Bishop of Osnabruck in northern Germany, when he preached on Luther at an ecumenical service. "It's fascinating," he said, "just how radically Luther puts God at the center." Luther taught that every human being at every moment of life stands absolutely coram deo, before God, confronted face-to-face by God.

This led him to confront the major misunderstanding in the Church of his day that grace and forgiveness of sins could be bought and sold like wares in the market. "The focus on Christ, the Bible and the authentic Word are things that we as the Catholic Church today can only underline," Bode said. The bishop's views reflect the ideas of many other Catholic theologians since the Second Vatican Council as Luther's teachings, especially his esteem for the Word of God, have come to be appreciated in a way that would have been unthinkable just a century ago. The year 2014 marks the fifteenth anniversary of the Joint Declaration of Justification between the Lutheran World Federation and the Catholic Church. Like The Gift of Salvation statement issued by Evangelicals and Catholics Together in 1997, the Joint Declaration represents a measure of convergence between Catholic and Reformational understandings of that article of faith by which the Church either stands or falls, to cite a favorite Lutheran saying.

For example, the Joint Declaration asserts, "We confess together: By grace alone, in faith in Christ's saving work and not because of any merit on our part, we are accepted by God and receive the Holy Spirit, who renews our hearts while equipping and calling us to good works." But convergence on justification does not equal consensus on all aspects of the doctrine of salvation. The framers of the Joint Declaration itself were forced to add an annex to the document delineating unresolved differences on simul iustus et peccator, Luther's idea that justified believers are at one and the same time sinful and righteous before God. How justification and sanctification are related in the life of the Christian still continues to be debated. On these and many other issues related to authority and ecclesiology, the way forward is not to smudge over deep differences that remain between the two traditions but rather to acknowledge them openly and to continue to struggle over them together in prayer and in fresh engagement with the Scriptures. The way forward is an ecumenism of conviction, not an ecumenism of accommodation. Several years ago I was asked to endorse a book by my friend Mark Noll called Is the Reformation Over?

I responded by saying that the Reformation is over only to the extent that it succeeded. In fact, in some measure, the Reformation has succeeded, and more within the Catholic Church than in certain sectors of the Protestant world. The triumph of grace in the theology of Luther was, and still is, in the service of the whole Body of Christ. Luther was certainly not without his warts, and we do no justice either to history or to his legacy by glossing over his faults and failures. (Remember: simul iustus et peccator!) But the question Karl Barth asked about him in 1933 is still worth pondering this Reformation Day: "What else was Luther than a teacher of the Christian church whom one can hardly celebrate in any other way but to listen to him?" Timothy George is founding dean of Beeson Divinity School of Samford University, and general editor of the Reformation Commentary on Scripture, a projected twenty-eight-volume set of sixteenth-century exegetical comment. His email address is tfgeorge@samford.edu.

Most Read Historic Trinity Lutheran Church - Detroit, Michigan USA - Luther's 95 Theses Lutherstadt Wittenberg, The 95 Theses Out of love for the truth and from desire to elucidate it, the Reverend Father Martin Luther, Master of Arts and Sacred Theology, and ordinary lecturer therein at Wittenberg, intends to defend the following statements and to dispute on them in that place. Therefore he asks that those who cannot be present and dispute with him orally shall do so in their absence by letter. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen. Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, in saying, "Repent ye, etc.," intended that the whole life of his believers on earth should be a constant penance. And the word "penance" neither can, nor may, be understood as referring to the Sacrament of Penance, that is, to confession and atonement as exercised under the priest's ministry. Nevertheless He does not think of inward penance only: rather is inward penance worthless unless it produces various outward mortifications of the flesh. Therefore mortification continues as long as hatred of oneself continues, that is to say, true inward penance lasts until entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Pope will not, and cannot, remit other punishments than those which he has imposed by his own decree or according to the canons. The Pope can forgive sins only in the sense, that he declares and confirms what may be forgiven of God; or that he doth it in those cases which he hath reserved to himself: be this contempt, the sin remains unremitted. God forgives none his sin without at the same time casting him penitent and humbled before the priest His vicar. The canons concerning penance are imposed only on the living; they ought not by any means, following the same canons, to be imposed on the dying. Therefore, the Holy Spirit, acting in the Pope, does well for us, when the latter in his decrees entirely removes the article of death and extreme necessity. Those priests act unreasonably and ill who reserve for Purgatory the penance imposed on the dying. This abuse of changing canonical penalty into the penalty of Purgatory seems to have arisen when the bishops were asleep. In times of yore, canonical penalties were imposed, not after, but before absolution, as tests of true repentance and affliction.

The dying pay all penalties by their death, and are already dead to the canons, and rightly have exemption from them. Imperfect spiritual health or love in the dying person necessarily brings with it great fear; and the less this love is, the greater the fear it brings. This fear and horror -to say nothing of other things -are sufficient in themselves to produce the punishment of Purgatory, because they approximate to the horror of despair. Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven seem to differ as perfect despair, imperfect despair, and security of salvation differ. It seems that while in Purgatory love in the souls increases, as fear diminishes in them. It does not seem to be proved either by arguments or by the Holy Writ that they are outside the state of merit and demerit, or increase of love. This, too, seems not to be proved, that they are all sure and confident of their salvation, though we may be quite sure of it. Therefore the Pope, in speaking of the perfect remission of all punishments, does not mean that all penalties in general be forgiven, but only those imposed by himself.

Therefore, those preachers of indulgences err who say that, by the Pope's indulgence, a man may be exempt from all punishments, and be saved. Yea, the Pope remits the souls in Purgatory no penalty which they, according to the canons, would have had to pay in this life. If to anybody complete remission of all penalties may be granted, it is certain that it is granted only to those most approaching perfection, that is to very few. Therefore the multitude is misled by the boastful promise of the paid penalty, whereby no manner of distinction is made. The same power that the Pope has over Pugatory, such has also every bishop in his diocese, and every curate in his parish. The Pope acts most rightly in granting remission to souls, not by the power of the keys -which in Purgatory he does not possess -but by way of intercession. They preach vanity who say that the soul flies out of Pugatory as soon as the money thrown into the chest rattles.

What is sure, is, that as soon as the penny rattles in the chest, gain and avarice are on the way of increase; but the intercession of the church depends only on the will of God Himself. And who knows whether all those souls in Purgatory wish to be redeemed, as it is said to have happened with St. Severinus and St. Paschallis. Nobody is sure of having repented sincerely enough; much less can he be sure of having received perfect remission of sins. Seldom even as he who has sincere repentance, is he who really gains indulgence; that is to say, most seldom to be found. On the way to eternal damnation are they and their teachers, who believe that they are sure of their salvation through indulgences. Beware well of those who say, the Pope's pardons are that inestimable gift of God by which man is reconciled to God. For the forgiveness contained in these pardons has reference only to the penalties of sacramental atonement which were appointed by men. He preaches like a heathen who teaches that those who will deliver souls out of Purgatory or buy indulgences do not need repentance and contrition.

Every Christian who feels sincere repentance and woe on account of his sins, has perfect remission of pain and guilt even without letters of indulgence. Every true Christian, be he still alive or already dead, partaketh in all benefits of Christ and of the Church given him by God, even without letters of indulgence. Yet is the Pope's absolution and dispensation by no means to be contemned, since it is, as I have said, a declaration of the Divine Absolution. It is exceedingly difficult, even for the most subtile theologians to praise at the same time before the people the great wealth of indulgence and the truth of utter contrition. True repentance and contrition seek and love punishment; while rich indulgence absolves from it, and causes men to hate it, or at least gives them occasion to do so. The Pope's indulgence ought to be proclaimed with all precaution, lest the people should mistakenly believe it of more value than all other works of charity. Christians should be taught that it is not the Pope's opinion that the buying of indulgence is in any way comparable to works of charity.

Christians should be taught that he who gives to the poor, or lends to a needy man, does better than buying indulgence. For, by the exercise of charity, charity increases and man grows better, while by means of indulgence, he does not become better, but only freer from punishment. Christians should be taught that he who sees his neighbour in distress, and nevertheless buys indulgence, is not partaking in the Pope's pardons, but in the anger of God. Christians should be taught that unless they are rich enough, it is their duty to keep what is necessary for the use of their households, and by no means to throw it away on indulgences. Christians should be taught that the buying of indulgences is optional and not commanded. Christians should be taught that the Pope in selling pardons, has more want and more desire of a devout prayer for himself than of the money. Christians should be taught that the Pope's pardons are useful as far as one does not put confidence in them, but on the contrary most dangerous if through them one loses the fear of God.

Christians should be taught that if the Pope knew the ways and doings of the preachers of indulgences, he would prefer that St. Peter's Minster should be burnt to ashes, rather than that it should be built up of the skin, flesh, and bones of his lambs. Christians should be taught that the Pope, as it is his bounden duty to do, is indeed also willing to give of his own money -and should St. Peter's be sold thereto -to those from whom the preachers of indulgences do most extort money. It is a vain and false thing to hope to be saved through indulgences, though the commissary -nay, the Pope himself -was to pledge his own soul therefore. Those who, on account of a sermon concerning indulgences in one church, condemn the word of God to silence in the others, are enemies of Christ and the Pope. Wrong is done to the word of God if one in the same sermon spends as much or more time on indulgences as on the word of the Gospel.

The opinion of the Pope cannot be otherwise than this: If an indulgence -which is the lowest thing -be celebrated with one bell, one procession and ceremonies, then the Gospel -which is the highest thing -must be celebrated with a hundred bells, a hundred processions, and a hundred ceremonies. The treasures of the Church, whence the Pope grants his dispensation, are neither sufficiently named nor known among the community of Christ. It is manifest that they are not temporal treasures, for the latter are not lightly spent, but rather gathered by many of the preachers. Nor are they the merits of Christ and of the saints, for these, without the Pope's aid, work always grace to the inner man, cross, death, and hell to the outer man. St. Lawrence called the poor of the community the treasures of the community and of the Church, but he understood the word according to the use in his time. We affirm without pertness that the keys of the Church, bestowed through the merit of Christ, are this treasure. For it is clear that the Pope's power is sufficient for the remission of penalties and forgiveness in the reserved cases. The right and true treasure of the Church is the most Holy Gospel of the glory and grace of God.

This treasure, however, is deservedly most hateful, for it makes the first to be the last. While the treasure of indulgence is deservedly most agreeable, for it makes the last to be the first. Therefore, the treasures of the Gospel are nets, which, in times of yore, one fished for the men of Mammon. But the treasures of indulgence are nets, with which now-a-days one fishes for the Mammon of men. Those indulgences, which the preachers proclaim to be great mercies, are indeed great mercies, forasmuch as they promote gain. And yet they are of the smallest compared to the grace of God and to the devotion of the Cross. Bishops and curates ought to mark with eyes and ears, that the commissaries of apostolical (that is, Popish) pardons are received with all reverence. But they ought still more to mark with eyes and ears, that these commissaries do not preach their own fancies instead of what the Pope has commanded. He who speaks against the truth of apostolical pardons, be anathema and accursed.

But blessed be he who is on his guard against the preacher's of pardons naughty and impudent words. As the Pope justly disgraces and excommunicates those who use any kind of contrivance to do damage to the traffic in indulgences, Much more it is his intention to disgrace and excommunicate those who, under the pretext of indulgence, use contrivance to do damage to holy love and truth. To think that the Popish pardons have power to absolve a man even if -to utter an impossibility -he had violated the Mother of God, is madness. We assert on the contrary that the Popish pardons cannot take away the least of daily sins, as regards the guilt of it. To say that the St. Peter, if he were now Pope, could show no greater mercies, is blasphemy against St. Peter and the Pope. We assert on the contrary that both this and every other Pope has greater mercies to show: namely, the Gospel, spiritual powers, gifts of healing, etc. (I Cor. XII). He who says that the cross with the Pope's arm, solemnly set on high, has as much power as the Cross of Christ, blasphemes God.

Those bishops, curates, and theologians, who allow such speeches to be uttered among the people, will have one day to answer for it. Such impudent sermons concerning indulgences make it difficult even for learned men to protect the Pope's honour and dignity against the calumnies, or at all events against the searching questions of the laymen. As for instance: Why does not the Pope deliver all souls at the same time out of Purgatory for the sake of most holy love and on account of the bitterest distress of those souls -this being the most imperative of all motives -while he saves an infinite number of souls for the sake of that most miserable thing money, to be spent on St. Peter's Minster - this being the very slightest of motives? Or again: Why do masses for the dead continue, and why does not the Pope return or permit the funds which were established for the sake of the dead to be withdrawn, since it is now wrong to pray for those who are already saved?

Again: What is this new holiness of God and the Pope that, for money's sake, they permit the wicked and the enemy of God to save a pious soul, faithful to God, and yet will not save that pious and beloved soul without payment, out of love and on account of its great distress? Again: Why is it that the canons of penance, long abrogated and dead in themselves, because they are not used, are yet still paid for with money through the granting of pardons, as if they are still in force and alive? Again: Why does not the Pope build St. Peter's Minster with his own money -since his riches are now more ample than those of Crassus -rather than with the money of poor Christians? Again: Why does the Pope remit or give to those who, through perfect penitence, have already a right to plenary remission and pardon? Again: What greater good could the Church receive, than if the Pope presented this remission and pardon a hundred times a day to every believer, instead of but once, as he does now?

If the Pope seeks by his pardons the salvation of souls, rather than money, why does he annul letters of indulgence granted long ago, and declare them out of force, though they are still in force? To repress these very telling questions of the laymen only by force, and not to solve them by telling the truth, is to expose the Church and the Pope to the enemy's ridicule and to make Christian people unhappy. Therefore, if pardons were preached according to the Pope's intention and opinion, all these objections would be easily answered, nay, they never would have occurred. Away then with all those prophets who say to the community of Christ, "Peace, Peace" and there is no peace. But blessed be all those prophets who say to the community of Christ, "The cross, the cross," and there is no cross. Christians should be exhorted to endeavour to follow Christ their Head through Cross, Death, and Hell, And thus hope with confidence to enter Heaven through many miseries, rather than in false security. Martin Luther's 95 Theses | ReasonableTheology.org Share Tweet Subscribe Fill your digital bookshelf when you join our 1428 blog subscribers.

On October 31, 1517 Martin Luther posted his now-famous 95 Theses on the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. This was not an act of defiant vandalism but was instead a fairly common occurrence for inviting academic discussion. The 95 points that Luther wished to have discussed are not all equally controversial. Many are rather mundane, some are difficult to understand in our time, and still others would not even be held by Luther himself in later years. Nevertheless, this event and the results of it are what lead to the Protestant Reformation. These are the words that sparked the Reformation: Out of love for the truth and the desire to bring it to light, the following propositions will be discussed at Wittenberg, under the presidency of the Reverend Father Martin Luther, Master of Arts and of Sacred Theology, and Lecturer in Ordinary on the same at that place. Wherefore he requests that those who are unable to be present and debate orally with us, may do so by letter. In the Name our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 1. Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, when He said Poenitentiam agite, willed that the whole life of believers should be repentance.

2. This word cannot be understood to mean sacramental penance, i.e., confession and satisfaction, which is administered by the priests. 3. Yet it means not inward repentance only; nay, there is no inward repentance which does not outwardly work divers mortifications of the flesh. 4. The penalty [of sin], therefore, continues so long as hatred of self continues; for this is the true inward repentance, and continues until our entrance into the kingdom of heaven. 5. The pope does not intend to remit, and cannot remit any penalties other than those which he has imposed either by his own authority or by that of the Canons. 6. The pope cannot remit any guilt, except by declaring that it has been remitted by God and by assenting to God’s remission; though, to be sure, he may grant remission in cases reserved to his judgment. If his right to grant remission in such cases were despised, the guilt would remain entirely unforgiven. 7. God remits guilt to no one whom He does not, at the same time, humble in all things and bring into subjection to His vicar, the priest.

The original door has been replaced, but this is where Luther posted the 95 Theses in 1517. 8. The penitential canons are imposed only on the living, and, according to them, nothing should be imposed on the dying. 9. Therefore the Holy Spirit in the pope is kind to us, because in his decrees he always makes exception of the article of death and of necessity. 10. Ignorant and wicked are the doings of those priests who, in the case of the dying, reserve canonical penances for purgatory. 11. This changing of the canonical penalty to the penalty of purgatory is quite evidently one of the tares that were sown while the bishops slept. 12. In former times the canonical penalties were imposed not after, but before absolution, as tests of true contrition. 13. The dying are freed by death from all penalties; they are already dead to canonical rules, and have a right to be released from them. 14. The imperfect health [of soul], that is to say, the imperfect love, of the dying brings with it, of necessity, great fear; and the smaller the love, the greater is the fear.

15. This fear and horror is sufficient of itself alone (to say nothing of other things) to constitute the penalty of purgatory, since it is very near to the horror of despair. 16. Hell, purgatory, and heaven seem to differ as do despair, almost-despair, and the assurance of safety. 17. With souls in purgatory it seems necessary that horror should grow less and love increase. 18. It seems unproved, either by reason or Scripture, that they are outside the state of merit, that is to say, of increasing love. 19. Again, it seems unproved that they, or at least that all of them, are certain or assured of their own blessedness, though we may be quite certain of it. 20. Therefore by “full remission of all penalties” the pope means not actually “of all,” but only of those imposed by himself. 21. Therefore those preachers of indulgences are in error, who say that by the pope’s indulgences a man is freed from every penalty, and saved; 22.

Whereas he remits to souls in purgatory no penalty which, according to the canons, they would have had to pay in this life. 23. If it is at all possible to grant to any one the remission of all penalties whatsoever, it is certain that this remission can be granted only to the most perfect, that is, to the very fewest. 24. It must needs be, therefore, that the greater part of the people are deceived by that indiscriminate and highsounding promise of release from penalty. 25. The power which the pope has, in a general way, over purgatory, is just like the power which any bishop or curate has, in a special way, within his own diocese or parish. 26. The pope does well when he grants remission to souls [in purgatory], not by the power of the keys (which he does not possess), but by way of intercession. 27. They preach man who say that so soon as the penny jingles into the money-box, the soul flies out [of purgatory]. 28.

It is certain that when the penny jingles into the money-box, gain and avarice can be increased, but the result of the intercession of the Church is in the power of God alone. 29. Who knows whether all the souls in purgatory wish to be bought out of it, as in the legend of Sts. Severinus and Paschal. Recommended Reading 30. No one is sure that his own contrition is sincere; much less that he has attained full remission. 31. Rare as is the man that is truly penitent, so rare is also the man who truly buys indulgences, i.e., such men are most rare. 32. They will be condemned eternally, together with their teachers, who believe themselves sure of their salvation because they have letters of pardon. 33. Men must be on their guard against those who say that the pope’s pardons are that inestimable gift of God by which man is reconciled to Him; 34. For these “graces of pardon” concern only the penalties of sacramental satisfaction, and these are appointed by man. 35.

They preach no Christian doctrine who teach that contrition is not necessary in those who intend to buy souls out of purgatory or to buy confessionalia. 36. Every truly repentant Christian has a right to full remission of penalty and guilt, even without letters of pardon. 37. Every true Christian, whether living or dead, has part in all the blessings of Christ and the Church; and this is granted him by God, even without letters of pardon. 38. Nevertheless, the remission and participation [in the blessings of the Church] which are granted by the pope are in no way to be despised, for they are, as I have said, the declaration of divine remission. 39. It is most difficult, even for the very keenest theologians, at one and the same time to commend to the people the abundance of pardons and [the need of] true contrition. 40. True contrition seeks and loves penalties, but liberal pardons only relax penalties and cause them to be hated, or at least, furnish an occasion [for hating them]. 41. Apostolic pardons are to be preached with caution, lest the people may falsely think them preferable to other good works of love.

42. Christians are to be taught that the pope does not intend the buying of pardons to be compared in any way to works of mercy. 43. Christians are to be taught that he who gives to the poor or lends to the needy does a better work than buying pardons; 44. Because love grows by works of love, and man becomes better; but by pardons man does not grow better, only more free from penalty. 45. Christians are to be taught that he who sees a man in need, and passes him by, and gives [his money] for pardons, purchases not the indulgences of the pope, but the indignation of God. 46. Christians are to be taught that unless they have more than they need, they are bound to keep back what is necessary for their own families, and by no means to squander it on pardons. 47. Christians are to be taught that the buying of pardons is a matter of free will, and not of commandment. 48. Christians are to be taught that the pope, in granting pardons, needs, and therefore desires, their devout prayer for him more than the money they bring. 49.

Christians are to be taught that the pope’s pardons are useful, if they do not put their trust in them; but altogether harmful, if through them they lose their fear of God. 50. Christians are to be taught that if the pope knew the exactions of the pardon-preachers, he would rather that St. Peter’s church should go to ashes, than that it should be built up with the skin, flesh and bones of his sheep. 51. Christians are to be taught that it would be the pope’s wish, as it is his duty, to give of his own money to very many of those from whom certain hawkers of pardons cajole money, even though the church of St. Peter might have to be sold. 52. The assurance of salvation by letters of pardon is vain, even though the commissary, nay, even though the pope himself, were to stake his soul upon it. 53. They are enemies of Christ and of the pope, who bid the Word of God be altogether silent in some Churches, in order that pardons may be preached in others. 54.

Injury is done the Word of God when, in the same sermon, an equal or a longer time is spent on pardons than on this Word. 55. It must be the intention of the pope that if pardons, which are a very small thing, are celebrated with one bell, with single processions and ceremonies, then the Gospel, which is the very greatest thing, should be preached with a hundred bells, a hundred processions, a hundred ceremonies. 56. The “treasures of the Church,” out of which the pope. grants indulgences, are not sufficiently named or known among the people of Christ. 57. That they are not temporal treasures is certainly evident, for many of the vendors do not pour out such treasures so easily, but only gather them. 58. Nor are they the merits of Christ and the Saints, for even without the pope, these always work grace for the inner man, and the cross, death, and hell for the outward man. 59. St. Lawrence said that the treasures of the Church were the Church’s poor, but he spoke according to the usage of the word in his own time. 60.

Without rashness we say that the keys of the Church, given by Christ’s merit, are that treasure; 61. For it is clear that for the remission of penalties and of reserved cases, the power of the pope is of itself sufficient. 62. The true treasure of the Church is the Most Holy Gospel of the glory and the grace of God. 63. But this treasure is naturally most odious, for it makes the first to be last. 64. On the other hand, the treasure of indulgences is naturally most acceptable, for it makes the last to be first. 65. Therefore the treasures of the Gospel are nets with which they formerly were wont to fish for men of riches. 66. The treasures of the indulgences are nets with which they now fish for the riches of men. 67. The indulgences which the preachers cry as the “greatest graces” are known to be truly such, in so far as they promote gain. 68. Yet they are in truth the very smallest graces compared with the grace of God and the piety of the Cross. 69.

Bishops and curates are bound to admit the commissaries of apostolic pardons, with all reverence. 70. But still more are they bound to strain all their eyes and attend with all their ears, lest these men preach their own dreams instead of the commission of the pope. 71. He who speaks against the truth of apostolic pardons, let him be anathema and accursed! 72. But he who guards against the lust and license of the pardon-preachers, let him be blessed! 73. The pope justly thunders against those who, by any art, contrive the injury of the traffic in pardons. 74. But much more does he intend to thunder against those who use the pretext of pardons to contrive the injury of holy love and truth. 75. To think the papal pardons so great that they could absolve a man even if he had committed an impossible sin and violated the Mother of God — this is madness. 76. We say, on the contrary, that the papal pardons are not able to remove the very least of venial sins, so far as its guilt is concerned. 77. It is said that even St.

Peter, if he were now Pope, could not bestow greater graces; this is blasphemy against St. Peter and against the pope. 78. We say, on the contrary, that even the present pope, and any pope at all, has greater graces at his disposal; to wit, the Gospel, powers, gifts of healing, etc., as it is written in I. Corinthians xii. 79. To say that the cross, emblazoned with the papal arms, which is set up [by the preachers of indulgences], is of equal worth with the Cross of Christ, is blasphemy. 80. The bishops, curates and theologians who allow such talk to be spread among the people, will have an account to render. 81. This unbridled preaching of pardons makes it no easy matter, even for learned men, to rescue the reverence due to the pope from slander, or even from the shrewd questionings of the laity. 82.

To wit: — “Why does not the pope empty purgatory, for the sake of holy love and of the dire need of the souls that are there, if he redeems an infinite number of souls for the sake of miserable money with which to build a Church? The former reasons would be most just; the latter is most trivial.” 83. Again: — “Why are mortuary and anniversary masses for the dead continued, and why does he not return or permit the withdrawal of the endowments founded on their behalf, since it is wrong to pray for the redeemed?” 84. Again: — “What is this new piety of God and the pope, that for money they allow a man who is impious and their enemy to buy out of purgatory the pious soul of a friend of God, and do not rather, because of that pious and beloved soul’s own need, free it for pure love’s sake?” 85. Again: — “Why are the penitential canons long since in actual fact and through disuse abrogated and dead, now satisfied by the granting of indulgences, as though they were still alive and in force?” 86.

Again: — “Why does not the pope, whose wealth is to-day greater than the riches of the richest, build just this one church of St. Peter with his own money, rather than with the money of poor believers?” 87. Again: — “What is it that the pope remits, and what participation does he grant to those who, by perfect contrition, have a right to full remission and participation?” 88. Again: — “What greater blessing could come to the Church than if the pope were to do a hundred times a day what he now does once, and bestow on every believer these remissions and participations?” 89. “Since the pope, by his pardons, seeks the salvation of souls rather than money, why does he suspend the indulgences and pardons granted heretofore, since these have equal efficacy?” 90. To repress these arguments and scruples of the laity by force alone, and not to resolve them by giving reasons, is to expose the Church and the pope to the ridicule of their enemies, and to make Christians unhappy. 91.

If, therefore, pardons were preached according to the spirit and mind of the pope, all these doubts would be readily resolved; nay, they would not exist. 92. Away, then, with all those prophets who say to the people of Christ, “Peace, peace,” and there is no peace! 93. Blessed be all those prophets who say to the people of Christ, “Cross, cross,” and there is no cross! 94. Christians are to be exhorted that they be diligent in following Christ, their Head, through penalties, deaths, and hell; 95. And thus be confident of entering into heaven rather through many tribulations, than through the assurance of peace. Learn More about Martin Luther: Martin Luther and the 95 Theses - Facts & Summary - HISTORY.com Martin Luther and the 95 Theses Martin Luther and the 95 Theses Author Martin Luther and the 95 Theses URL A+E Networks Introduction Born in Eisleben, Germany, in 1483, Martin Luther went on to become one of Western history’s most significant figures. Luther spent his early years in relative anonymity as a monk and scholar.

But in 1517 Luther penned a document attacking the Catholic Church’s corrupt practice of selling “indulgences” to absolve sin. His “95 Theses,” which propounded two central beliefs—that the Bible is the central religious authority and that humans may reach salvation only by their faith and not by their deeds—was to spark the Protestant Reformation. Although these ideas had been advanced before, Martin Luther codified them at a moment in history ripe for religious reformation. The Catholic Church was ever after divided, and the Protestantism that soon emerged was shaped by Luther’s ideas. His writings changed the course of religious and cultural history in the West. Google Early Life Martin Luther (1483–1546) was born in Eisleben, Saxony (now Germany), part of the Holy Roman Empire, to parents Hans and Margaretta. Luther’s father was a prosperous businessman, and when Luther was young, his father moved the family of 10 to Mansfeld. At age five, Luther began his education at a local school where he learned reading, writing and Latin. At 13, Luther began to attend a school run by the Brethren of the Common Life in Magdeburg.

The Brethren’s teachings focused on personal piety, and while there Luther developed an early interest in monastic life. Did You Know? Legend says Martin Luther was inspired to launch the Protestant Reformation while seated comfortably on the chamber pot. That cannot be confirmed, but in 2004 archeologists discovered Luther's lavatory, which was remarkably modern for its day, featuring a heated-floor system and a primitive drain. Martin Luther Enters the Monastery But Hans Luther had other plans for young Martin—he wanted him to become a lawyer—so he withdrew him from the school in Magdeburg and sent him to new school in Eisenach. Then, in 1501, Luther enrolled at the University of Erfurt, the premiere university in Germany at the time. There, he studied the typical curriculum of the day: arithmetic, astronomy, geometry and philosophy and he attained a Master’s degree from the school in 1505. In July of that year, Luther got caught in a violent thunderstorm, in which a bolt of lightning nearly struck him down. He considered the incident a sign from God and vowed to become a monk if he survived the storm.

The storm subsided, Luther emerged unscathed and, true to his promise, Luther turned his back on his study of the law days later on July 17, 1505. Instead, he entered an Augustinian monastery. Luther began to live the spartan and rigorous life of a monk but did not abandon his studies. Between 1507 and 1510, Luther studied at the University of Erfurt and at a university in Wittenberg. In 1510–1511, he took a break from his education to serve as a representative in Rome for the German Augustinian monasteries. In 1512, Luther received his doctorate and became a professor of biblical studies. Over the next five years Luther’s continuing theological studies would lead him to insights that would have implications for Christian thought for centuries to come. Martin Luther Questions the Catholic Church In early 16th-century Europe, some theologians and scholars were beginning to question the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. It was also around this time that translations of original texts—namely, the Bible and the writings of the early church philosopher Augustine—became more widely available.

Augustine (340–430) had emphasized the primacy of the Bible rather than Church officials as the ultimate religious authority. He also believed that humans could not reach salvation by their own acts, but that only God could bestow salvation by his divine grace. In the Middle Ages the Catholic Church taught that salvation was possible through “good works,” or works of righteousness, that pleased God. Luther came to share Augustine’s two central beliefs, which would later form the basis of Protestantism. Meanwhile, the Catholic Church’s practice of granting “indulgences” to provide absolution to sinners became increasingly corrupt. Indulgence-selling had been banned in Germany, but the practice continued unabated. In 1517, a friar named Johann Tetzel began to sell indulgences in Germany to raise funds to renovate St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The 95 Theses Committed to the idea that salvation could be reached through faith and by divine grace only, Luther vigorously objected to the corrupt practice of selling indulgences.

Acting on this belief, he wrote the “Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences,” also known as “The 95 Theses,” a list of questions and propositions for debate. Popular legend has it that on October 31, 1517 Luther defiantly nailed a copy of his 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Castle church. The reality was probably not so dramatic; Luther more likely hung the document on the door of the church matter-of-factly to announce the ensuing academic discussion around it that he was organizing. The 95 Theses, which would later become the foundation of the Protestant Reformation, were written in a remarkably humble and academic tone, questioning rather than accusing. The overall thrust of the document was nonetheless quite provocative. The first two of the theses contained Luther’s central idea, that God intended believers to seek repentance and that faith alone, and not deeds, would lead to salvation. The other 93 theses, a number of them directly criticizing the practice of indulgences, supported these first two. In addition to his criticisms of indulgences, Luther also reflected popular sentiment about the “St.

Peter’s scandal” in the 95 Theses: Why does not the pope, whose wealth today is greater than the wealth of the richest Crassus, build the basilica of St. Peter with his own money rather than with the money of poor believers? The 95 Theses were quickly distributed throughout Germany and then made their way to Rome. In 1518, Luther was summoned to Augsburg, a city in southern Germany, to defend his opinions before an imperial diet (assembly). A debate lasting three days between Luther and Cardinal Thomas Cajetan produced no agreement. Cajetan defended the church’s use of indulgences, but Luther refused to recant and returned to Wittenberg. Luther the Heretic On November 9, 1518 the pope condemned Luther’s writings as conflicting with the teachings of the Church. One year later a series of commissions were convened to examine Luther’s teachings.

The first papal commission found them to be heretical, but the second merely stated that Luther’s writings were “scandalous and offensive to pious ears.” Finally, in July 1520 Pope Leo X issued a papal bull (public decree) that concluded that Luther’s propositions were heretical and gave Luther 120 days to recant in Rome. Luther refused to recant, and on January 3, 1521 Pope Leo excommunicated Martin Luther from the Catholic Church. On April 17, 1521 Luther appeared before the Diet of Worms in Germany. Refusing again to recant, Luther concluded his testimony with the defiant statement: “Here I stand. God help me. I can do no other.” On May 25, the Holy Roman emperor Charles V signed an edict against Luther, ordering his writings to be burned. Luther hid in the town of Eisenach for the next year, where he began work on one of his major life projects, the translation of the New Testament into German, which took him 10 years to complete.

Martin Lutherâ€™s Later Years Luther returned to Wittenberg in 1521, where the reform movement initiated by his writings had grown beyond his influence. It was no longer a purely theological cause; it had become political. Other leaders stepped up to lead the reform, and concurrently, the rebellion known as the Peasants’ War was making its way across Germany. Luther had previously written against the Church’s adherence to clerical celibacy, and in 1525 he married Katherine of Bora, a former nun. They had five children. Although Luther’s early writings had sparked the Reformation, he was hardly involved in it during his later years. At the end of his life, Luther turned strident in his views, and pronounced the pope the Antichrist, advocated for the expulsion of Jews from the empire and condoned polygamy based on the practice of the patriarchs in the Old Testament. Luther died on February 18, 1546. Significance of Martin Luther’s Work Martin Luther is one of the most influential figures in Western history. His writings were responsible for fractionalizing the Catholic Church and sparking the Protestant Reformation.

His central teachings, that the Bible is the central source of religious authority and that salvation is reached through faith and not deeds, shaped the core of Protestantism. Although Luther was critical of the Catholic Church, he distanced himself from the radical successors who took up his mantle. Luther is remembered as a controversial figure, not only because his writings led to significant religious reform and division, but also because in later life he took on radical positions on other questions, including his pronouncements against Jews, which some have said may have portended German anti-Semitism; others dismiss them as just one man’s vitriol that did not gain a following. Some of Luther’s most significant contributions to theological history, however, such as his insistence that as the sole source of religious authority the Bible be translated and made available to everyone, were truly revolutionary in his day. Tags 1517: Martin Luther Posts Theses - Alte Canzley Hotel Lutherstadt Wittenberg, accomodation, wake up next to the theses door Martin Luther Posts His Theses on Castle Church Door Opposite to our Building At the beginning of the 16th century, nothing had really changed, compared to the centuries before.

Europe was ruled by the aristocracy and the Catholic Church and most of the simple people still were poor, working hard to get their families through the days. Millions of peasants died under those hardships. In fact, they were so extreme that the common people could only survive with the consoling message from the medieval church that this hardship was god’s will and that – if they endured it quietly – they would be rewarded in heaven, a land of abundance where all hardship is forgotten and “milk and honey” flows freely. The nobility and the church, to the contrary, lived luxurious lives in impressive castles. The churches were the highest buildings in almost all towns. The most impressive one, St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, was about to be rebuilt. To raise money, the pope sent out papal commissioners to sell so-called indulgences. These were letters, promising forgiveness of sins and access to heaven for everyone, under one condition – cash. Johann Tetzel was the most notorious commissioner. He forced millions of poor peasants to spend their last pennies, not on feeding their children but instead on buying the “key to heaven” for themselves.

The key, of course, was an illusion – not so the millions of thaler (precursor of the dollar) that were flowing back to the Vatican and were used for the embellishment of its buildings and for cementing its power. Martin Luther , a simple monk that studied theology in Wittenberg, had visited Rome as a young monk and had seen the corruption there. In early November 1517, indulgence seller Tetzel had announced his “indulgence road show” would come to Wittenberg. On the eve of All Saints Day, October 31, 1517, Martin Luther protested against this fraud operation organized by the Catholic Church. On this day, he published his 95 Theses against the fraudulent indulgence sales and, reportedly, also nailed them on the “white board” of Wittenberg’s public life, the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. Martin Luther’s 95 Theses had one core message: There is no key to heaven for sale. You either have this “key” within yourself – or not. What happened on that day changed the world forever.

For members of the Protestant Church, this day was the birth hour of their confession that later became known as “Reformation Day”. And even Catholic believers today look back – not unhappy about the fact that the fraudulent nature of the multi-billion indulgence fraud had been exposed. All of that happened right outside our hotel, just across at the door of the Castle Church on October 31, 1517 – almost 500 years ago. When you open the window of your hotel room – you can still breathe history. We promise you! The invention of the printing press helped to spread Luther’s theses all over the country within weeks. Luther later went one step further and translated the entire bible from unintelligible Latin to spoken German. For the nobility, the Vatican and the Church potentates this was heresy, because they deduced their power to rule from the fact that they were the “chosen” ones able to speak the “language of God” – Latin – and were privileged to talk to him.

The translation of the bible into German and later into English, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, and many other European languages triggered the largest literacy campaign in history: In the few decades following Luther’s translation, the illiteracy rate across Europe dropped from 80% to 20% - for Protestants, Catholics and members of all other religions. Luther taught as a professor of theology, preached and lived for many more years in Wittenberg, often visiting the house that is now our hotel. His tomb, the place where he burned the “papal bull” threatening his excommunication, the house where he lived, the “Lutherhaus”, and many other historical places related to Luther are preserved and are located within walking distance from our hotel... Experience the fourth dimension – history – in our hotel. We would like to welcome you as our guest !

Question: How many theses were nailed to the door of Wittenburg
Answer: 95