In 1517 Martin Luther was provoked by Johann Tetzel to write his famous 95 Theses. In the spring of 1517, Johann Tetzel, a German friar who practiced the selling of indulgences in Germany, was preaching on indulgences in the city of Jüterbog. By selling indulgences, Tetzel and the Catholic Church gained monetary value in exchange for a believer’s future diminished time in purgatory. In other words, one’s sins would be forgiven if one were to buy these indulgences. Luther, who was a Theology professor at the University of Wittenberg, attended to Tetzel’s preaching. Luther felt disgusted by the act, and as a Theology professor he felt that he had to address this issue in a scholarly way. During the summer of 1517 Luther started to write the 95 Theses, which was not only a criticism of the selling of indulgences, but also a criticism of many of the actions and practices of the Catholic Church, particularly of its hierarchy. 1
The 95 Theses consisted of Luther challenging the teachings of the Catholic Church on the nature of penance, the authority of the pope, and the selling of indulgences. He believed that the salvation of a person’s soul should not be based on one’s monetary contribution to the church. Luther believed that faith was the only way to reach salvation and not the monetary contributions to the church. Quoting Saint Paul, Luther wrote, “The just will live by faith.”2 In the 95 Theses Luther not only criticized the Catholic Church and its corruption, but also set numerous propositions for reforming the Catholic Church. After writing the 95 Theses, on October 31, 1517, Luther decided to nail them to the door of the Wittenberg Church. After this event, the 95 Theses started to be spread throughout Europe. A year after Luther wrote the 95 Theses, they were condemned as heretical by Pope Leo X, and Luther was also excommunicated from the Catholic Church that same year.3
Martin Luther was given the chance to recant his statements against the Catholic Church at the Imperial Diet of Worms in 1521, but he refused. Luther famously said:
Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Holy Scriptures or by evident reason—for I can believe neither pope nor councils alone, as it is clear that they have erred repeatedly and contradicted themselves—I consider myself convicted by the testimony of Holy Scripture, which is my basis; my conscience is captive to the Word of God. Thus I cannot and will not recant, because acting against one’s conscience is neither safe nor sound. God help me. Amen.4
Luther believed that salvation was reached by faith alone, and not by the works of giving money to the church, and he held to these beliefs for the rest of his life. Luther was also responsible for starting the Protestant Reformation, where a large number of Catholics decided to follow his steps by separating from the Catholic Church. Luther not only started the Protestant Reformation, but he also contributed to the so-called Catholic Reformation of the Catholic Church as well, since his 95 Theses sparked a reform movement within the Catholic Church that culminated in the Council of Trent. Even though Luther was seen as a controversial person in the Catholic Church, he contributed in significant ways to what the Catholic Church is today.5
- Encyclopedia Britannica, s.v. “Johann Tetzel.” ↵
- Romans 1:17. ↵
- Andrew Culp and Kevin Kuswa, “Signs of protest rhetoric: From Logos to logistics in Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses,” Quarterly Journal Of Speech 102, no. 2 (May 2016): 153-154. ↵
- Heiko Oberman, Luther: Man Between God and the Devil (New York: Image Books – Doubleday Press, 1992), 39. ↵
- Scott H. Hendrix, Martin Luther: Visionary Reformer (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2015), 145-150. ↵
52 comments
Troy Leonard
when I read that people bought off there sins I found that pretty shocking because money is the root of all evil. you had some great information and facts to support your article and to me that’s what makes an article great and truthful. I’ve heard about martin Luther a couple of time in history class but I didn’t know all about what he stood for as you have showed us.
Briana Myers
I knew about how the Catholic Church would sell indulgences in order for people to be saved from their sins and I always thought it was ridiculous. It is a good thing that Luther spoke against these practices and challenged the church and the pope. I would strongly agree with Luther that a person cannot be saved by buying indulgences.
Michelle Falcon
Being of the Catholic Church myself I found this article very interesting . The fact that people “bought off” their sins is just shocking to me. However the article explains how Martin Luther handled the situation the way that he saw fit. That way would be writing the 95 These. In this he expresses his feelings towards the Catholic Churches teachings and its practices. I love learning about the history of my faith, so needless to say I every much so enjoyed reading this article.
Johnanthony Hernandez
Interesting article and well written. I remember reading and learning about Luther’s 95 Theses in high school, having had to read each one I actually found myself agreeing a lot with what he had to say and it actually made me want to learn more about Luther’s Theses and more about him. Your article actually answered a lot of the questions that I had had about Luther. Good job.
Alyssa Vela
This was a really interesting article! My attention was grasped from start to finish. I think it’s amazing when someone is able to stand up for what they believe in and have such an impact because of something as simple as their opinion. This article provided me with new knowledge on something I didn’t have much about before. I look forward to reading more of your work in the near future!
Sam Vandenbrink
Good article, could have explained in-depth a little better, there were some places where I felt lost or that It was hard to follow. Strong sources, felt that everything I was reading was true and the information was well laid out, although some areas could have used a little improvement overall it was a well written informative article. Its hard to believe that priests used to sell there indulgences, and even to this day you have people who think that they can buy there forgiveness.
Jennifer Pogue
This article was well written and informative, it is obvious you did your research. I learned about the 95 Thesis in high school. It really makes me mad how the churched lied to people about paying to get to Heaven. Thankfully, Martin Luther exposed the corrupted. Sadly enough, this still goes on in many churches today. I hope more people will be informed about the 95 Thesis and realize what is going on in their Churches.
Alyssa Valdez
Very well written article! I have honestly never head of Martin Luther so, your article was very informative to me! I had no idea that Martin Luther played a big role for starting the protestant reformation. I imagine that during that time it was Very dangerous to go against to the church during that time so, for him to go and list everything wrong with the church is really gutsy!
Hayden Hollinger
This was a very interesting article that told the story of Martin Luther’s release of the 95 theses. I find it particularly interesting that Luther was almost solely responsible for starting the Protestant Reformation and able to cause that much of a stir in Europe at the time. I find it very admirable that Luther was brave enough to stand up for what he believed in and share his thoughts on the scale he did.
Cameron Mays
This article is quite interesting because it highlights the idea that not everything is to be immediately accepted; things should be questioned, even one’s religion and church. This is even more interesting because during that time and before, questioning things isn’t really the case. I felt as if you researched quite well and I enjoyed the article.