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Martin Luther's 95 Theses
by
Michael F. Russell, M.Div., & Amy Wall
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- The 95 Theses began the Protestant Reformation
- Luther questioned papal indulgence practices
- Luther’s notoriety grew in Germany
In 1517, Luther’s answer to church indulgences and Tetzel’s fund-raising mission was to write his 95 Theses and nail them up on the Wittenberg University’s Castle Church door. This act marked the official start of the Protestant Reformation.
After nailing the 95 Theses to the church door, Luther also sent a copy to the archbishop with a letter explaining his actions and his reasons. What Luther explained was that he was not trying to be disrespectful of the church in any way, but simply wanted these issues debated like any other Wittenberg debate.
The key elements of the 95 Theses were:
- Luther agreed with most of the beliefs and practices of the Catholic Church, including offices of leadership and the sacraments.
- He did not disagree with the pope’s right to grant indulgences, but disagreed to the extent to which the indulgences were granted: Indulgences cannot relieve a person of guilt; cannot apply to purgatory; and cannot be granted without penance.
- He defended the pope’s writing and leadership, and warned that the exaggerated preaching of those granting indulgences on behalf of the church could damage papal authority.
Luther’s 95 Theses did not go over well with the church leadership. The Dominicans were the first to declare Luther a heretic, and a Vatican scholar offered his own counter-theses, which in essence said that anyone who criticized church indulgences was a heretic.
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