Ninety-five Theses

The Ninety-five Theses is a list of ideas written in 1517 by Martin Luther, a teacher at the University of Wittenberg in Germany. Luther wrote these ideas for a special kind of discussion called a disputation. Though they were meant for debate, these ideas later helped start something very important called the Protestant Reformation. This was a time when many people began to question some rules and beliefs of the Catholic Church, leading to the creation of Protestantism.

Luther wrote the Ninety-five Theses because he and others were worried about how some church leaders were handling something called indulgences. Indulgences were special papers that some church leaders sold, saying they could lessen the time people had to spend in a place called purgatory after they died. This made many people upset, and Luther wanted to talk about these concerns openly.

Background

Martin Luther, a teacher at the University of Wittenberg, wrote the Ninety-five Theses about problems with a church practice called indulgences. In the Roman Catholic Church, indulgences were a way for people to reduce the punishment they might face after death. Sometimes, church leaders sold these indulgences for money, which caused many concerns.

Luther worried that people were buying indulgences instead of truly changing their lives. In 1517, a church leader named Johann Tetzel was selling indulgences near Wittenberg. Luther spoke out against this, teaching that true change of heart was more important than buying forgiveness. He wrote the Ninety-five Theses to share his thoughts and asked church leaders for a discussion about the issue.

Content

The first idea in Martin Luther's list says that when Jesus told people to change their hearts, he meant that believers should always be trying to do better. Luther talked about how sorry people should feel for doing wrong, instead of just telling a priest and getting a special forgiveness ceremony. He also said the pope could only forgive certain punishments the church decided, not take away the feeling of being sorry for doing wrong.

Luther questioned many common ideas about a place called purgatory where people were thought to wait before going to heaven. He said no one really knew what happened to people there and that the pope could not help them. He also argued that paying money to free someone from purgatory was wrong because it encouraged greed. Luther believed that true sorry feelings were more important than any special forgiveness from the church. He taught that helping others was better than paying for special forgiveness and that the church’s true treasure was the teachings of Jesus, not money from special forgiveness sales.

Luther also criticized how some church leaders were telling people they could avoid feeling sorry by paying for special forgiveness. He said this made it harder for people to truly change their hearts. He taught that Christians should be helped to understand that doing good deeds, like helping the poor, was more important than paying for special forgiveness. Luther even said that if the pope knew what some were preaching, he would rather see the church’s buildings destroyed than built with money taken from people.

Luther also talked about how some church leaders were saying wrong things about special forgiveness, like it could even forgive the smallest wrong done to Virgin Mary. He said this was not true and called some of these ideas very wrong. Luther shared questions people were asking, such as why the pope didn’t just free everyone from purgatory if he could, or why people had to keep paying for special services for the dead even after paying for special forgiveness. He ended by encouraging people to follow Jesus’ example, even if it was hard, rather than feeling safe with just special forgiveness from the church.

Luther's intent

The Theses were written as ideas for a formal academic debate called a disputation. Luther invited scholars from other cities to join in this discussion. Holding such debates was normal for professors like Luther, who had the right to organize them. Luther had prepared many sets of theses for debate at Wittenberg between 1516 and 1521.

Luther’s theses were meant to start a discussion among academics, not to cause a big change for everyone. However, he did feel his action was important. He began using the name “Luther,” which means “free” in Greek, showing he wanted to be free from old ideas. Luther later said he did not want the Theses to be shared widely, though some believe he wanted to create a big discussion. Because these theses were for a debate, Luther could say he did not truly support the most challenging ideas in them.

Distribution and publication

On 31 October 1517, Martin Luther sent a letter to the Archbishop of Mainz, Albert of Brandenburg. In the letter, Luther wanted to tell the archbishop about problems with the way people were being taught about special church permissions called indulgences. He believed the archbishop did not know what was being said and was worried people were being led away from the important teachings of the church.

The Ninety-five Theses were meant to start a discussion among scholars. Usually, these ideas were printed and posted in public places. Although we do not have copies of the original printing from Wittenberg, the ideas were shared quickly. The Theses were printed in Latin in Basel and as posters in Leipzig and Nuremberg. Hundreds of copies were made in Germany in 1517. Later that year, a person named Kaspar Nützel translated them into German, and copies of this translation were sent to people interested in the ideas across Germany.

Reaction

When Martin Luther shared his list of ideas called the Ninety-five Theses, some people did not agree with him. A leader named Albert asked for advice from teachers at the University of Mainz and got suggestions to stop Luther from talking against certain church practices. In Rome, leaders saw Luther as someone who might cause trouble. The Pope asked a group Luther was part of, the Augustinian Hermits, to ask him to stop sharing his ideas. A writer named Sylvester Mazzolini was asked to prepare arguments against Luther.

Luther was told to come to Rome to explain himself, and he wrote more about his beliefs. As he shared more, he realized his ideas were different from what the church taught. Another person, Johann Tetzel, argued strongly against Luther and even suggested he should be punished. Luther tried to explain his views in a simple way for ordinary people to understand, and many read his work. Another theologian, Johann Eck, also wrote against Luther in a very harsh way. Luther had to meet with church leaders to defend his ideas, but they did not accept his views. Eventually, Luther was told he could no longer be part of the church because of his differing beliefs.

Legacy

The ideas in the Theses started big changes in Europe. They began what we call the Reformation, a split in the Roman Catholic Church that led to many important changes in society and politics. Even though Martin Luther later said the issue of indulgences wasn't the most important thing he debated, it was this issue that started the Reformation. Luther became a key leader in this movement.

October 31, 1517, the day Luther shared the Theses, became known as the start of the Reformation. People began celebrating this day as early as 1527. In 1668, it was officially made Reformation Day, a holiday in parts of Germany that later spread to other areas. In 2017, Germany celebrated the 500th anniversary of this important day with a national holiday.