Martin Luther's 95 Theses PDF

## Martin Luthers 95 Theses and their Consequences - The sale of indulgences was becoming increasingly widespread in Germany. - The Church financed building projects (e.g. St. Peter's Basilica) and the purchase of positions (e.g. an Archbishop's office) with this money. - The faithful were promi...

## Martin Luthers 95 Theses and their Consequences - The sale of indulgences was becoming increasingly widespread in Germany. - The Church financed building projects (e.g. St. Peter's Basilica) and the purchase of positions (e.g. an Archbishop's office) with this money. - The faithful were promised that the sale of indulgences would absolve them of their sins. - This meant that the penitential acts that normally followed confession and forgiveness (e.g. good deeds) were no longer necessary. - People were also promised that their time in purgatory would be shortened or even completely avoided. - Similar to big sales and discount campaigns (e.g. "Black Friday"), the people were offered a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" to redeem deceased people from purgatory. - Such actions gave the faithful the impression that indulgences even applied to sins they hadn't committed yet. - This meant indulgences were like a "get out of jail free" card. - This made true repentance, which meant feeling remorse for one's wrongdoings and the desire to make amends, worthless. This angered Martin Luther. - On October 31, 1517, Luther sent his 95 theses on indulgences to his superiors and to his friends. - Within a few weeks, the theses were printed on posters and spread throughout Germany and then, just four weeks later, throughout Europe. - This was not Luther's intention, as he originally wanted to discuss the theses with scholars. - It is possible that the theses were nailed to the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church (-> “Black Board”), but it was not done by Luther himself, nor necessarily on October 31st. - This was later claimed by Luther's friend Philipp Melanchthon, who was not in Wittenberg at that time. - The 95 theses were meant to emphasize the importance of true repentance. - However, they also claimed that forgiveness of sins was complete without any further “services”, good deeds, or the purchase of indulgences. - All of this was unnecessary. Good works should be done out of gratitude and love for one's fellow human beings. - The church responded to the 95 theses and Luther's writings in a very aggressive manner. - They threatened Luther with excommunication, because he was basically ruining their business model. - In 1521, Luther was excommunicated. - At the Diet of Worms, the secular authorities (Emperor and Reichsstände) confirmed the excommunication and declared Luther an outlaw. ## Other Religious Practices in the Late Middle Ages - **Last Judgement:** Occurs after death, Jesus acts as judge and decides who goes to heaven and hell, based on the individual's actions during their life. - **Hell:** A place where you suffer terrible torments, e.g. fire. Punishment for evil deeds, eternal suffering. - **Purgatory:** Punishment for less serious sins, which must be atoned for, despite having been forgiven. - Sufferings are similar to hell, but last for a limited time. - After purgatory, the person goes to heaven. Duration is unclear. - **Confession:** The faithful confess the sins they have committed. - Through confession they receive forgiveness. - **Penance:** A punishment imposed by the church to shorten the time in purgatory. ## Martin Luther’s Discovery - Luther, a theology professor at the University of Wittenberg, translated the Apostle Paul's letter to the Romans from the New Testament. - While doing so, he stumbled upon the term "the righteousness of God". - So far, he had assumed that God judges each person strictly, making it almost impossible for anyone to be saved. - That changed, however, as he realized that Paul was referring to God’s acting justly, which means that we are righteous in God’s eyes, even when we make mistakes. - God justifies us through His grace. - He put his discovery into a hymn: "Now rejoice . . .”