We will keep fighting for all libraries - stand with us!
Internet Archive Audio
- This Just In
- Grateful Dead
- Old Time Radio
- 78 RPMs and Cylinder Recordings
- Audio Books & Poetry
- Computers, Technology and Science
- Music, Arts & Culture
- News & Public Affairs
- Spirituality & Religion
- Radio News Archive
- Flickr Commons
- Occupy Wall Street Flickr
- NASA Images
- Solar System Collection
- Ames Research Center
- All Software
- Old School Emulation
- MS-DOS Games
- Historical Software
- Classic PC Games
- Software Library
- Kodi Archive and Support File
- Vintage Software
- CD-ROM Software
- CD-ROM Software Library
- Software Sites
- Tucows Software Library
- Shareware CD-ROMs
- Software Capsules Compilation
- CD-ROM Images
- ZX Spectrum
- DOOM Level CD
- Smithsonian Libraries
- FEDLINK (US)
- Lincoln Collection
- American Libraries
- Canadian Libraries
- Universal Library
- Project Gutenberg
- Children's Library
- Biodiversity Heritage Library
- Books by Language
- Additional Collections
- Prelinger Archives
- Democracy Now!
- Occupy Wall Street
- TV NSA Clip Library
- Animation & Cartoons
- Arts & Music
- Computers & Technology
- Cultural & Academic Films
- Ephemeral Films
- Sports Videos
- Videogame Videos
- Youth Media
Search the history of over 866 billion web pages on the Internet.
Mobile Apps
- Wayback Machine (iOS)
- Wayback Machine (Android)
Browser Extensions
Archive-it subscription.
- Explore the Collections
- Build Collections
Save Page Now
Capture a web page as it appears now for use as a trusted citation in the future.
Please enter a valid web address
- Donate Donate icon An illustration of a heart shape
Luther's 95 Theses
Bookreader item preview, share or embed this item, flag this item for.
- Graphic Violence
- Explicit Sexual Content
- Hate Speech
- Misinformation/Disinformation
- Marketing/Phishing/Advertising
- Misleading/Inaccurate/Missing Metadata
plus-circle Add Review comment Reviews
4 Favorites
DOWNLOAD OPTIONS
For users with print-disabilities
IN COLLECTIONS
Uploaded by Johnny Cirucci on January 23, 2019
SIMILAR ITEMS (based on metadata)
- Featured Essay The Love of God An essay by Sam Storms Read Now
- Faithfulness of God
- Saving Grace
- Adoption by God
Most Popular
- Gender Identity
- Trusting God
- The Holiness of God
- See All Essays
- Conference Media
- Featured Essay Resurrection of Jesus An essay by Benjamin Shaw Read Now
- Death of Christ
- Resurrection of Jesus
- Church and State
- Sovereignty of God
- Faith and Works
- The Carson Center
- The Keller Center
- New City Catechism
- Publications
- Read the Bible
U.S. Edition
- Arts & Culture
- Bible & Theology
- Christian Living
- Current Events
- Faith & Work
- As In Heaven
- Gospelbound
- Post-Christianity?
- TGC Podcast
- You're Not Crazy
- Churches Planting Churches
- Help Me Teach The Bible
- Word Of The Week
- Upcoming Events
- Past Conference Media
- Foundation Documents
- Church Directory
- Global Resourcing
- Donate to TGC
To All The World
The world is a confusing place right now. We believe that faithful proclamation of the gospel is what our hostile and disoriented world needs. Do you believe that too? Help TGC bring biblical wisdom to the confusing issues across the world by making a gift to our international work.
Luther’s Ninety-five Theses: What You May Not Know and Why They Matter Today
More By Justin Holcomb
For more accessible overviews of key moments in church history, purchase Justin Holcomb’s new book, Know the Creeds and Councils (Zondervan, 2014) [ interview ]. Additionally, Holcomb has made available to TGC readers an exclusive bonus chapter, which can be accessed here . This article is a shortened version of the chapter.
If people know only one thing about the Protestant Reformation, it is the famous event on October 31, 1517, when the Ninety-five Theses of Martin Luther (1483–1586) were nailed on the door of the Castle Church of Wittenberg in protest against the Roman Catholic Church. Within a few years of this event, the church had splintered into not just the “church’s camp” or “Luther’s camp” but also the camps of churches led by theologians of all different stripes.
Luther is known mostly for his teachings about Scripture and justification. Regarding Scripture, he argued the Bible alone ( sola scriptura ) is our ultimate authority for faith and practice. Regarding justification, he taught we are saved solely through faith in Jesus Christ because of God’s grace and Christ’s merit. We are neither saved by our merits nor declared righteous by our good works. Additionally, we need to fully trust in God to save us from our sins, rather than relying partly on our own self-improvement.
Forgiveness with a Price Tag
These teachings were radical departures from the Catholic orthodoxy of Luther’s day. But you might be surprised to learn that the Ninety-five Theses, even though this document that sparked the Reformation, was not about these issues. Instead, Luther objected to the fact that the Roman Catholic Church was offering to sell certificates of forgiveness, and that by doing so it was substituting a false hope (that forgiveness can be earned or purchased) for the true hope of the gospel (that we receive forgiveness solely via the riches of God’s grace).
The Roman Catholic Church claimed it had been placed in charge of a “treasury of merits” of all of the good deeds that saints had done (not to mention the deeds of Christ, who made the treasury infinitely deep). For those trapped by their own sinfulness, the church could write a certificate transferring to the sinner some of the merits of the saints. The catch? These “indulgences” had a price tag.
This much needs to be understood to make sense of Luther’s Ninety-five Theses: the selling of indulgences for full remission of sins intersected perfectly with the long, intense struggle Luther himself had experienced over the issues of salvation and assurance. At this point of collision between one man’s gospel hope and the church’s denial of that hope the Ninety-five Theses can be properly understood.
Theses Themselves
Luther’s Ninety-five Theses focuses on three main issues: selling forgiveness (via indulgences) to build a cathedral, the pope’s claimed power to distribute forgiveness, and the damage indulgences caused to grieving sinners. That his concern was pastoral (rather than trying to push a private agenda) is apparent from the document. He didn’t believe (at this point) that indulgences were altogether a bad idea; he just believed they were misleading Christians regarding their spiritual state:
41. Papal indulgences must be preached with caution, lest people erroneously think that they are preferable to other good works of love.
As well as their duty to others:
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. [Notice that Luther is not yet wholly against the theology of indulgences.]
And even financial well-being:
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.
Luther’s attitude toward the pope is also surprisingly ambivalent. In later years he called the pope “the Antichrist” and burned his writings, but here his tone is merely cautionary, hoping the pope will come to his senses. For instance, in this passage he appears to be defending the pope against detractors, albeit in a backhanded way:
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.
Obviously, since Leo X had begun the indulgences campaign in order to build the basilica, he did not “wish to give of his own money” to victims. However, Luther phrased his criticism to suggest that the pope might be ignorant of the abuses and at any rate should be given the benefit of the doubt. It provided Leo a graceful exit from the indulgences campaign if he wished to take it.
So what made this document so controversial? Luther’s Ninety-five Theses hit a nerve in the depths of the authority structure of the medieval church. Luther was calling the pope and those in power to repent—on no authority but the convictions he’d gained from Scripture—and urged the leaders of the indulgences movement to direct their gaze to Christ, the only one able to pay the penalty due for sin.
Of all the portions of the document, Luther’s closing is perhaps the most memorable for its exhortation to look to Christ rather than to the church’s power:
92. Away, then, with those prophets who say to Christ’s people, “Peace, peace,” where in there is no peace.
93. Hail, hail to all those prophets who say to Christ’s people, “The cross, the cross,” where there is no cross.
94. Christians should be exhorted to be zealous to follow Christ, their Head, through penalties, deaths, and hells.
95. And let them thus be more confident of entering heaven through many tribulations rather than through a false assurance of peace.
In the years following his initial posting of the theses, Luther became emboldened in his resolve and strengthened his arguments with Scripture. At the same time, the church became more and more uncomfortable with the radical Luther and, in the following decades, the spark that he made grew into a flame of reformation that spread across Europe. Luther was ordered by the church to recant in 1520 and was eventually exiled in 1521.
Ongoing Relevance
Although the Ninety-five Theses doesn’t explicitly lay out a Protestant theology or agenda, it contains the seeds of the most important beliefs of the movement, especially the priority of grasping and applying the gospel. Luther developed his critique of the Roman Catholic Church out of his struggle with doubt and guilt as well as his pastoral concern for his parishioners. He longed for the hope and security that only the good news can bring, and he was frustrated with the structures that were using Christ to take advantage of people and prevent them from saving union with God. Further, Luther’s focus on the teaching of Scripture is significant, since it provided the foundation on which the great doctrines of the Reformation found their origin.
Indeed, Luther developed a robust notion of justification by faith and rejected the notion of purgatory as unbiblical; he argued that indulgences and even hierarchical penance cannot lead to salvation; and, perhaps most notably, he rebelled against the authority of the pope. All of these critiques were driven by Luther’s commitment, above all else, to Christ and the Scriptures that testify about him. The outspoken courage Luther demonstrated in writing and publishing the Ninety-five Theses also spread to other influential leaders of the young Protestant Reformation.
Today, the Ninety-five Theses may stand as the most well-known document from the Reformation era. Luther’s courage and his willingness to confront what he deemed to be clear error is just as important today as it was then. One of the greatest ways in which Luther’s theses affect us today—in addition to the wonderful inheritance of the five Reformation solas (Scripture alone, grace alone, faith alone, Christ alone, glory to God alone)—is that it calls us to thoroughly examine the inherited practices of the church against the standard set forth in the Scriptures. Luther saw an abuse, was not afraid to address it, and was exiled as a result of his faithfulness to the Bible in the midst of harsh opposition.
Is there enough evidence for us to believe the Gospels?
Justin Holcomb is an Episcopal priest and a theology professor at Reformed Theological Seminary and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He is author with his wife, Lindsey, of God Made All of Me , Is It My Fault? , and Rid of My Disgrace: Hope and Healing for Victims of Sexual Assault . Justin also has written or edited numerous other books on historical theology and biblical studies. You can find him on Facebook , Twitter , and at JustinHolcomb.com .
Now Trending
1 can i tell an unbeliever ‘jesus died for you’, 2 the faqs: southern baptists debate designation of women in ministry, 3 7 recommendations from my book stack, 4 artemis can’t undermine complementarianism, 5 ‘girls state’ highlights abortion’s role in growing gender divide.
The 11 Beliefs You Should Know about Jehovah’s Witnesses When They Knock at the Door
Here are the key beliefs of Jehovah’s Witnesses—and what the Bible really teaches instead.
8 Edifying Films to Watch This Spring
Easter Week in Real Time
Resurrected Saints and Matthew’s Weirdest Passage
I Believe in the Death of Julius Caesar and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ
Does 1 Peter 3:19 Teach That Jesus Preached in Hell?
The Plays C. S. Lewis Read Every Year for Holy Week
Latest Episodes
Lessons on evangelism from an unlikely evangelist.
Welcome and Witness: How to Reach Out in a Secular Age
How to Build Gospel Culture: A Q&A Conversation
Examining the Current and Future State of the Global Church
Trevin Wax on Reconstructing Faith
Gaming Alone: Helping the Generation of Young Men Captivated and Isolated by Video Games
Raise Your Kids to Know Their True Identity
Faith & Work: How Do I Glorify God Even When My Work Seems Meaningless?
Let’s Talk (Live): Growing in Gratitude
Getting Rid of Your Fear of the Book of Revelation
Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places: A Sermon from Julius Kim
Introducing The Acts 29 Podcast
Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer.
To browse Academia.edu and the wider internet faster and more securely, please take a few seconds to upgrade your browser .
Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link.
- We're Hiring!
- Help Center
The Ninety-five Theses by Martin Luther October 31, 1517, Wittenberg, Germany 1 The Ninety-Five Theses The Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences Posted: October 31, 1517 The Eve of All Saints Day Castle Church Wittenberg, Germany
Reformation Day, annually occurring on October 31, honors Luther's posting of his 95 Theses on the Castle Church doors in Wittenberg, Germany on October 31, 1517. This holiday is largely exclusive to Protestants as a commemoration of the origin of the Protestant Reformation.
Related Papers
Nikolaus Breiner
Theological Studies
Jared Wicks
Colin Battersby
Služba Božja (Divine Service) 58/2 pp. 210-224
Philip Goyret
Jason Freewalt
The Protestant Reformation was an event that began long before Martin Luther wrote his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517. Voices of criticism against the established Church grew into a chorus during the centuries leading up to the Ninety-Five Theses. The key complaints were the Avignon Papacy, the doctrine of infallibility, papal avarice, simony, the Papal Schism, the sale of indulgences, veneration of the saints and of relics, and ideas regarding the Eucharist and the Church’s emphasis on works rather than faith. Luther’s writing of the Ninety-Five Theses simply provides historians a convenient starting point, if one can exist, of what we now call the Protestant Reformation. However, Luther’s bold action was actually a reaction. Rather than credit, or blame, Luther for starting the Reformation, one might more accurately place such credit or blame on the Church itself. It was the fundraising plans of Leo X and Albrecht of Brandenburg, the salesmanship of Johann Tetzel, and the reaction Luther received for questioning their actions that sparked the Reformation. Luther’s introduction of the Ninety-Five Theses by nailing them to the church door in Wittenberg on October 31, according to the traditional account, was a reaction to an ecclesiastical and political situation that caused the opposing sides to unavoidably collide. Church officials painted themselves into a corner, which in turn cornered Luther, who struck back.
Richard Barker
Historical background to the Heidelberg disputation On Halloween 1517 the instigator of the Protestant Reformation posted 95 theses on the church door at Wittenberg in the context of a proposed theological debate he wished to organize. It is thought to be around this time that Martin Luder changed his name to Luther, ostensibly so that it might resemble the Greek word for freedom (elutherius), probably also in view of what his original family name meant in his native tongue. The 95 theses had focussed on the practice of clergy selling indulgences, being certificates believed to reduce the temporal punishment in "purgatory" for sins committed by the purchasers or their loved ones. I won't expand on that here but in an earlier post I showed that although the burning away of dross for the purpose of purification and punishment is a biblical concept, it cannot be measured in earthly time or degree. The practice of believers doing penance or contributing money to alleviate post-mortem suffering cannot be traced back beyond the beginning of the 2 nd millennium. By the middle ages it had become a profitable business: "As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs", a saying attributed to Johann Tetzel, papal seller of such indulgences having been tasked with raising money for rebuilding St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Such practices and their doctrinal/biblical basis were clearly open to question. Dr Luther, by that time a highly regarded monk who had risen to become Professor of moral theology at Wittenberg university believed that at the very least the matter should be debated. What further aspirations he had at that point of challenging the authority and teaching of the Catholic Church or breaking away from her are also a matter for debate, but the following year the theological scope of his enquiry was broadened, and that is where the 28 theses come in. These are set out below (my highlighting) and can be verified HERE , for some may not entirely believe what they are reading:
Niki de Vera
This document study gives a brief historical account of Martin Luther's 95 Theses and exposits sections of it in a concise manner. Luther's transition from priesthood to professor, without his knowledge, would remarkably change his life, and, the entire Christendom.
stijin s mathew
Thomas K Johnson
RELATED PAPERS
Suvremena lingvistika
Ines Galić-Jušić
KRÓLEWSKA REZYDENCJA NAD BUGIEM / odtworzenie przestrzeni historycznej /
Irena Ławrowska
Hassan Djama
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Elchin Suleymanov
Alejandro Roblez
Olgutza Turcan
Ana-gabriela Babucea
Sergey Abashin
Journal of Biblical Literature
Michael P Barber
Astyawan Hidayat
Shouvik Chattopadhyay
JOURNAL OF HYDROCARBON POWER ENGINEERING
A. Torpakov
2016 IEEE 18th Electronics Packaging Technology Conference (EPTC)
Aomine daiki
Revista Culturas Jurídicas
Renato De Vitto
Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research
Winfried Mayr
Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A: Chemistry
Omran Moradlou
American Journal of Kidney Diseases
Nicolas Portillo
Unleashing the immune response to NY-ESO-1 cancer testis antigen as a potential target for cancer immunotherapy
AFSHEEN RAZA
Nationalities Papers
Petra Stykow
Mediterranean Journal of Rheumatology
Christina Misidou
Journal of Applied Horticulture
Nature Human Behaviour
Journal of Hepatology
Gifone Rocha
Neuro-Oncology
Robert Lober
Arquivos Brasileiros de Cardiologia
Lucas Fonseca
American Journal of Veterinary Research
John Mattoon
Mehdi Nasiri
RELATED TOPICS
- We're Hiring!
- Help Center
- Find new research papers in:
- Health Sciences
- Earth Sciences
- Cognitive Science
- Mathematics
- Computer Science
- Academia ©2024
- History Classics
- Your Profile
- Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window)
- Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window)
- Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window)
- Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window)
- Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window)
- This Day In History
- History Podcasts
- History Vault
Martin Luther and the 95 Theses
By: History.com Editors
Updated: June 6, 2019 | Original: October 29, 2009
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.
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 months to complete.
Martin Luther'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. 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.
Sign up for Inside History
Get HISTORY’s most fascinating stories delivered to your inbox three times a week.
By submitting your information, you agree to receive emails from HISTORY and A+E Networks. You can opt out at any time. You must be 16 years or older and a resident of the United States.
More details : Privacy Notice | Terms of Use | Contact Us
IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
The Ninety-five Theses by Martin Luther October 31, 1517, Wittenberg, Germany 2 Theses #15 - 82 are the core arguments by Martin Luther against indulgences and the tactics of the preachers who are selling letters of indulgence in Germany. 15. This fear of horror is sufficient in itself, to say nothing of other things, to constitute the
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 "repent"
Ninety-five Theses (Latin) Author(s): Luther, Martin (1483-1546) Publisher: Grand Rapids, MI: ... This PDF file is copyrighted by the Christian Classics Ethereal Library. It may be freely ... 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. ...
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 ...
[ Free in all formats, including PDF and Kindle] Martin Luther at least got the fundamentals correct. He was constantly trying to learn more and understand more about God and the Written Word of God, the Holy Scripture. ... [ Luther - The ninety-five theses and the 3 primary works].--- concerning the Apocrypha --- (see also the section under ...
The Ninety-five Theses or Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences is a list of propositions for an academic disputation written in 1517 by Martin Luther, then a professor of moral theology at the University of Wittenberg, Germany. The Theses is retrospectively considered to have launched the Protestant Reformation and the birth of Protestantism, despite various proto-Protestant ...
Martin Luther. "The Ninety Five Theses" — the common title to his "Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences" — is more widely associated with Luther's name than anything else he wrote. Luther posted his theses on the castle door at Wittenberg on either October 31 or No-vember 1, 1517. The disputation which Luther ...
Here are the 95 Theses Martin Luther nailed on the church door at Wittenburg, October 31, 1517: When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, ``Repent'' (Mt 4:17), he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance. This word cannot be understood as referring to the sacrament of penance, that is, confession and satisfaction, as ...
The following is an excerpt from the Ninety-Five Theses, which he famously nailed to the door of the Wittenberg Castle church in 1517. Commercial printers put out big press runs of the document, and Luther's ideas spread like wildfire. The full text of his theses and other works can be found here. Ninety-Five Theses 1.
Ninety-five Theses, propositions for debate concerned with the question of indulgences, written in Latin and possibly posted by Martin Luther on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg on October 31, 1517. The event came to be considered the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.
Luther's 95 Theses by Martin Luther. Publication date 1517 Topics Martin Luther Collection opensource Language English. 95 Theses, Martin Luther Addeddate 2019-01-23 12:06:48 ... PDF download. download 1 file . SINGLE PAGE PROCESSED JP2 ZIP download. download 1 file ...
If people know only one thing about the Protestant Reformation, it is the famous event on October 31, 1517, when the Ninety-five Theses of Martin Luther (1483-1586) were nailed on the door of the Castle Church of Wittenberg in protest against the Roman Catholic Church. Within a few years of this event, the church had splintered into not just ...
The Ninety-Five Theses of Martin Luther October 31, 1517 Edited by Barry Waugh, September 2017 Out of love and zeal for the truth and the desire to bring it to light, the following theses will be discussed at Wittenberg under the direction of the Reverend Father Martin Luther, Master of Arts
1 The Ninety-Five Theses TheNinety-FiveThesesofMartinLuthermayconstituteoneof thebestknownandyetleastunderstoodofhiswritings.Given thetersenessofindividualtheses ...
Download. XML. By almost any reckoning, the Ninety-Five Theses ranks as the most important text of the Reformation, if not in substance at least in impact. As the anniversary...
Martin Luther's Disputatio pro declaratione virtutis indulgentiarum of 1517, commonly known as the Ninety-Five Theses, is considered the central document of the Protestant Reformation. Its complete title reads: "Out of love and zeal for clarifying the truth, these items written below will be debated at Wittenberg. Reverend Father Martin Luther, Master of Arts and of Sacred Theology and an ...
The Ninety-five Theses by Martin Luther October 31, 1517, Wittenberg, Germany The Ninety-Five Theses The Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences Posted: October 31, 1517 The Eve of All Saints Day Castle Church Wittenberg, Germany For oral debate on November 1, 1517 Out of love and zeal for truth and the desire to bring it to light, the following theses will be publicly discussed ...
There is very little historical evidence to support the claim that Martin Luther (1483-1546) personally posted a set of ninety-five theses against indulgences to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg on 31 October 1517. I do not intend to rehash all of the arguments for and against the theses-posting here, but some mention has to be
Luther's 97 theses on the topic of scholastic theology had been posted only a month before his 95 theses focusing on the sale of indulgences. Both writs were only intended to invite discussion of the topic. Martin Luther (l. 1483-1546) objected to scholastic theology on the grounds that it could not reveal the truth of God and denounced indulgences - writs sold by the Church to shorten one's ...
The Project Gutenberg EBook of Martin Luther's 95 Theses, by Martin Luther This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org Title: Martin Luther's ...
Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses. Martin Luther was born on November 10, 1483 and was the son of Hans and Margarethe Luther. He was married to Katharina von Bora, and had six kids namely Hans, Elizabeth, Magdalena, Martin, Paul, Margarethe. He was a German monk, theologian, university professor, Father of Protestantism, and church reformer whose
Martin Luther was a German theologian who challenged a number of teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. His 1517 document, "95 Theses," sparked the Protestant Reformation.