Ninety-five Theses

Background

In the sixteenth century the Western Church granted indulgences. An indulgence was the remission of the punishment still due for sins that had already been forgiven, and written documents attested to it. These documents remitted punishment rather than sin itself. Under Pope Leo X the issuance of indulgences increased sharply, in part to raise funds for the rebuilding of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. In the German lands the Dominican friar Johann Tetzel led the sales campaign. Martin Luther (1483–1546) was an Augustinian friar and professor of theology at the University of Wittenberg in the Electorate of Saxony. He believed that this practice trivialized genuine repentance.

Course of Events

• October 31, 1517: Luther issued the Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences, written in Latin. According to tradition, on this day, the eve of All Saints' Day, he posted it on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. Because the document was a set of theses (propositions for debate) proposing an academic disputation, it is known as the Ninety-five Theses.
• Content: The first thesis cites the call "Repent" in Matthew 4:17 and states that the entire life of believers is to be one of repentance. The theses go on to argue that a Christian who truly repents receives remission of both penalty and guilt even without letters of indulgence. They also contend that indulgences cannot remove guilt and have no effect on souls in purgatory. Luther himself maintained that this position was not at odds with the pope.
• Dissemination: The Latin original was soon translated into German and, aided by the printing press, spread throughout Germany within a short time.
• 1518: Luther published a commentary explaining the theses.
• January 3, 1521: Leo X excommunicated Luther. Frederick III, Elector of Saxony, who ruled Wittenberg, protected Luther.

Debate over the Posting

The account of the theses being posted on the church door rests on the testimony of Philip Melanchthon. Melanchthon recorded the event in 1546, the year of Luther's death, in the preface to the second volume of Luther's Latin works. He wrote that Luther "posted" the theses, not that he "nailed" them.

• Doubts raised: In 1959 Hans Volz questioned the date. In a 1962 book the Catholic historian Erwin Iserloh denied that the posting took place at all. He argued that Luther merely sent the theses to Archbishop Albrecht of Mainz and to the Bishop of Brandenburg.
• Rebuttals: Heinrich Bornkamm, Kurt Aland, and others rejected this argument. Others have countered that, since church doors at the time served as a kind of university bulletin board, posting was a common practice.

The general assessment today is that the question cannot be settled definitively either way. Many historians hold that the significance of the document was determined not by whether it was posted but by the content of the theses and the controversy that followed.

Consequences and Influence

The dispute over indulgences expanded into questions of church authority and salvation. This controversy became the spark that ignited the Reformation, and the document is regarded as the starting point for the emergence of Protestantism as a separate tradition. Protestant churches observe October 31 as Reformation Day. The year 2017 marked the 500th anniversary.

In Korea, many churches observe Reformation Sunday around this time.

Assessment

Protestants regard the document as the beginning of a reform that sought to correct the errors of the church on the basis of Scripture. At the same time, it is frequently noted that the text was not a declaration of separation from the church but a call for debate. One example of this view is the characterization of Luther at this stage as a figure standing "between reform and Reformation," as in the title of the English edition of Iserloh's book. Theologically, the document is often read in light of the doctrine of justification drawn from Romans 1:17. Some studies, however, point out that the theses themselves draw more heavily on the Gospel of Matthew.