When was 95 theses published

In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen. And the word "penance" neither can, nor may, be understood as referring to the Sacrament of Penance, that is, to confession and atonement as exercised under the priest's ministry.

Nevertheless He does not think of inward penance only: rather is inward penance worthless unless it produces various outward mortifications of the flesh.

Therefore mortification continues as long as hatred of oneself continues, that is to say, true inward penance lasts until entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven. The Pope will not, and cannot, remit other punishments than those which he has imposed by his own decree or according to the canons. The Pope can forgive sins only in the sense, that he declares and confirms what may be forgiven of God; or that he doth it in those cases which he hath reserved to himself; be this contemned, the sin remains unremitted.

God forgives none his sin without at the same time casting him penitent and humbled before the priest His vicar. The canons concerning penance are imposed only on the living; they ought not by any means, following the same canons, to be imposed on the dying. Therefore, the Holy Spirit, acting in the Pope, does well for us, when the latter in his decrees entirely removes the article of death and extreme necessity.

Those priests act unreasonably and ill who reserve for Purgatory the penance imposed on the dying. This abuse of changing canonical penalty into the penalty of Purgatory seems to have arisen when the bishops were asleep. In times of yore, canonical penalties were imposed, not after, but before, absolution, as tests of true repentance and affliction. The dying pay all penalties by their death, are already dead to the canons, and rightly have exemption from them. Imperfect spiritual health or love in the dying person necessarily brings with it great fear; and the less this love is, the greater the fear it brings.

This fear and horror - to say nothing of other things - are sufficient in themselves to produce the punishment of Purgatory, because they approximate to the horror of despair. Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven seem to differ as perfect despair, imperfect despair, and security of salvation differ.

It does not seem to be proved either by arguments or by the Holy Writ that they are outside the state of merit and demerit, or increase of love.

This, too, seems not to be proved, that they are all sure and confident of their salvation, though we may be quite sure of it. Therefore the Pope, in speaking of the perfect remission of all punishments, does not mean that all penalties in general be forgiven, but only those imposed by himself.

Therefore, those preachers of indulgences err who say that, by the Pope's indulgence, a man may be exempt from all punishments, and be saved. Yea, the Pope remits the souls in Purgatory no penalty which they, according to the canons, would have had to pay in this life.

If to anybody complete remission of all penalties may be granted, it is certain that it is granted only to those most approaching perfection, that is, to very few. Therefore the multitude is misled by the boastful promise of the paid penalty, whereby no manner of distinction is made. The same power that the Pope has over Purgatory, such has also every bishop in his diocese, and every curate in his parish. The Pope acts most rightly in granting remission to souls, not by the power of the keys - which in Purgatory he does not possess - but by way of intercession.

They preach vanity who say that the soul flies out of Purgatory as soon as the money thrown into the chest rattles. What is sure, is, that as soon as the penny rattles in the chest, gain and avarice are on the way of increase; but the intercession of the church depends only on the will of God Himself.

And who knows, too, whether all those souls in Purgatory wish to be redeemed, as it is said to have happened with St. Severinus and St. Nobody is sure of having repented sincerely enough; much less can he be sure of having received perfect remission of sins. Seldom even as he who has sincere repentance, is he who really gains indulgence; that is to say, most seldom to be found. On the way to eternal damnation are they and their teachers, who believe that they are sure of their salvation through indulgences.

Beware well of those who say, the Pope's pardons are that inestimable gift of God by which man is reconciled to God. For the forgiveness contained in these pardons has reference only to the penalties of sacramental atonement which were appointed by men. He preaches like a heathen who teaches that those who will deliver souls out of Purgatory or buy indulgences do not need repentance and contrition. Every Christian who feels sincere repentance and woe on account of his sins, has perfect remission of pain and guilt even without letters of indulgence.

Every true Christian, be he still alive or already dead, partaketh in all benefits of Christ and of the Church given him by God, even without letters of indulgence. Yet is the Pope's absolution and dispensation by no means to be contemned, since it is, as I have said, a declaration of the Divine Absolution. Martin Luther wrote his 95 theses in as a protest against the selling of indulgences.

After he sent a copy of the theses to Albert of Mainz who sent a copy to Pope Leo , Luther continued to write, elaborating on the issues raised. The Germans laugh at calling this the common treasure of Christendom.

Before long, all the churches, palaces, walls and bridges of Rome will be built out of our money. First of all, we should rear living temples, next local churches, and only last of all St. Peter's, which is not necessary for us. We Germans cannot attend St. Better that it should never be built than that our parochial churches should be despoiled. Why doesn't the pope build the basilica of St. Peter's out of his own money?

He is richer than Croesus. He would do better to sell St. Peter's and give the money to the poor folk who are being fleeced by the hawkers of indulgences. Beware of those who say that indulgences effect reconciliation with God. He who is contrite has plenary remission of guilt and penalty without indulgences. The door functioned as a bulletin board for various announcements related to academic and church affairs. The theses were written in Latin and printed on a folio sheet by the printer John Gruenenberg, one of the many entrepreneurs in the new print medium first used in Germany about Luther was calling for a "disputation on the power and efficacy of indulgences out of love and zeal for truth and the desire to bring it to light.

Some copies of the theses were sent to friends and church officials, but the disputation never took place. Albert of Brandenburg, archbishop of Mainz, sent the theses to some theologians whose judgment moved him to send a copy to Rome and demand action against Luther.

By the early months of , the theses had been reprinted in many cities, and Luther's name had become associated with demands for radical change in the church.

He had become front-page news. Luther was calling for a debate on the most neuralgic issue of his time: the relationship between money and religion. The granting of forgiveness in the sacrament of penance was based on the "power of the keys" given to the apostles according to Matthew , and was used to discipline sinners. Penitent sinners were asked to show regret for their sins contrition , confess them to a priest confession , and do penitential work to atone for them satisfaction.

Indulgences were issued by executive papal order and by written permission in various bishoprics, and they were meant to relax or commute the penitent sinner's work of satisfaction. By the late eleventh century it had become customary to issue indulgences to volunteers taking part in crusades to the Holy Land against the Muslims; all sins would be forgiven anyone participating in such a dangerous but holy enterprise.

After a complete commutation of satisfaction "plenary indulgence" was granted to all pilgrims visiting holy shrines in Rome during "jubilee years" at first every hundred years, and, eventually, every twenty-five years.

Abuses soon abounded: "permits" were issued offering release from all temporal punishment—indeed, from punishment in purgatory—for a specific payment as determined by the church.

Some popes pursued their "edifice complex" by collecting large sums through the sale of indulgences. Pope Julius II, for example, granted a "jubilee indulgence" in , the proceeds of which were used to build the new basilica of St. Peter in Rome. Peter indulgences in his lands.

Albert owed a large sum to Rome for having granted him a special dispensation to become the ecclesiastical prince ruling three territories Mainz, Magdeburg, and Halberstadt.