Ninety-Five Theses

The 95 Theses

The Ninety-Five Theses on the Power of Indulgences, commonly known as The Ninety-Five Theses, was written by Martin Luther.

Luther argued that the Church should not sell indulgences. Because many people agreed, Luther became very popular, paving the way for the Protestant Reformation.

On October 31, 1517, Luther approached the church authorities with his pressing call for reform. On this day he presented them with his theses. When the bishops did not respond, Luther circulated his theses privately. The theses spread quickly and were printed in Nuremberg, Leipzig, and Basel.

Most recently, in February 2007, the media reported that a handwritten note by Luther's secretary Georg Rörer, found in the university library at Jena, appeared to confirm the traditional account of Luther's nailing the theses to the door. As of February 2007, this new find has yet to be assessed by scholars.

Ninety-Five Theses Media

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  Woodcut of an indulgence-seller in a church from a 1521 pamphlet

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  Johann Tetzel's coffer, now on display at St. Nicholaus church in Jüterbog, Germany

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  1525 woodcut of forgiveness from Christ outweighing the pope's indulgences

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  First page of the 1517 Basel printing of the Theses as a pamphlet

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  This 19th-century painting by Julius Hübner sensationalizes Luther's posting of the Theses before a crowd. In reality, posting theses for a disputation would have been routine.

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  These commemorative doors were installed at All Saints' Church, Wittenberg, on Luther's 375th birthday in 1858.

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  Print made for the 1617 Reformation Jubilee showing Luther inscribing the Theses on the Wittenberg church door with a giant quill

Bibliography

• Erwin Iserloh The Theses Were Not Posted: Luther Between Reform and Reformation. trans. by Jared Wicks, S.J.. Boston: Beacon Press, 1968.

Other websites

• Project Wittenberg: 95 Theses by Dr. Martin Luther (1517)
• BELIEVE Religious Information Source