viewpoint
wittenberg
birthplace of the
reformation
This October we will be celebrating the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Reformation.
It was birthed by a priest by the name of Martin Luther who ended an abusive trend in church.
F
rom 1514 Luther was not only theology professor at
Wittenberg University but also the priest at the City
Church in Wittenberg. So he was also responsible
for the salvation of his parish. Luther observed that
many people in Wittenberg were not coming to him
for confession any more. They were going to towns in
Brandenburg or Anhalt to buy Indulgences (primarily
the Peter’s Indulgence which offered absolution from
sin for those who gave money towards the rebuilding
of St Peter’s Basilica in Rome).
The practice of buying indulgences, which quasi replaced
confession and allowed people to buy their salvation, was
completely repulsive to Luther. He strongly believed that
one lived a life of humility in order to receive God’s grace.
After 1507, trade in Indulgences took a steep climb
because both the Papal Court and Bishop Albrecht von
Brandenburg Germany’s representative for the sale of
indulgence were in great financial trouble.
In addition, the Dominican monk, Johann Tetzel, sold
indulgences in the region around Wittenberg in a very
ostentatious manner. Many stories started popping up
about him such as, that Tetzel could redeem the sins of the
deceased. Further sayings of Tetzel, such as, “When the
money clangs in the box, the souls spring up to heaven”,
also brought protests from Luther.
Prior to October 31, 1517, Luther had preached against
the indulgence trade. After reading an instruction manual
for indulgence traders, he wrote a letter to his church
18 Revival Times May 2017
superiors hoping to get rid of this abuse. In this letter he
included 95 Theses which were to be used as the basis
for a discussion on the topic.
Luther sent his 95 Theses to a few bishops and some
friends; therefore he did not expect or receive a prompt
response. By the end of 1517, however, copies of the 95
Theses had been printed in Leipzig, Nuremberg and Basel.
Some humanists and princes passionately approved of the
theses, but parts of the Roman Church completely rejected
them. The most vehement voice against the theses was
the Indulgence Priest Tetzel, who supposedly categorized
Luther as a follower of the heretic Jan Hus and threatened
to have him burned at the stake.
At first the bishops reacted mildly, they informed the
Pope of the ‘rebel within the ranks’ and instructed Luther’s
direct superior to take a moderate roll in calming him. A few
bishops actually welcomed Luther’s ideas for reform.
Because of increasing pressure, Luther found it
necessary to explain and clarify his theses in writing.
In 1518, Luther himself said that he only wanted to take
care of an abuse (indulgence) and was not striving to
unhinge the papacy with his theses. The avalanche,
however, was now unstoppable. ❖
We will be looking in more detail at the Reformation
in future editions of Revival Times, but would like to
tell you about a special opportunity to celebrate this
special anniversary with KTLCC.
Coutesy of luther.de