The 95 Theses: who wrote them, why do they matter and how did they 'Go Viral' (and could it have been titled anything more non-descript)
The 95 Theses have a number of claims to fame, ranging from marking the beginning of the Reformation, being one of the first documents to “go viral,” and promoting their author Martin Luther to fame across Europe and beyond. Whilst many people may have heard of the 95 Theses, the title “95 Theses” doesn’t really offer any insight into just how revolutionary the contents of the document were.
Below we answer some common questions about the document that kicked off the Reformation:
So who wrote the 95 Theses?
Martin Luther, a German theologian who at the time of writing the 95 Theses was a lecturer at the University of Wittenberg. Before his career as an academic, Luther had been an Augustinian monk following a dramatic conversion experience in his early life.What caused Luther to write the 95 Theses?
In short, money.
Not Luther’s need for money, mind you, but the Catholic Church’s. Needing money to build St Peter’s Basilica in Rome, the Pope authorised the sale of “indulgences” (basically a letter claiming to reduce or remove the punishment for whatever sin a person had committed).
A modern‑day infomercial might advertise indulgences like this:
Have you committed a sin but don’t want to waste time in purgatory atoning for your misdeeds? Then buy an indulgence for a free pass on your sins from the Pope!
Haven’t sinned lately? No problem — surely your dead ancestors have! Maybe they hadn’t had the chance to confess their sins before they died! Buy indulgences to speed up their journey from purgatory into Heaven! Just like our motto says, “When the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs!”*
*This is a real quote from infamous indulgence seller Johann Tetzel.
Luther was furious, believing this must surely be something done by rogue elements within the Church who would be brought into line once senior officials or the Pope were informed.
Did Martin Luther really nail a copy of the 95 Theses to a church door?
Probably. Maybe.
Whilst the story of the 95 Theses traditionally depicts a livid Martin Luther striding to the doors of Wittenberg Cathedral and hammering the 95 Theses to the door with a huge crowd of onlookers, we can’t be certain this is how it really played out.
We know that Luther did send his 95 Theses to his bishop on 31 October 1517 (the anniversary of which, aside from being Halloween, is also known as “Reformation Day”). However, Luther never mentioned nailing the 95 Theses to the door in his copious writings, and the earliest account we have of this story comes from decades later.
Regardless of whether the “nailing” story happened or not, the 95 Theses themselves were very real, and the contents of the letter were the spark for the Reformation — not the nailing.
What do you mean the 95 Theses went viral?
This is the most crucial part of the story. The printing press had been invented in 1440 in Germany, and printers were desperate for content to print to make sales. Unbeknownst to Luther, printers translated his 95 Theses into German (Luther had written the Theses in Latin, which was used for all communications within the Church) and began selling copies.
Turns out scandal and criticism of official bodies sold books and pamphlets in 1517 just as well as they generate clicks and views today. Thousands of copies were distributed far beyond Germany, and Luther was catapulted into fame. The Catholic Church struggled to control the narrative around indulgences, and far from Luther’s initial expectations that once alerted the Catholic hierarchy would end the practice, they instead began persecuting Luther himself for having dared to criticise the practice.
Whats this non-descript title you mention?
The 95 theses was published under the title "Disputation of Doctor Martin Luther on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences". This disputation contained the 95 Theses by which the document became commonly known.
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