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Wittenberg
Photo: Wikimedia Commons · All Saints' Church, Wittenberg

Wittenberg

Luther and the 95 theses · Germany

The monk and professor Martin Luther was troubled that people were buying indulgences to shorten their punishment for sin. On 31 October 1517 he wrote 95 theses for a debate and, according to tradition, nailed them to the door of the Castle Church. Within weeks they were printed and read across Germany, and the Reformation had begun. Today bronze doors with the theses hang in that place, and Luther himself is buried inside the church.

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Whether he really nailed them up is debated among historians. He may only have sent them by letter.

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An inspiring story

A monk who could not keep quiet

What do you do when something is wrong and everyone goes along with it?

In 1517 the preacher Johann Tetzel was selling indulgences near Wittenberg: pay, and your sins, or those of a loved one in purgatory, would be forgiven. People paid what they could hardly afford. The monk and professor Martin Luther was troubled. On 31 October he sent 95 theses to the archbishop, the first one saying that Jesus wanted the whole life of believers to be one of repentance. Why make such a fuss? Because he had discovered in the Bible that God's grace is a gift that cannot be bought. Within weeks his theses were printed and read all over Germany.

One letter from an unknown monk changed Europe. Keeping silent is a choice too.

The righteous will live by faith.Romans 1:17

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