Charles and Luther 1517-1521 Flashcards
What caused Luther to move into the public eye?
The Indulgences Controversy
What were indulgences and how did they work?
The doctrine of the Church stated that the Pope had the power to forgive sins and release souls from purgatory. The pope was able to draw upon the Treasury of Merits which were accumulated good works of Saints, which could be used to atone for the sins of man. These papal remissions of guilt could be purchases in the form of indulgences
In 1476, the Church stated that they could be bought on behalf of dead relatives who might already be in purgatory
Why did Pope Leo X allow the selling of indulgences in Germany in 1517?
He wanted to build a new Basilica (to be called St Peter’s) in Rome. He agreed that half of the profits from the sale of indulgences could be used for this
Which Pope was associated with indulgences?
Pope Leo X
Who did Pope Leo X permit to sell indulgences and where?
Archbishop of Mainz in Saxony and Brandenburg
How was the Archbishop of Mainz involved in the sale of indulgences?
He paid Leo X for his right as archbishop and, therefore, was heavily in debt. He agreed with Pope Leo X to have the other half of the profits from the sale of indulgences
How did the archbishop’s instructions push the teaching on indulgences to the limit?
The instructions said that ‘it is not necessary for those who contribute to the fund to be truly sorry or to go to confession’
Who was Johannes Tetzel?
A Dominican Friar, he was chosen to lead the selling of the indulgences
Who was chosen to lead the selling of indulgences?
Johannes Tetzel
How was Tetzel involved in the indulgences controversy?
He led the selling of indulgences
He was skilled at persuasive speaking and emotional blackmail
He used props and clever language to persuade the less educated that their relatives were suffering in purgatory and required rescuing
Who was Frederick the Wise? How did his actions increase the purchase of Indulgences in neighboring states?
He was the Elector of Saxony. He had a massive relic collection that people would pay to view as part of their penances. He saw the indulgences as a threat to this so he banned people from buying them in his territory. This pushed them over the border to Tetzel and brought them to Luther’s attention
Why did Luther condemn the sale of indulgences?
He said that:
- sinners could not purchase forgiveness through indulgences an forgiveness comes from God as a result of true repentance, contrition and faith in God’s mercy (sola fide)
- only God had the authority to grant forgiveness not the Church
- even if the Pope did have the authority to free men from sin, why did he charge money from it?
When did Luther make his 95 Theses public?
31st October
Where did Luther nail the 95 Theses?
On the door of the Church in Wittenberg
Which 3 key things did Luther’s 95 Theses criticise?
Luther’s criticisms of the practices of the Catholic Church
Luther’s criticisms of the role of the Papacy
Luther’s beliefs in what made someone a true Christian
What were Luther’s 2 immediate actions in October 1517?
- Making his 95 Theses public
- Sent a copy of the 95 Theses to the Archbishop of Mainz
Who did Luther send a copy of is 95 Theses to?
The Archbishop of Mainz
What was the tone of Luther’s letter to the Archbishop of Mainz?
Obsequious, suck-up, schmoozer, flattering
Why would Luther use a flattering tone in his letter to the Archbishop of Mainz?
he did not want to be killed
In his letter to the Archbishop of Mainz, what does Luther seem to expect him to do?
Stop the sale of it
Reasons why the purpose of the 95 Theses might have been only to prompt academic debate? (7)
- it was common in Wittenberg to post articles for discussion on the door of the castle church
- the 95 theses were sent privately in a letter to the Archbishop of Mainz to make him aware that abuses were been carried out in his name
- the 95 theses were originally produced in Latin
- Luther later argued that matters were taken out of his hands
- Luther was not the person who translated the text into German. He later tried, unsuccessfully, to get the original copy back
- Wittenberg did not have a printing press at this time. He would have had to travel to nearby Erfurt if he wanted to make more than a few copies but he didnt
Reasons why Luther intended for more than academic debate with the 95 Theses?
- Luther was sending copies of the 95T out of other people by the 11th of November 1517, fully aware that his ideas were going out into the public domain
- The language and tone of the the 95T appears to have been styled in places to reach a popular audience. The text has the tone, in places, of a practical teaching document with instruction on the Word of God
- the timing of the 95T was deliberate. In the Catholic Church, the first two days of November marked a particular focus upon the dead and souls in Purgatory so buying indulgences would be at its height at the end of October
- Large crows were expected in the Wittenberg area as many people would be going to view Frederick the Wise’s relic collection just over the border in Electoral Saxony. Indulgence selling was banned in electoral Saxony so it is likely that many would have hopped over the order to buy indulgences
Why might have the timing of the 95T been deliberate?
In the Catholic Church, the first two days of November marked a particular focus upon the dead and souls in Purgatory so buying indulgences would be at its height at the end of October
Where was the selling of indulgences banned? What was the consequence of this?
Indulgence selling was banned in electoral Saxony so it is likely that many would have hopped over the order to buy indulgences
