Martin
Luther's 95 Theses - October 31st, 1517
Here are the 95
Theses Martin Luther nailed on the church door at
Out of love for
the truth and from desire to elucidate it, the Reverend Father Martin Luther, Master
of Arts and Sacred Theology, and ordinary lecturer therein at
1. When our
Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, "Repent" (Matthew
4:17), he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.
2. This word
cannot be understood as referring to the sacrament of penance, that is,
confession and satisfaction, as administered by the clergy.
3. Yet it does
not mean solely inner repentance; such inner repentance is worthless unless it
produces various outward mortification of the flesh.
4. The penalty
of sin remains as long as the hatred of self (that is, true inner repentance),
namely till our entrance into the kingdom of heaven.
5. The pope
neither desires nor is able to remit any penalties except those imposed by his
own authority or that of the canons.
6. The pope
cannot remit any guilt, except by declaring and showing that it has been
remitted by God; or, to be sure, by remitting guilt in cases reserved to his
judgment. If his right to grant remission in these cases were disregarded, the
guilt would certainly remain unforgiven.
7. God remits
guilt to no one unless at the same time he humbles him in all things and makes
him submissive to the vicar, the priest.
8. The
penitential canons are imposed only on the living, and, according to the canons
themselves, nothing should be imposed on the dying.
9. Therefore
the Holy Spirit through the pope is kind to us insofar as the pope in his
decrees always makes exception of the article of death and of necessity.
10. Those
priests act ignorantly and wickedly who, in the case of the dying, reserve
canonical penalties for purgatory.
11. Those tares
of changing the canonical penalty to the penalty of purgatory were evidently
sown while the bishops slept (Matthew
13:25).
12. In former
times canonical penalties were imposed, not after, but before absolution, as
tests of true contrition.
13. The dying
are freed by death from all penalties, are already dead as far as the canon
laws are concerned, and have a right to be released from them.
14. Imperfect
piety or love on the part of the dying person necessarily brings with it great
fear; and the smaller the love, the greater the fear.
15. This fear
or horror is sufficient in itself, to say nothing of other things, to
constitute the penalty of purgatory, since it is very near to the horror of
despair.
16. Hell,
purgatory, and heaven seem to differ the same as despair, fear, and assurance
of salvation.
17. It seems as
though for the souls in purgatory fear should necessarily decrease and love
increase.
18.
Furthermore, it does not seem proved, either by reason or by Scripture,
that souls in purgatory are outside the state of merit, that is, unable
to grow in love.
19. Nor does it
seem proved that souls in purgatory, at least not all of them, are certain and
assured of their own salvation, even if we ourselves may be entirely certain of
it.
20. Therefore
the pope, when he uses the words "plenary remission of all
penalties," does not actually mean "all penalties," but only
those imposed by himself.
21. Thus those
indulgence preachers are in error who say that a man
is absolved from every penalty and saved by papal indulgences.
22. As a matter
of fact, the pope remits to souls in purgatory no penalty which, according to
canon law, they should have paid in this life.
23. If
remission of all penalties whatsoever could be granted to anyone at all,
certainly it would be granted only to the most perfect, that is, to very few.
24. For this
reason most people are necessarily deceived by that indiscriminate and
high-sounding promise of release from penalty.
25. That power
which the pope has in general over purgatory corresponds to the power which any
bishop or curate has in a particular way in his own diocese and parish.
26. The pope
does very well when he grants remission to souls in purgatory, not by the power
of the keys, which he does not have, but by way of intercession for them.
27. They preach
only human doctrines who say that as soon as the money clinks into the money
chest, the soul flies out of purgatory.
28. It is certain
that when money clinks in the money chest, greed and avarice can be increased;
but when the church intercedes, the result is in the hands of God alone.
29. Who knows
whether all souls in purgatory wish to be redeemed, since we have exceptions in
St. Severinus and
30. No one is
sure of the integrity of his own contrition, much less of having received
plenary remission.
31. The man who
actually buys indulgences is as rare as he who is really penitent; indeed, he
is exceedingly rare.
32. Those who
believe that they can be certain of their salvation because they have
indulgence letters will be eternally damned, together with their teachers.
33. Men must
especially be on guard against those who say that the pope's pardons are that
inestimable gift of God by which man is reconciled to him.
34. For the
graces of indulgences are concerned only with the penalties of sacramental
satisfaction established by man.
35. They who
teach that contrition is not necessary on the part of those who intend to buy
souls out of purgatory or to buy confessional privileges preach unchristian
doctrine.
36. Any truly
repentant Christian has a right to full remission of penalty and guilt, even
without indulgence letters.
37. Any true Christian,
whether living or dead, participates in all the blessings of Christ and the
church; and this is granted him by God, even without indulgence letters.
38.
Nevertheless, papal remission and blessing are by no means to be disregarded,
for they are, as I have said (Thesis 6), the proclamation of the divine
remission.
39. It is very
difficult, even for the most learned theologians, at one and the same time to
commend to the people the bounty of indulgences and the need of true
contrition.
40. A Christian
who is truly contrite seeks and loves to pay penalties for his sins; the bounty
of indulgences, however, relaxes penalties and causes men to hate them -- at
least it furnishes occasion for hating them.
41. Papal
indulgences must be preached with caution, lest people erroneously think that
they are preferable to other good works of love.
42. Christians
are to be taught that the pope does not intend that the buying of indulgences
should in any way be compared with works of mercy.
43. Christians
are to be taught that he who gives to the poor or lends to the needy does a
better deed than he who buys indulgences.
44. Because
love grows by works of love, man thereby becomes better. Man does not, however,
become better by means of indulgences but is merely freed from penalties.
45. Christians
are to be taught that he who sees a needy man and passes him by, yet gives his
money for indulgences, does not buy papal indulgences but God's wrath.
46. Christians
are to be taught that, unless they have more than they need, they must reserve
enough for their family needs and by no means squander it on indulgences.
47. Christians
are to be taught that they buying of indulgences is a
matter of free choice, not commanded.
48. Christians
are to be taught that the pope, in granting indulgences, needs and thus desires
their devout prayer more than their money.
49. Christians
are to be taught that papal indulgences are useful only if they do not put
their trust in them, but very harmful if they lose their fear of God because of
them.
50. Christians
are to be taught that if the pope knew the exactions of the indulgence
preachers, he would rather that the basilica of St. Peter were burned to ashes
than built up with the skin, flesh, and bones of his sheep.
51. Christians
are to be taught that the pope would and should wish to give of his own money,
even though he had to sell the basilica of St. Peter, to many of those from
whom certain hawkers of indulgences cajole money.
52. It is vain
to trust in salvation by indulgence letters, even though the indulgence commissary, or even the pope, were to offer his soul as
security.
53. They are
the enemies of Christ and the pope who forbid altogether the preaching of the
Word of God in some churches in order that indulgences may be preached in
others.
54. Injury is
done to the Word of God when, in the same sermon, an equal or larger amount of
time is devoted to indulgences than to the Word.
55. It is
certainly the pope's sentiment that if indulgences, which are a very
insignificant thing, are celebrated with one bell, one procession, and one
ceremony, then the gospel, which is the very greatest thing, should be preached
with a hundred bells, a hundred processions, a hundred
ceremonies.
56. The true
treasures of the church, out of which the pope distributes indulgences, are not
sufficiently discussed or known among the people of Christ.
57. That
indulgences are not temporal treasures is certainly clear, for many indulgence
sellers do not distribute them freely but only gather them.
58. Nor are
they the merits of Christ and the saints, for, even without the pope, the
latter always work grace for the inner man, and the cross, death,
and hell for the outer man.
59. St.
Lawrence said that the poor of the church were the treasures of the church, but
he spoke according to the usage of the word in his own time.
60. Without
want of consideration we say that the keys of the church, given by the merits
of Christ, are that treasure.
61. For it is
clear that the pope's power is of itself sufficient for the remission of
penalties and cases reserved by himself.
62. The true
treasure of the church is the most holy gospel of the glory and grace of God.
63. But this
treasure is naturally most odious, for it makes the first to be last (Matthew
20:16).
64. On the
other hand, the treasure of indulgences is naturally most acceptable, for it
makes the last to be first.
65. Therefore
the treasures of the gospel are nets with which one formerly fished for men of
wealth.
66. The
treasures of indulgences are nets with which one now fishes for the wealth of
men.
67. The
indulgences which the demagogues acclaim as the greatest graces are actually
understood to be such only insofar as they promote gain.
68. They are
nevertheless in truth the most insignificant graces when compared with the
grace of God and the piety of the cross.
69. Bishops and
curates are bound to admit the commissaries of papal indulgences with all reverence.
70. But they
are much more bound to strain their eyes and ears lest these men preach their
own dreams instead of what the pope has commissioned.
71. Let him who
speaks against the truth concerning papal indulgences be anathema and accursed.
72. But let him
who guards against the lust and license of the indulgence preachers be blessed.
73. Just as the
pope justly thunders against those who by any means
whatever contrive harm to the sale of indulgences.
74. Much more
does he intend to thunder against those who use indulgences as a pretext to
contrive harm to holy love and truth.
75. To consider
papal indulgences so great that they could absolve a man even if he had done
the impossible and had violated the mother of God is madness.
76. We say on
the contrary that papal indulgences cannot remove the very least of venial sins
as far as guilt is concerned.
77. To say that
even St. Peter if he were now pope, could not grant greater graces is blasphemy
against St. Peter and the pope.
78. We say on the
contrary that even the present pope, or any pope whatsoever, has greater graces
at his disposal, that is, the gospel,spiritual
powers, gifts of healing, etc., as it is written, 1
Corinthians 12:28).
79. To say that
the cross emblazoned with the papal coat of arms, and set up by the indulgence
preachers is equal in worth to the cross of Christ is blasphemy.
80. The
bishops, curates, and theologians who permit such talk to be spread among the
people will have to answer for this.
81. This
unbridled preaching of indulgences makes it difficult even for learned men to
rescue the reverence which is due the pope from slander or from the shrewd
questions of the laity.
82. Such as:
"Why does not the pope empty purgatory for the sake of holy love and the
dire need of the souls that are there if he redeems an infinite number of souls
for the sake of miserable money with which to build a church? The former reason
would be most just; the latter is most trivial.
83. Again,
"Why are funeral and anniversary masses for the dead continued and why
does he not return or permit the withdrawal of the endowments founded for them,
since it is wrong to pray for the redeemed?"
84. Again,
"What is this new piety of God and the pope that for a consideration of
money they permit a man who is impious and their enemy to buy out of purgatory
the pious soul of a friend of God and do not rather, because of the need of
that pious and beloved soul, free it for pure love's sake?"
85. Again,
"Why are the penitential canons, long since abrogated and dead in actual
fact and through disuse, now satisfied by the granting of indulgences as though
they were still alive and in force?"
86. Again,
"Why does not the pope, whose wealth is today greater than the wealth of
the richest Crassus, build this one basilica of St.
Peter with his own money rather than with the money of poor believers?"
87. Again,
"What does the pope remit or grant to those who by perfect contrition
already have a right to full remission and blessings?"
88. Again,
"What greater blessing could come to the church than if the pope were to
bestow these remissions and blessings on every believer a hundred times a day,
as he now does but once?"
89. "Since
the pope seeks the salvation of souls rather than money by his indulgences, why
does he suspend the indulgences and pardons previously granted when they have
equal efficacy?"
90. To repress
these very sharp arguments of the laity by force alone, and not to resolve them
by giving reasons, is to expose the church and the pope to the ridicule of
their enemies and to make Christians unhappy.
91. If,
therefore, indulgences were preached according to the spirit and intention of
the pope, all these doubts would be readily resolved. Indeed, they would not
exist.
92. Away, then,
with all those prophets who say to the people of Christ, "Peace,
peace," and there is no peace! (Jeremiah
6:14)
93. Blessed be
all those prophets who say to the people of Christ, "Cross, cross,"
and there is no cross!
94. Christians
should be exhorted to be diligent in following Christ, their Head, through
penalties, death and hell.
95. And thus be
confident of entering into heaven through many tribulations rather than through
the false security of peace (Acts
14:22).