Martin Luther's 95 Theses
- 27. Menschenlehre verkndigen die, die sagen, da die Seele (aus dem Fegefeuer) emporfliege, sobald das Geld im Kasten klingt.
- 27. They preach vanity who say that the soul flies out of Pugatory as soon as the money thrown into the chest rattles.
It is said that Dr. Martin Luther, Prof. of Moral Philosophy, nailed his 95 Theses against the practice of selling indulgences to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg on October 31, 1517. Although historians dispute whether Luther really did nail the theses to the door of the Castle Church, he did send his theses to friends and a few bishops; all of a sudden people knew where Wittenberg was. During the Seven Year's War (1756-1763) the Castle Church, including the theses door, was severely damaged. The current theses door is bronze and all 95 Theses are inscribed onto it.
Indulgence was a church imposed confession of sin which took many different forms over the years. If you took part in a crusade or sent someone (for example a servant) on a crusade for you, your sins could be forgiven. When the Papal Court fell into financial trouble you were allowed to donate money for a crusade in order for your sins to be forgiven; it was as effective as going on a crusade yourself.
