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The ninety-Five Theses
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Martin Luther's theses published in 1517
The Ninety-five Theses, formerly known as The Debate on the Efficacy of Indulgences, is
Martin Luther
It was posted in Germany on 31 October 1517
Wittenberg
All Saints Church
The debate outline on the gate
[1]
Is thought to be
Protestantism
The beginning of the Reformation.
- Chinese name
- The ninety-Five Theses
- Foreign name
- Ninety-five Theses
- actor
- Martin Luther
- between
- October 31, 1517
- Posting location
- Germany Wittenburg Castle Church gate
catalogue
The Ninety-Five Theses are the theses of a debate that Martin Luther posted on the front door of All Saints Church in Wittenberg, Germany, on October 31, 1517, in protest of the sale of indulgencers by the Roman Church
[1]
It is considered to be the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. In his Theses, Martin Luther refuted the practice of selling "indulgenances" and opposed the means of money atonement. Luther argued that the Pope did not have the power to absolve people of sin, so it was wrong to say that indulgences could be absolved. Luther not only questioned the efficacy of indulgences, but also exposed the exploitative nature of indulgences, the significance of which was that it was the first public repudiation of the Catholic doctrine that atonement could only be achieved through the Church and the Pope, and thus was widely accepted by all levels of society. Luther angered the Church, and the Theses became a flashpoint for the Reformation.
The 95 Theses are translated as follows:
Luther's Debate on the Efficacy of the Atonement (Article 95)
Out of a desire for truth and discernment; The Rev. Martin Luther, Master of Arts, Master of Divinity and permanent Lecturer at Wittenberg University, intends to preside over the open debate on the following articles and would welcome written comments from those unable to participate in the oral debate.
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
When our Lord Jesus Christ said, "Repent" (Matthew 4:17), His intention was for believers to devote their lives to repentance.
The word "repentance" should not be understood to mean a rite of repentance, that is, a confession and redemption under the auspices of a priest.
But it does not mean only internal repentance, and without various external ascetics, it is ineffective.
The penance should go hand in hand with self-hatred, that is, true inner repentance, until you enter the kingdom of Heaven.
The Pope has neither the will nor the power to absolve any sin; he can only absolve people of punishments imposed by his own power or by church law.
The Pope himself cannot forgive any sin except by declaring or certifying that sin has been forgiven by God. At most, it has the right to pardon a person only in cases where a decision is reserved for itself. Even so, if his power is denied, the sin remains unpardoned.
God forgives man's SINS, but at the same time makes him humble and obedient to his representative, the priest.
According to church law, the code of repentance applies only to the living, not to any of the dead.
If the Pope, in his pardons, always makes exceptions for the period of death and the time of necessity, then it is merciful to us through His Holy Spirit.
The priests who acted foolishly and maliciously at the deathbed extended the punishment of Canon law into purgatory.
The tares, which changed the punishment of Canon law to that of purgatory, were apparently sown by the devil while the bishops slept. (Matthew 13:25)
In the past, as a test of sincere repentance, the punishment of Canon law came before the forgiveness of SINS, not after.
The dying man, freed from all punishment by his death and having lost his sense of Canon law, is entitled to immunity from punishment.
Inadequate piety and love must make the dying man feel great fear, and the less love, the greater the fear.
This fear, or horror, is sufficient to constitute the punishment of purgatory, for it is fear bordering on despair.
The difference between hell, purgatory, and heaven seems to be despair, fear, and saving faith.
For souls in purgatory, fear seems bound to decrease and love to increase accordingly.
At this time, neither reason nor Scripture seems to prove that the soul in purgatory is beyond merit and incapable of developing love.
Nor does it prove that souls in Purgatory, at least not all of them, are sure of their salvation, even though we ourselves may be sure of it.
Therefore, when the Pope says that all punishment is forgiven, he does not really mean all punishment, but only the punishment he himself inflicts.
Therefore, the priests who promoted indulgences fell into error when they preached that the papal indulgences would save men from all punishment.
Therefore, the Pope did not, in fact, abdicate any punishment for souls in purgatory, since, according to Canon law, one should receive such punishment in life.
If there are people who can accept total impunity, it is only perfect people who can get it, only a very few.
Therefore, indiscriminate preaching of forgiveness inevitably leads the majority of people to be deceived.
This power which the Pope generally has over Purgatory is equivalent to that which every bishop has in his own diocese and every priest in his own diocese.
The Pope can brilliantly grant the pardon of souls in purgatory, but not by using the power of the key, which he does not possess, but by intercedes for them.
They preached only the human claim that when silver coins jingled in the cash chest, souls in purgatory would fly to heaven.
Obviously, when coins jingle in the till, it only increases greed and self-interest. As for the efficacy of the intercession of the church, God alone is in charge.
Who knew that souls in purgatory expected forgiveness? There are exceptions in the legend of Saint Severin and Saint Pastia.
Since no one can be sure whether his repentance has reached its full sincerity, it is more difficult to know whether his SINS have been fully forgiven.
Those who buy indulgences in good faith are as few as those who sincerely repent. Indeed, such people are extremely rare.
Those who are convinced of their salvation by the purchase of indulgences will be eternally punished along with their instigators.
Particular caution should be given to those who preach that papal forgiveness is the supreme grace of God by which men can be restored to God.
For the effect of indulgences is related only to the punishment of human ritual penance.
It is not in accordance with the teachings of Christ to preach that he who buys a soul free from purgatory or a privilege of confession has no need to repent.
A truly repentant Christian can obtain full immunity from punishment even without buying indulgences.
A truly repentant Christian can live or die without indulgences and still share in the blessings and grace of God and the Church.
However, papal pardons and blessings are not to be taken lightly, because, as I said (in Article VI), they are also proclamations of divine pardon.
The most learned theologian can hardly justify himself if he simultaneously preaches to the faithful the special effects of indulgences and the necessity of sincere repentance.
The truly repentant Christian is willing to be punished for his SINS, but the privilege of indulgences exempts and abhors punishment, or at least offers such an opportunity.
The Pope's indulgent offers should be promoted with caution, or people will be mistaken for thinking they are choosing some other good work of love.
Christians must be taught that the Pope has no intention of equating the purchase of indulgences with good works under any circumstances.
Christians must be taught that giving to the poor, or lending money to those in need, is better than buying indulgences.
Because love produces good deeds, people become better; The means of indulgences do not make a man clean, but merely free him from punishment.
The Christian must be taught that when he sees a poor and needy person and abandons him, and spends his money on indulgences, what he buys is not a papal pardon, but a divine punishment.
Christians must be taught that if they do not have money to spare, they should keep it for their families and not waste it on indulgences.
The Christian must be taught that the purchase of indulgences is a voluntary act and that no one is forcing him to do so.
Christians must be taught that the Pope's forgiveness of believers is needed and expected more from their prayers than from their money.
Christians must be taught that the papal indulgences are only useful if they do not depend on them. If the fear of God is lost through the purchase of indulgences, then the atonement becomes the most harmful thing.
Christians must be taught that if the Pope had known of the extortion of indulgences peddlers, he would rather burn St. Peter's Church to ashes than build it from the skin, flesh, and bones of his flock.
Christians must be taught that the Pope is willing to give his own money, even to the point of selling St. Peter's Church, to the relief of those who have been exploited by indulgencers.
It is futile to believe in the saving function of indulgences, even if their touts, or even the Pope himself, pledge his soul as security.
Those who forbid the preaching of the Word of God in other churches for the sake of promoting indulgences are enemies of Christ and of the Pope.
It is blasphemy against the Word of God to preach indulgences as much or more than to preach the Word of God.
The Pope must have taken the view that if a small matter, such as the preaching of indulges, is worth the ringing, the procession, and the ceremony, then a great matter, such as the proclaiming of the Gospel, is worth a hundredfold more.
The Pope claims that his gift of forgiveness is taken from the "treasure" of the Church, which is neither fully discussed nor understood by Christians.
It is obvious that indulgences are not worldly treasures, because touts do not give them away for free, but hoard them.
Nor is the indulgences the merit of Christ and the Saints, for even without the Pope, the saints bestowed grace upon the soul, and the cross, death, and hell upon the flesh.
St. Lawrence said that the poverty of the church is the treasure of the church, but he said so in the sense of his day.
If we consider it carefully, we will say that that treasure is the key to the teaching of Christ's grace.
For it is evident that the power of the Pope is sufficient to pardon on his own the punishments and cases reserved for him.
The true treasure of the church should be the most Holy Gospel full of God's glory and grace.
But this treasure is naturally most repulsive, because it causes those who are first to be last. (Matthew 20:16)
On the other hand, the treasure of indulgences is naturally the most desirable, because it makes those who are last come first.
Therefore, the treasure of the Gospel is like a net with which men used to snare the rich.
The treasure of indulgences is such a net, which some now use to plunder the wealth of men.
The indulgences which the demagogues preach as the greatest grace are in fact only for the benefit of certain people.
However, compared with the grace of God and the piety of the cross, the indulgences are actually the most insignificant.
Bishops and priests must receive the Pope's emissaries respectfully.
But they must keep their eyes and ears very alert, lest they should sell their own private goods and ignore the Pope's exhortation.
Cursed and condemned are those who attack the truth of the papal indulgences.
But blessed are those who oppose the greed and impudence of indulgences peddlers.
Just as the Pope had reason to be furious with those who tried to block the sale of indulgences.
He should be even more critical of those who use indulgents-as a pretext to harm holy love and the truth.
If the Pope's indulgences were supposed to be so effective; It must be madness to forgive even those who have done the unthinkable and insulted the Virgin.
On the contrary, we believe that when it comes to SINS, even the most trivial ones, the papal indulgences are difficult to dispense with.
If we say that even if St. Peter were Pope today, he could not bestow greater grace. This is blasphemy not only against St. Peter, but also against the Pope.
Instead, we argue that the present Pope, as well as any other Pope, has a greater grace at the disposal of the individual, that is, the Gospel, the religious power, the healing power, etc., as Scripture says (1 Corinthians 12:28).
Some say it is blasphemous that the cross on the papal coat of arms, and the kind erected by indulgencers, have the same effect as the cross of Christ.
The bishops, priests, and theologians who have allowed this myth to spread among the people are responsible.
The unrestrained promotion of indulgences made it difficult for learned men to defend the authority of the Pope in the face of attacks and sensitive questions from the faithful.
For example, one asks: "If the Pope has saved so many souls in Purgatory in order to collect the pitiful sum for the construction of St. Peter's Church, why does he not set them all free for the sake of holy love and the urgent need of the souls in Purgatory?" The former has a trivial reason and the latter is above board."
If it is not appropriate to pray for the liberated souls in purgatory, then why continue to celebrate funeral masses or anniversary masses for the dead? Why should it not be allowed to refund or stop payments made for this purpose?"
"What new grace is it of God and of the Pope to allow the ungodly and the adversary, for the sake of money, to purchase the pious spirit of the one who loves God in purgatory, but not to forgive him for the sake of the beloved soul and the beloved?"
"Why is it that the statutes of confession, which have long been de facto abolished, are now reapplied by the issuance of indulgences, as if they were still in existence and in force?"
"The Pope is the richest of the rich today, he has more money than the greatest rich man of old, Chrissus, so why should he spend the money of poor believers instead of his own to build St. Peter's Church?"
"What kind of forgiveness and grace can be expected from the Pope for those who have already been fully forgiven and blessed through sincere repentance?"
"Would not the blessings of the church be greater if, instead of once a day as today, the Pope were to grant pardons and blessings to every believer a hundred times a day?"
"If the Pope issued the indulgences for the salvation of souls, and not for money, why did he abrogation the pardons and pardons previously promised with the same effect?"
Without reason to dispel the doubts and disputes of the faithful, but by force alone, the Church and the Pope will only become the laughingstock of the enemy, and the majority of Christians will be grieved.
If indulgences were proclaimed in accordance with the spirit and will of the Pope, all doubts would soon be dispelled, if not ceased to exist.
It is to leave prophets who preach "peace, peace" to Christians, when there is no peace.
Blessed are the prophets who preach "cross, cross" to Christians, when in fact there is no cross.
Christians should be exhorted to faithfully follow Christ their Lord through penance, death, and hell.
Only through all kinds of suffering, and not false guarantees of peace (Acts 14:22), can one be sure of entering heaven.
