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Luther's 95 Thesis PDF File — Print it ! |
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Out of love for the truth and
the desire to bring it to light, the following propositions will
be discussed at Wittenberg, under the presidency of the Reverend
Father Martin Luther, Master of Arts and of Sacred Theology, and
Lecturer in Ordinary on the same at that place. Wherefore he requests
that those who are unable to be present and debate orally with
us, may do so by letter.
In the Name our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
1. Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, when He said Poenitentiam
agite, willed that the whole life of believers should be repentance.
2. This word cannot be understood to mean sacramental penance,
i.e., confession and satisfaction, which is administered by the
priests.
3. Yet it means not inward repentance only; nay, there is no inward
repentance which does not outwardly work divers
mortifications of the flesh.
4. The penalty [of sin], therefore, continues so long as hatred
of self continues; for this is the true inward repentance, and
continues until our entrance into the kingdom of heaven.
5. The pope does not intend to remit, and cannot remit any penalties
other than those which he has imposed either by his own authority
or by that of the Canons.
6. The pope cannot remit any guilt, except by declaring that it
has been remitted by God and by assenting to God's remission;
though, to be sure, he may grant remission in cases reserved to
his judgment. If his right to grant remission in such cases were
despised, the guilt would remain entirely unforgiven.
7. God remits guilt to no one whom He does not, at the same time,
humble in all things and bring into subjection to His vicar, the
priest.
8. The penitential canons are imposed only on the living, and,
according to them, nothing should be imposed on the dying.
9. Therefore the Holy Spirit in the pope is kind to us, because
in his decrees he always makes exception of the article of death
and of necessity.
10. Ignorant and wicked are the doings of those priests who, in
the case of the dying, reserve canonical penances for purgatory.
11. This changing of the canonical penalty to the penalty of purgatory
is quite evidently one of the tares that were sown while the bishops
slept.
12. In former times the canonical penalties were imposed not after,
but before absolution, as tests of true contrition.
13. The dying are freed by death from all penalties; they are
already dead to canonical rules, and have a right to be released
from them.
14. The imperfect health [of soul], that is to say, the imperfect
love, of the dying brings with it, of necessity, great fear; and
the smaller the love, the greater is the fear.
15. This fear and horror is sufficient of itself alone (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 as do despair,
almost-despair, and the assurance of safety.
17. With souls in purgatory it seems necessary that horror should
grow less and love increase.
18. It seems unproved, either by reason or Scripture, that they
are outside the state of merit, that is to say, of increasing
love.
19. Again, it seems unproved that they, or at least that all of
them, are certain or assured of their own blessedness, though
we may be quite certain of it.
20. Therefore by "full remission of all penalties" the
pope means not actually "of all," but only of those
imposed by himself.
21. Therefore those preachers of indulgences are in error, who
say that by the pope's indulgences a man is freed from every penalty,
and saved;
22. Whereas he remits to souls in purgatory no penalty which,
according to the canons, they would have had to pay in this life.
23. If it is at all possible to grant to any one the remission
of all penalties whatsoever, it is certain that this remission
can be granted only to the most perfect, that is, to the very
fewest.
24. It must needs be, therefore, that the greater part of the
people are deceived by that indiscriminate and highsounding promise
of release from penalty.
25. The power which the pope has, in a general way, over purgatory,
is just like the power which any bishop or curate has, in a special
way, within his own diocese or parish.
26. The pope does well when he grants remission to souls [in purgatory],
not by the power of the keys (which he does not possess), but
by way of intercession.
27. They preach man who say that so soon as the penny jingles
into the money-box, the soul flies out [of purgatory].
28. It is certain that when the penny jingles into the money-box,
gain and avarice can be increased, but the result of the intercession
of the Church is in the power of God alone.
29. Who knows whether all the souls in purgatory wish to be bought
out of it, as in the legend of Sts. Severinus and Paschal.
30. No one is sure that his own contrition is sincere; much less
that he has attained full remission.
31. Rare as is the man that is truly penitent, so rare is also
the man who truly buys indulgences, i.e., such men are most rare.
32. They will be condemned eternally, together with their teachers,
who believe themselves sure of their salvation because they have
letters of pardon.
33. Men must be on their 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 these "graces of pardon" concern only the penalties
of sacramental satisfaction, and these are appointed by man.
35. They preach no Christian doctrine who teach that contrition
is not necessary in those who intend to buy souls out of purgatory
or to buy confessionalia.
36. Every truly repentant Christian has a right to full remission
of penalty and guilt, even without letters of pardon.
37. Every true Christian, whether living or dead, has part in
all the blessings of Christ and the Church; and this is granted
him by God, even without letters of pardon.
38. Nevertheless, the remission and participation [in the blessings
of the Church] which are granted by the pope are in no way to
be despised, for they are, as I have said, the declaration of
divine remission.
39. It is most difficult, even for the very keenest theologians,
at one and the same time to commend to the people the abundance
of pardons and [the need of] true contrition.
40. True contrition seeks and loves penalties, but liberal pardons
only relax penalties and cause them to be hated, or at least,
furnish an occasion [for hating them].
41. Apostolic pardons are to be preached with caution, lest the
people may falsely think them preferable to other good works of
love.
42. Christians are to be taught that the pope does not intend
the buying of pardons to be compared in any way to works of mercy.
43. Christians are to be taught that he who gives to the poor
or lends to the needy does a better work than buying pardons;
44. Because love grows by works of love, and man becomes better;
but by pardons man does not grow better, only more free from penalty.
45. Christians are to be taught that he who sees a man in need,
and passes him by, and gives [his money] for pardons, purchases
not the indulgences of the pope, but the indignation of God.
46. Christians are to be taught that unless they have more than
they need, they are bound to keep back what is necessary for their
own families, and by no means to squander it on pardons.
47. Christians are to be taught that the buying of pardons is
a matter of free will, and not of commandment.
48. Christians are to be taught that the pope, in granting pardons,
needs, and therefore desires, their devout prayer for him more
than the money they bring.
49. Christians are to be taught that the pope's pardons are useful,
if they do not put their trust in them; but altogether harmful,
if through them they lose their fear of God.
50. Christians are to be taught that if the pope knew the exactions
of the pardon-preachers, he would rather that St. Peter's church
should go to ashes, than that it should be built up with the skin,
flesh and bones of his sheep.
51. Christians are to be taught that it would be the pope's wish,
as it is his duty, to give of his own money to very many of those
from whom certain hawkers of pardons cajole money, even though
the church of St. Peter might have to be sold.
52. The assurance of salvation by letters of pardon is vain, even
though the commissary, nay, even though the pope himself, were
to stake his soul upon it.
53. They are enemies of Christ and of the pope, who bid the Word
of God be altogether silent in some Churches, in order that pardons
may be preached in others.
54. Injury is done the Word of God when, in the same sermon, an
equal or a longer time is spent on pardons than on this Word.
55. It must be the intention of the pope that if pardons, which
are a very small thing, are celebrated with one bell, with single
processions and ceremonies, then the Gospel, which is the very
greatest thing, should be preached with a hundred bells, a hundred
processions, a hundred ceremonies.
56. The "treasures of the Church," out of which the
pope grants indulgences, are not sufficiently named or known among
the people of Christ.
57. That they are not temporal treasures is certainly evident,
for many of the vendors do not pour out such treasures so easily,
but only gather them.
58. Nor are they the merits of Christ and the Saints, for even
without the pope, these always work grace for the inner man, and
the cross, death, and hell for the outward man.
59. St. Lawrence said that the treasures of the Church were the
Church's poor, but he spoke according to the usage of the word
in his own time.
60. Without rashness we say that the keys of the Church, given
by Christ's merit, are that treasure;
61. For it is clear that for the remission of penalties and of
reserved cases, the power of the pope is of itself sufficient.
62. The true treasure of the Church is the Most Holy Gospel of
the glory and the grace of God.
63. But this treasure is naturally most odious, for it makes the
first to be last.
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
they formerly were wont to fish for men of riches.
66. The treasures of the indulgences are nets with which they
now fish for the riches of men.
67. The indulgences which the preachers cry as the "greatest
graces" are known to be truly such, in so far as they promote
gain.
68. Yet they are in truth the very smallest graces compared with
the grace of God and the piety of the Cross.
69. Bishops and curates are bound to admit the commissaries of
apostolic pardons, with all reverence.
70. But still more are they bound to strain all their eyes and
attend with all their ears, lest these men preach their own dreams
instead of the commission of the pope.
71 . He who speaks against the truth of apostolic pardons, let
him be anathema and accursed!
72. But he who guards against the lust and license of the pardon-preachers,
let him be blessed!
73. The pope justly thunders against those who, by any art, contrive
the injury of the traffic in pardons.
74. But much more does he intend to thunder against those who
use the pretext of pardons to contrive the injury of holy love
and truth.
75. To think the papal pardons so great that they could absolve
a man even if he had committed an impossible sin and violated
the Mother of God -- this is madness.
76. We say, on the contrary, that the papal pardons are not able
to remove the very least of venial sins, so far as its guilt is
concerned.
77. It is said that even St. Peter, if he were now Pope, could
not bestow greater graces; this is blasphemy against St. Peter
and against the pope.
78. We say, on the contrary, that even the present pope, and any
pope at all, has greater graces at his disposal; to wit, the Gospel,
powers, gifts of healing, etc., as it is written in I. Corinthians
xii.
79. To say that the cross, emblazoned with the papal arms, which
is set up [by the preachers of indulgences], is of equal worth
with the Cross of Christ, is blasphemy.
80. The bishops, curates and theologians who allow such talk to
be spread among the people, will have an account to render.
81. This unbridled preaching of pardons makes it no easy matter,
even for learned men, to rescue the reverence due to the pope
from slander, or even from the shrewd questionings of the laity.
82. To wit: — "Why does not the pope empty purgatory,
for the sake of holy love and of 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 reasons
would be most just; the latter is most trivial."
83. Again: — "Why are mortuary and anniversary masses
for the dead continued, and why does he not return or permit the
withdrawal of the endowments founded on their behalf, since it
is wrong to pray for the redeemed?"
84. Again: — "What is this new piety of God and the
pope, that for money they allow 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 that pious and beloved soul's own
need, free it for pure love's sake?"
85. Again: — "Why are the penitential canons long since
in actual fact and through disuse abrogated and dead, 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
to-day greater than the riches of the richest, build just this
one church of St. Peter with his own money, rather than with the
money of poor believers?"
87. Again: — "What is it that the pope remits, and what
participation does he grant to those who, by perfect contrition,
have a right to full remission and participation?"
88. Again: — "What greater blessing could come to the
Church than if the pope were to do a hundred times a day what
he now does once, and bestow on every believer these remissions
and participations?"
89. "Since the pope, by his pardons, seeks the salvation
of souls rather than money, why does he suspend the indulgences
and pardons granted heretofore, since these have equal efficacy?"
90. To repress these arguments and scruples 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, pardons were preached according to the spirit
and mind of the pope, all these doubts would be readily resolved;
nay, 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!
93. Blessed be all those prophets who say to the people of Christ,
"Cross, cross," and there is no cross!
94. Christians are to be exhorted that they be diligent in following
Christ, their Head, through penalties, deaths, and hell;
95. And thus be confident of entering into heaven rather through
many tribulations, than through the assurance of peace.
Published in: Works of Martin Luther, Adolph Spaeth, L.D. Reed, Henry Eyster Jacobs, et Al., Trans. & Eds. (Philadelphia: A. J. Holman Company, 1915), Vol. 1, pp. 29-38.
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