The publication of Martin Luther’s 95 theses brought the whole of Medieval Christendom into a stir within a relatively short period of time resulting into a massive protest against the doctrinal and moral abuses of the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy.
Originally written in Latin, a student copied the document, translated it into German and then sent it to the university press for distribution throughout Germany. Shortly thereafter, the beginning of the Protestant Reformation could be felt in the air posing as a threat to the then deteriorating church of Medieval Christendom.
Church historian Philip Schaff notes, “They sounded the trumpet of the Reformation. They found a hearty response with liberal scholars and enemies of monastic obscurantism, with German patriots longing for emancipation from Italian control, and with thousands of plain Christians waiting for the man of Providence who should give utterance to their feelings of indignation against existing abuses, and to their desire for a pure, scriptural, and spiritual religion.”
Proponents and Opponents of the 95 Theses
With the intellectual forces of the Renaissance to back him up and with people from all walks of life having expressed their support to what the 95 theses had to say, Luther suddenly found himself at the very forefront of what soon to become a great spiritual movement that in so short a time would signal the end of the Medieval Age and the inauguration of modern times.
Luther himself had a copy of the 95 theses sent to Albrecht, Archbishop of Mainz and Magdeburg. Albrecht in turn had the document sent to Pope Leo X to have him intervene and silence Luther. In response, the pope instructed Luther’s colleagues in the Augustinian order to get the matter resolved. However, most, if not all, of his fellow Augustinians found in him a champion for the faith and so expressed their support to his teachings.
But not all of those who turned their back on the Roman Catholic Church in support of the Protestant Reformation were of a pure heart. Unbridled passions, political maneuverings, selfish ambitions, among other forms of selfishness combined with the godly aspiration to realign the Church back to the New Testament standard.
While they garnered a company of proponents in favor of Luther’s cause, the 95 theses also invited opponents (all of whom were of course committed to the Roman Catholic faith) whose aim was to hamper the potential damage they might cause to the unity of Medieval Christendom as well as the trade of the indulgences. Johann Tetzel, of course, was one of them, being the chief seller of the indulgences. Perhaps the most formidable of his opponents was John Eck who was at first a friend of him but at this point had become a bitter enemy who in a public debate he had to face to defend the issues raised by the 95 theses.
Luther’s Personal Response
Luther himself was surprised that what he originally intended to be a mere academic debate among his colleagues at the University of Wittenberg would result in such an open protest against the corrupt hierarchy of Medieval Christendom. He had no intention whatsoever to divide the Church. But the series of events that started with the publication of his 95 theses gave him no choice but to take the lead to address the issues at hand.
He took advantage of his command in Latin and German in response to his opponents, making use of his pulpit and his chair in the university as well as utilizing the printing press. Unfortunately, he often used coarse and vulgar language offending even some of his more civilized supporters. This brought him into conflict with papal authority all the more that culminated in the birth of the third major branch of the Christian religion known today as Protestantism.
Sources:
- Gonzalez, Justo. The Story of Christianity Volume 2. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, 1985.
- Schaff, Phillip. History of the Christian Church Volume VII. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997.
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