Martin Luther's 95 Theses

Prior to the invention of the printing press, books were written and copied by hand which took an enormous amount of time. Monks of the church acted as scribes; therefore, much of what was written coincided with the church’s beliefs. The church at this time was the all-powerful Roman Catholic Church. During the 1500’s the church began to be questioned about its practice of collecting indulgences. Its followers gave the church money or indulgences in exchange for pardons from heaven. A monk named Martin Luther who lived in Germany disapproved of this practice and called the Roman Catholic Church into question by posting his 95 Theses on the door of a church in Germany. In the 95 Theses Martin Luther expressed discontent with the corrupt church and gave explanation to how churchgoers should actually live their lives. It is supposed that Luther did not actually wish to spread the 95 Theses to all the land at that time, but only to the other religious leaders in order to discuss them. ("The 95 Theses - History Learning Site.") Consequently, someone took the paper from the door, copied it from Latin into …show more content…
However, Martin Luther’s exile came a little too late. His writings continued to spread throughout Europe and gained support from those who began to question their own beliefs and the church itself. “The term “Protestant” first appeared in 1529, when Charles V revoked a provision that allowed the ruler of each German state to choose whether they would enforce the Edict of Worms. A number of princes and other supporters of Luther issued a protest, declaring that their allegiance to God trumped their allegiance to the emperor. They became known to their opponents as Protestants; gradually this name came to apply to all who believed the Church should be reformed, even those outside Germany.” ("Martin Luther Posts 95