The Ninety-Five Theses
by Martin Luther · Disputatio pro declaratione virtutis indulgentiarum
Assigned by 1 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- 1517
- Era
- Renaissance
- Form
- Theology
- Language
- Latin
- Length
- Short · 15 ppunder 120 pages
- Difficulty
- Moderate2 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendMartin Luther's Basic Theological WritingsFortress PressTimothy Lull's anthology prints the theses with the notes a first reader needs.
These links go straight to Amazon and Bookshop.org and earn this site nothing today. Prices are the same either way. How this works.
Ninety-five numbered propositions, written in Latin for academic debate and sent to the Archbishop of Mainz in October 1517, attacking the sale of indulgences. Luther argues that the pope cannot remit the guilt of sin or release souls from purgatory for money, that true repentance is a lifelong inward turning rather than a purchased receipt, and that the preachers of indulgences deceive the poor and insult the gospel. The document was quickly printed in German and became the opening move of the Reformation.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns The Ninety-Five Theses are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
