The Religious Ideas and Impact of Luther Notes

Indulgences, the Tetzel Mission, and the Ninety-Five Theses

1. The sale of indulgences had become a routine method for raising church funds.
2. Johann Tetzel’s indulgence campaign in 1517 used aggressive marketing, claiming indulgences could free souls from purgatory.
3. Luther objected not only to the corruption of indulgence sales but also to the underlying theology, since it implied salvation could be bought.
4. On 31 October 1517, Luther published the Ninety-Five Theses in Wittenberg, which quickly spread across Europe due to the printing press.
5. The Theses were intended as an academic debate but became a manifesto for reform.

Response from the Church

1. In 1520, Pope Leo X issued the bull Exsurge Domine, threatening Luther with excommunication if he did not recant.
2. Luther publicly burned the papal bull, an act of defiance that marked his break from Rome.
3. In 1521, Charles V summoned Luther to the Diet of Worms, where he refused to recant unless convinced by Scripture and reason.
4. The Edict of Worms declared Luther an outlaw, but he was protected by Frederick the Wise, allowing his ideas to survive and grow.
5. Charles V, distracted by wars against France and the Ottomans, was unable to crush the movement decisively.

Luther’s Three Critical Tracts (1520)

1. In 1520, Luther wrote three important works that became the foundation of his ideas.
   1. To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation told rulers that they should take charge of reforming the Church because the pope had failed.
   2. The Babylonian Captivity of the Church criticized the sacramental system, saying only baptism and communion were truly valid.
   3. The Freedom of a Christian explained that salvation comes through faith alone, as a gift from God, and not through good works.
2. These writings pushed the Reformation beyond an academic debate and turned it into a much larger movement for change.

Relations with Melanchthon and Zwingli

1. Luther worked closely with Philipp Melanchthon, who helped organize and explain Luther’s ideas so that students and scholars could understand them more easily.
2. In 1530, Melanchthon wrote the Augsburg Confession, which became the key summary of Lutheran beliefs. It was also written in a calmer tone than Luther usually used.
3. Luther’s relationship with Ulrich Zwingli in Switzerland was more difficult. Luther believed Christ was truly present in the bread and wine, while Zwingli thought it was only a symbol.
4. These disagreements weakened Protestant unity, making it easier for the Catholic side to push back against the Reformation.