I was brought up from young, to be a religious, God-fearing and abiding person. My mother had in her, all the virtues of an honest Matron: modesty and fear of God. My parents had diligently instilled in me the knowledge and fear of God and to the duties of other virtues by domestic instruction. As my mother came from a well-educated middle-class family—the Lindermans, I was given the opportunity to achieve a series of formal good education in preparation for my future careers since young. As such, I was inculcated since young to be a staunch, faithful believer of God. My image of Christ was derived from a painting in which I saw in a church. I was filled with both fear of Christ and the corresponding reliance on the saints. St Anne was my idol and St Thomas my apostle. Hence, I would never in my wildest behaviour deny the words of God, let alone defer from the God’s teachings.
My parents had wished for me to ideally become a lawyer so that I could then be able to assure them of their future and take care of them when they are old and ill in age. It was with this mentality that my parents sent me to the Latin School in my hometown of Mansfield when I was nine years old. I completed my university education in Erfurt where I received my B.A degree in 1502 and my Masters of Arts in the study of Philosophy in January 1505. Based on my academic credentials mentioned thus far, your honourable Sir, you should have noticed that I am one of few first-ranked students with talents and zeal that surpass my fellow peers. All my mentors are also of a reputable caliber. After acquiring the degrees, I went on to the study of law, much to the wishes of my parents who would like to see me become a lawyer. However, things did not go according to their wishes as always and by a twist of fate, I ended up becoming a monk in the monastery of St. Augustine as a way of fulfilling my vow to St Anne. As I had an intense thirst to achieve religious satisfaction, I learned the teachings of the Church through a series of intense study, self-mastery and had thus surpassed many others in all areas, be it readings, disputes, fasts and prayers. My eagerness for virtue led me into the kind of monastic life I lived and by 1512 I had received my doctorate in theology. I was also one of the more popular professors at Elector Frederick the Wise’s University of Wittenburg. As such, you could see that I have been educated in theology for the whole of my life. I am not just any ordinary person that could be found off the streets but a qualified professor who is able to think deep into certain theological issues. My purpose is to be engaged in the in-depth study of theology and generate scholarly debates. With such a credible amount of knowledge in this field of study, I should not be considered a heretic.
Let me explain to you, Sir, the rationale behind my 95 Theses, which is basically my attack on the sale of indulgences. My duties as a professor of theology had led me into the serious study of the writings of the apostle Paul as well as the Psalms. It was during this period of my preparation that I found what I had always been seeking for. Prior to this, I had always been troubled by the issue of how people’s souls could be saved. I was obsessed with religion and worried about my own salvation. I came to realize that should God save men and women through his gift of faith, what then were the used of indulgences? I came to realize that the sale of indulgences to ordinary people by papal agents constitutes a form of corruption and would be seen as detrimental to the image of the Church. This is an important and pressing issue especially at a time when the image of the Church had been tarnished by a series of bitter fighting between the Pope and the Emperor. I do not wish to see the papal authority as being labeled a corrupt organization in the name of God. This was basically what I sought to rectify and bring to the attention of the Pope the existence of such a problem. I was appalled that papal agents are persuading credulous men and women to purchase an indulgence. These people are easily tricked by the sales techniques of indulgence sellers, believing that they could buy pardon and that their sins could hence be lessened. I felt very strongly towards this issue and decided to make my views heard to the higher papal authorities. I had written my theses in Latin, a language of the elite and not the commoners, for I had wanted a scholarly debate over this issue. Hence, I had absolutely no intention of causing a general debate over the issue of indulgences. I had hoped for a comprehensive reform from within the church authorities. Although making my points very clear, I tried to avoid any forms of direct attack on the papal authority. My theses were written in a very respectful tone, for I wish not to offend the papal authority. All along, I was instead targeting only John Tetzel for selling indulgences and was under the impression that the Pope had no idea of what Tetzel was doing. I had faith in the Pope that should he had known of the tricks being used to sell indulgences, he would rather let St. Peter’s fall to the ground rather than build it with such contaminated money. I had never imagined in my wildest dream that the Pope would also be involved in such a controversy. It really disheartened me when I came to realize this at a much later time.
I had only sent copies of the theses to my friends in Nuremburg as well as the Catholic theologian Johannes Eck. I had never thought it would have gone out of hand. Had it not been the printing press which had swiftly printed the theses that my friends had sent them to, the issue would not have gotten out of control. I hereby declare again that I had not meant for any public or general debate over the indulgence issue. I did not wish to stir up any major controversy in the church. This was the main reason over which I chose to post my theses in Latin, for it was a language which few know of.
I stress that I had intended to open a scholarly debate over this issue, since I am a professor of theology. I suspect that my teachings had instead been used to promote certain political ends and interests by the papacy and the ambitions of Frederick the Wise. It was Albretcht of Brandenburg who had pushed the panic button and sent copies of my theses to Rome. The Inquisition, who were staffed mainly by Dominicans picked up this issue and began to investigate it. However, I felt that it was an unfair investigation for the very person whom I was attacking, John Tetzel, was a Dominican and he was allowed to join in the investigation! Naturally the Dominicans would take the side of their own people and pass a biased judgment. It is very evident that they were the ones who were insinuating Leo X to declare me as a heretic, when I was not one. I believed that they must have felt that I was a threat to them and their reputation hence they were so eager to declare me as a heretic and rebel.
Even before my hearing at the Imperial Diet meeting in Worms in January 1521, I had written and published several books under my name, both in Latin and in German. In these books, I was targeting at the fame of piety and erudition, and hoping to gain the influence of both the common people and the good will of the Princes. I sought to explain the Scriptures, done through zeal for virtue and in accordance with the spirit of God, to remove the abuses of hypocrites, reform the habits and pursuits of the Clergy, and to direct the minds of mortals towards the love and honour of God. As such, your honourable Sir, it could be seen that I have no inclinations or whatsoever towards a rebellion against the papacy in 1517. From my studies, I came to the conclusion that all actions have to be justified and based on the Scripture and nothing else. However, my break with Rome came at the Diet at Worms in 1521, whereby I was accused by many for the works that I’ve done and published. I attended the Diet at Worms on 17th April 1517, on the account that I would be given protection throughout the whole process. At Worms, Papal Nuncio Jerome Aleander accused me in the presence of Prince, Prelates, and Representatives of the Empire of disobedience, heresy, sedition, rebellion, impiety and blasphemy. These accusations, I would say, were nothing but words spoken out of jealousy, envy and out of the desire for vengeance, rather than by zeal for piety. The reason lies in the fact that though Aleander was also a learned and knowledgeable man, like me, with knowledge of several tongues, he accomplished and managed very little through his orations. I was told to acknowledge which are the books that have been published under my name up till 1521 and if I would wish to recant any of them. The Diet ended with me dismissing the Pope’s assumed role as God’s representative on Earth, calling him as an Antichrist, for I stood firmly to my own belief in following strictly only the Scripture. I refused to recant my beliefs. It was only with my denunciation of the Pope and the church hierarchy that made leaders of other European churches uncomfortable with me. This was when I completely broke away from the Church. Such an action undertaken by me during a time when the Church was faced with many heretics naturally led me to be labeled as a heretic. However, I state here that I am not a heretic, for I has merely followed strictly according to what had been recorded in the Scripture and I alone will follow the actions of none others except that of the Scripture. Following this response of mine, I was condemned by the Imperial Diet and no longer protected by any laws.
I must state very clearly that it was events at the Diet and the people which had caused me to have such a drastic break with the Roman Church. My main attackers were the Dominicans, one of which included John Tetzel, Prieras, Cajetan, Von Militz and Eck. All these men tried to protect their own interests and position of the Church in society. They saw me as a threat to their illicit money-making sideline and accused me of being a heretic for fear of me ruining their “business”. I felt that they should instead be the ones to be declared as heretics for they had violated the laws of the Scripture. Hence, it is with such conviction that I write to you, hoping that you would seek the unjust sentences that have been passed to me and seek redress for me.
I will be waiting earnestly towards your judgment on my case and look into this matter through and impartial point of view.
Thank you for your kind attention.
Regards,
Dr Martin Luther
15 April 1524
Bibliography
“Luther's Lives” translated and annotated by Elizabeth Vandiver, Ralph Keen, and Thomas D. Frazel, (New York: Manchester University Press, 2002)
Dickens, A.G., “Martin Luther and the Reformation”, (London, English Universities Press, 1967)
M. Jonathan, “A Short History of Renaissance and Reformation Europe”, (Upper Saddle River, N.J., Prentice Hall, 1996)
Roger, Lockyer, “Habsburg and Bourbon Europe”, (London, Longman, 1974)
Luther's Lives” translated and annotated by Elizabeth Vandiver, Ralph Keen, and Thomas D. Frazel, (New York : Manchester University Press, 2002), p. 14
Dickens, A.G., “Martin Lurther and the Reformation” , (London , English Universities Press, 1967), p. 13
M. Jonathan, “ A Short History of Renaissance and Reformation Europe”, (Upper Saddle River, N.J., Prentice Hall, 1996), p.171
“Martin Luther and the Reformation” , p. 9
“Martin Lurther and the Reformation” , p. 3
“ A Short History of Renaissance and Reformation Europe”, p.170
Lockyer, Roger, “Habsburg and Bourbon Europe”, (London, Longman, 1974), pp. 114
“The Reformation : critical concepts in historical studies”, edited by Andrew Pettegree, (London ; New York : Routledge, 2004), p. ix