The Ninety-Five Theses facts for kids

The 95 Theses

The Ninety-Five Theses is a famous list of ideas written by Martin Luther. He was a German monk and professor. Luther wrote these theses to challenge some practices of the Christian Church in his time.

His main point was that the Church should not sell special certificates called indulgences. Many people agreed with Luther. This made him very popular. His ideas helped start a big change in Christianity called the Protestant Reformation.

What Were Indulgences?

In Luther's time, the Church sold indulgences. These were like certificates. People bought them to reduce the punishment for their sins. They believed it would help them or their loved ones get into heaven faster.

Luther believed this was wrong. He thought that forgiveness came only from God. He felt it could not be bought with money.

Luther's Big Idea

On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther shared his Ninety-Five Theses. He wanted to discuss these ideas with church leaders. It is traditionally said that he nailed them to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany.

At first, the bishops did not respond to his call for change. So, Luther shared his theses with others. He sent them to friends and scholars.

How the Theses Spread

Luther's ideas quickly became very popular. People used new printing presses to make copies of the theses. They were printed in cities like Nuremberg, Leipzig, and Basel. This helped his message spread across Europe very fast.

The Ninety-Five Theses became a key moment in history. They led to major changes in religion and society.

A Recent Discovery

In 2007, a handwritten note was found. It was written by Georg Rörer, who was Luther's secretary. This note seemed to support the story of Luther nailing the theses to the church door. Experts are still studying this discovery.

Images for kids

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  1517 Nuremberg printing of the Ninety-five Theses as a placard, now in the Berlin State Library

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  Woodcut of an indulgence-seller in a church from a 1521 pamphlet

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  1525 woodcut of forgiveness from Christ outweighing the pope's indulgences

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  First page of the 1517 Basel printing of the Theses as a pamphlet

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  This nineteenth-century painting by Julius Hübner sensationalizes Luther's posting of the Theses before a crowd. In reality, posting theses for a disputation would have been routine.

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  Print made for the 1617 Reformation Jubilee showing Luther enscribing the Theses on the Wittenberg church door with a giant quill

See also

In Spanish: Las noventa y cinco tesis para niños