Tag: Tetzel

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Higher History

Who Was Martin Luther? Part 22

95 Theses against Indulgences

by Rev. Donavon Riley

As more people of power and influence called for action against Martin Luther, the more those in authority in Rome turned their attention toward Wittenberg. It was the Dominican Order who were the most excited about calling Luther to account for his teachings. John Tetzel, Luther’s primary opponent during the Indulgence Controversy, was a Dominican too, so the order’s prejudice against Luther had already been established.

That’s why, when the principal of the Dominican monasteries in Germany, Herman Rab, attended the order’s annual meeting in Rome one of his first actions was to award Tetzel a special doctor’s degree authorized by the Pope himself. Now, with this public honor, the Dominican Order had announced they stood firm behind Tetzel and what he’d taught during the Indulgence Controversy.

Rab also used his time in Rome to explain what was happening in Germany because of Luther’s teaching. Rab talked first to friends who served the Pope. In this way, he was put into contact with Sylvester Prierias, the papal watchdog for all doctrinal matters. When Rab presented Luther’s 95 Theses to Prierias, the latter agreed that the young monk was in error. More than that, because Prierias spoke for the Pope, that meant Luther’s teachings against indulgences was an attack on the Church and an assault on the will of God and therefore heresy.

After his conversation with Rab, Prierias set to work writing his “Dialogues.” These were published in June of 1518. The papal lawyers then used the dialogues as an outline as they drew up formal charges against Martin. The legal document was passed on to Cardinal Cajetan, the head of the Dominican Order and a papal lawyer appointed to serve at the upcoming Imperial Diet in Augsburg. Lastly, Luther received his copy of the documents on August 7.

When Luther read them he knew he had a problem. This wasn’t a pointed attack launched by Eck or Tetzel. This was a papal decree. The author had the Pope’s ear. Prierias’ judgments carried the weight of God’s authority. And, worst of all for Luther, he was being summoned to Rome, not for an academic debate, but to defend himself against charges of heresy.

The next day Martin wrote to his friend, Spalatin, who served at the court of Elector Frederick. In the letter Luther begged his friend to speak to Frederick, to urge the elector to do something to get the trial moved from Rome to Germany. The young professor knew that if something wasn’t done he’d be executed as soon as he stepped foot in Rome. Only Frederick could now save Luther from a horrible death.

Next week we will examine what happened next with the trial of Martin Luther, and his defense of his teachings against charges of heresy.

Rev. Donavon Riley is the pastor of St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Webster, Minnesota.

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Higher History

Who Was Martin Luther? Part 21

Johan Tetzel
Tetzel, Karlstadt, and other theologians respond to Luther

by Rev. Donavon Riley

After his Heidelberg Theses, Luther, more than ever, was under scrutiny from friends and opponents. Colleagues, like Andreas Karlstadt who was a colleague of Luther’s, wrote his own theses arguing for the authority of Scripture in matters of faith over all human opinions, even the Early Church Fathers.

On the other hand, John Tetzel, Luther’s sworn enemy since the indulgence controversy, preached a sermon entitled: “Sermon on Indulgences and Grace,” which was a direct attack on Luther’s teaching about indulgences. When he received word about this Martin said that Tetzel’s sermon treated the Bible “like a sow pushes about a sack of grain.” But, for Luther’s adversaries Tetzel’s argument had traction they could use. Tetzel asserted that the Pope had complete and ultimate authority in all matters in heaven and on earth. That meant that anyone who challenged the Pope’s word was a heretic because the Pope’s decisions, since he was the vicar of Christ, were to be heard as God’s own word.

Eck also took aim at Luther again after Heidelberg. But unlike Tetzel, Eck was a theologian of the church and his criticism held substantially more weight for Luther as a consequence. Even though he decided to say nothing, and “swallow this dose of hell” as Martin put it, colleagues pushed him to write a response to Eck. But Luther said he would not do it. He felt it would not be of any help to Christians to witness such an angry and provocative debate between theologians happening in public.

If the controversy Luther had stirred up remained amongst theologians and academics, and stayed locked behind the closed doors of the monastery and academia, perhaps Luther would have become a footnote in church history. A charismatic, if not controversial figure, on the same level as John Wycliffe or Jan Hus. However, once politically powerful, influential men jumped into the fray the stakes shifted for Luther and everyone else. Now, Luther could not protect himself simply by not responding to the criticism of theologians. Now he would have to find a benefactor to defend him from being arrested and executed.

And yet, as he wrote to a friend at the time, “The more they threaten me, the more confident I become… I know that whoever wants to bring the Word of Christ into the world must, like the apostles, leave behind and renounce everything, and expect death at any moment. If any other situation prevailed, it would not be the Word of Christ.”

Next week we will examine what was happening in Rome at this time and how the papacy decided to deal with Luther once and for all.

Rev. Donavon Riley is the pastor of St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Webster, Minnesota.

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Higher History

Who Was Martin Luther? Part 18

An Indulgence from Johan Tetzel

by Rev. Donavon Riley

John Tetzel, as one historian described him, “was a short, dumpy, stump-preacher who was very good at the business of selling indulgences.” He was so good at it that in the Fall of 1517 he was sent to Germany to announce a special plenary indulgence that, the Papacy hoped, would bring in the amount of money it needed to finish building St. Peter’s basilica in Rome.

The special indulgence Tetzel peddled to the German people was so broad in its definition that just purchasing it seemed to be the actual means of freeing people from purgatory. Not a repentant heart, true faith, or even a desire to earn God’s grace was necessary. Money talked in this case, and Tetzel used all his skills as a public speaker to bend the peoples’ ear to his message.

Tetzel would go from town to town and deliver the same stirring message: “Do you not hear the voices of your dead relatives and others, crying out to you and saying, ‘Pity us, pity us, for we are in dire punishment and torment from which you can redeem us for a pittance’? And you will not?” Then, in his concluding appeal, “Will you not then for a quarter of a florin receive these letters of indulgence through which you are able to lead a divine and immortal soul safely and securely into the homeland of paradise?” Then at the very end, Tetzel would say, “Once the coin into the coffer clings, a soul from purgatory heavenward springs!”

In every town, Tetzel’s preaching filled money boxes for the papacy. The German people, concerned for their family and loved ones’ souls, bought indulgences in record numbers. And before anyone could reconsider their decision, Tetzel and his entourage of soldiers, musicians, and actors were on to the next town.

Due to the power of his delivery and the amount of money being gathered up, Luther knew about Tetzel’s methods far in advance of the little preacher’s appearance in Wittenberg. In fact, Luther was so upset by the news he received about Tetzel that he finally spoke publicly about it, calling Tetzel’s mission, “The pious defrauding of the faithful.” And others, following Luther, referred to it as “Roman bloodsucking.”

But, Tetzel expected this push back. It was, in his experience, normal for some amongst the nobles and clergy to oppose his work for financial reasons, if not for theological ones too. This time however, it would turn out different for him. Instead of riding out of Germany with boxes of gold and silver, a very different outcome was waiting for him in Wittenberg.

Next week we will examine what happened when Luther publicly opposed not only Tetzel, but the sale of indulgences altogether.

Rev. Donavon Riley is the pastor of St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Webster, Minnesota.