According to tradition, Martin Luther on October 31, 1517 posted on a church door in Wittenberg, Germany, his Ninety-five Theses, a manifesto that turned a protest about an indulgence scandal into the Protestant Reformation. The 95 assertions were levied against the Pope in particular and the Catholic church in general criticizing doctrinal errors and sacramental missteps.
Martin Luther expected his laundry list of 95 points of contention to spark controversy and dialogue and eventually lead to a conference or council to debate them formally and lead to a reform within the Catholic faith. That is not at all what happened though. Luther was instead vilified by clergy and eventually excommunicated by the Pope himself. Luther never intended to spark a revolution that eventually prompted an exodus from Catholicism and the birth of the Protestant movement.
If you’d like to read more about the Ninety-five Theses, Martin Luther, and the Reformation make the jump over to Encyclopedia Britannica by clicking the button below.
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