Martin Luther

The Indulgence Salesman

Luther began preaching his ideas, which were not really all that original. Wycliff and Hus, in particular, but many others besides, had said much the same. But larger events now caught Luther up, and his own temperment ensured that he would not shrink from them. The first of these was the visit of Johann Tetzel to a nearby town.

The year was 1517, and Tetzel, a Dominican monk, was selling papal indulgences near Wittenberg. Tetzel was offering total remission of all sins forever - whoever bought his indulgence would go to Heaven immediately upon death.

This practice was not uncommon. In theory, the person purchasing the indulgence was to repent his or her sins prior to the purchase, so that it was clear that God was doing the forgiving of the sin while the Church was merely remitting the punishment that went with it. But Tetzel did not demand repentance. You paid your money and you got your indulgence and good day to you.

Tetzel was a born publicist. He set up his table in the town square, had lovely banners all around, and even distributed announcements complete with a little jingle to make it memorable: "Another penny in the coffer rings, another soul to Heaven springs."

This sort of behavior was repellant to Luther, as indeed it was to many pious Christians. Most merely wrinkled their noses in disgusted and turned away. Luther, being a university professor, immediately wrote a paper.