Martin Luther: Ninety-five Theses (1517) Commentary by Andrew J. Waskey, Dalton State College

Impact

Luther himself expressed surprise at the firestorm the Ninety-five Theses set off. He once said, “I would never have thought that such a storm would rise from Rome over one simple scrap of paper” (About Martin Luther). Luther could not have known the far-reaching impact his scrap of paper would have, for it launched the Protestant Reformation, breaking the hold of the Catholic Church on Europe.

The impact on his life and on the Catholic Church was almost immediate. In response to the publication of the theses, Pope Leo X ordered a prominent Italian theologian, Sylvester Mazzolini of Prierio (also known as Prierias), to investigate the dispute. Mazzolini concluded that Luther's teachings were opposed to the church's doctrine on indulgences and branded Luther a heretic (that is, a dissenter from official teachings). The pope demanded that Luther submit to the pope's authority by recanting his heretical views. To that end he dispatched his representative to confront...