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Sale of indulgences
St. Peter's campaign 1515–1517 (Tetzel)· Event· Bible story & events
Historical recordConfirmed by archaeology, outside sources or contemporary records.
Church grants reducing punishment in purgatory for forgiven sins; their aggressive sale to fund St. Peter's Basilica provoked Luther.
See it on the Bible & Christianity map →What it is
Catholic teaching held that forgiven sins still carry 'temporal punishment', paid in this life or in purgatory. An indulgence, drawn from the merits of Christ and the saints, cancels some of it in return for prayers, pilgrimage or donations. In 1515 Pope Leo X authorized a campaign to rebuild St. Peter's in Rome; half the German proceeds went to repay Archbishop Albrecht of Mainz's loans from the Fugger bank. The Dominican preacher Johann Tetzel sold them aggressively.
Why it matters
The sales pitch made the theology look like cash for salvation, and Luther's protest against it set off the Reformation.
Sources and history
Printed indulgence certificates and Albrecht's instructions to preachers survive, and the Fugger bank's role is documented in its accounts.
Questions and debates
Whether Tetzel really said 'as soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs' is uncertain. The Catholic Church still grants indulgences, but Trent banned selling them in 1562.
Connections (2)
▸The papacy: the popes and medieval Christendom issued Sale of indulgencesHistorical record
The connection
Only the pope could grant plenary (full) indulgences. Popes used them to recruit crusaders from 1095, then for jubilee pilgrims and building funds. Julius II in 1507 and Leo X in 1515 issued indulgences to pay for rebuilding St. Peter's Basilica, which Tetzel then sold in Germany.
When and where
Rome: Urban II at Clermont, 1095; Boniface VIII's first Jubilee, 1300; Leo X's St. Peter's indulgence, 1515.
Historical evidence
Papal bulls and certificates survive; Clement VI's 1343 bull Unigenitus set out the theology of a 'treasury of merit' the pope dispenses.
Questions and debates
How far popes knew of or encouraged abusive sales is debated, though Leo X's deal with Albrecht of Mainz and the Fugger bank is documented.
▸Sale of indulgences provoked Luther's Ninety-five ThesesHistorical record
The connection
Frederick the Wise banned Tetzel from Saxony, but he preached just over the border, and Luther's parishioners went to buy. Luther feared they thought they had bought forgiveness without repentance. His theses argue that true repentance is lifelong and that the pope cannot release souls from purgatory for money.
When and where
Tetzel at Jüterbog, near Wittenberg, spring 1517; the theses are dated October 31, 1517.
Historical evidence
Luther's letter to Albrecht, sent with the theses, names the indulgence preachers and their instructions as his concern.
Questions and debates
Whether Luther intended a protest or only a debate is discussed; in 1517 he still accepted indulgences in principle.