Primary Source Document: 95 Theses
1.What Does It Look Like?
Long document, short 1-2 sentences per point
Original hand written, in Latin
Image of the primary source document, which was nailed to the door of a church in protest
2. Who Wrote It? Why?
Martin Luther
In protest of the Catholic Church
To spread protestant ideas
3. How Does The Author Communicate Ideas?
Has the format of a thesis (theses), written in numbered excerpts
Bold, but short
4. What Are The Big Ideas?
Protestant ideas
bible being interpreted by person reading it
The Catholic Church is very greedy, but none of that money affects ones soul or acceptance into heaven
5. What Ideas Are Left Out?
Leaves out ideas from other denominations
Fails to explain *why* the Catholic Church is so greedy
6. Whose Perspective Does It Reflect?
Reflects protestant beliefs
An anti-Catholic Christian
Speaking out against the pope, the pope represents the organized church, in which Luther is challenging
7. Whose Perspectives Are Omitted/Questioned/Challenged?
Church perspective challenged
Non-religious people (while rare for the time)
Muslims, Jewish, Pagans, any other religions
8. Which Questions Can This Source Help Me Answer? Which Can It Not?
Can answer questions about protestants views and religious beliefs
Can answer questions about the perspective during this time period
Doesn't explain why the Church has gotten so greedy