95 Theses Analysis
By: Angeleena Prince
Sources
https://www.history.com/topics/religion/martin-luther-and-the-95-theses
https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1891/martin-luthers-95-theses/
https://www.britannica.com/event/Ninety-five-Theses
SIgnificance Questions
Revealing the past
The 95 Theses revealed what the people believed at this time and showed how large of a role the Catholic Church had in society.
Result in change
The publication of the 95 Theses resulted in the spark of the Protestant Reformation, which would result in multiple courties cutting the Catholic Church and creating hundreds of years of war between the Catholics and Protestants. It also caused the translation of the Bible from Latin to other languages, allowing poor people to access the Bible.
Primary Source Questions
Which questions can this source help me answer? Which can it not?
Can't answer
How the poor were treated during this time.
The political and social environment at the time.
Can answer
What Were the Key Theological Concerns of Luther at That Time?
What motivated Martin Luther to write the theses?
Whose perspectives are omitted/questioned/challenged?
The views of the Catholic Church were directly challenged by Martin Luther critiquing its abuse of people and instilling fear in others.
Whose perspective does it reflect?
It directly reflects Martin Luther's perspective on what's right and what's wrong.
What ideas are left out?
Left out are the opinions and reasonings of the Catholic Church and the people who believe in it, which may justify or answer some of the questions Martin Luther had.
What are the big ideas?
The main idea was to condemn the Catholic Church for selling indulgences
and using fear to get money out of people.
How does the author communicate ideas?
Each theses was a brief statement or argument related to the issue of indulgences and the Church's teachings on salvation and was meant to simulate debates.
The theses was a list made to educate people on how priests should act, basic Christian morals, and how buying indulgences wont get you into heaven.
It was originally posted outside door of the church at Wittenberg, for all to see.
Who wrote the it? Why?
The 95 Theses were made to address what Luther saw as corruption, particularly regarding indulgences and the nature of salvation, to criticize papal authority, and to educate others.
Author: Martin Luther
What does it look like?
The 95 Theses consisted of a list of statements and propositions. The 95 Theses were originally written in Latin, but they were soon translated into German and other languages.
