Take a Look Inside the House Where Martin Luther Lived and Studied
The sale of papal indulgences was one of Luther's main objections in his 95 theses. These were being sold as a guarantee of salvation in towns near Wittenberg, by Johann Tetzel, a Dominican friar. The photo of the indulgence seen here appears very formal with elaborate lettering and script, giving the impression that this was indeed a kind of regal document that carried weight.
Luther was deeply bothered when Wittenberg residents would show him what they had purchased. He preached against the sale of these things and was disturbed how it was deceiving people into thinking that God's mercy could be bought.
His 1518 "Sermon on Indulgences and Grace" was written months after he wrote his 95 theses. But unlike the theses, which were written in Latin, the sermon was penned in German and was widely circulated throughout all Germanic lands via pamphlet — the printing press had been invented just decades earlier — and was very popular. Luther resolutely refused to make any money off of his writings because he believed meditations on God's Word should not be employed to turn a profit. Luther's translation of the Bible into the German language of the common people was also very popular and Germans credit him for much of the language they speak today.
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During the tour, Gutjahr explained that Luther was considerably media savvy, so much so that he would have been the most followed Facebook or Twitter user of his time.
Some consider this particular sermon as the real beginning point of the Reformation.
