Luther's Timing: Why He Nailed His 95 Theses on All Hallow's Eve

Bond tour group at Luther & Katie's cloister home

All Hallow's Eve, 1517, Luther had timed things appropriately. All Saints' Day, November 1, 1517 Duke Frederick put on a huge exhibition of his latest reliquary acquisitions--the latest additions to his bone collection--pilgrims coming to venerate (and pay handsomely for the privilege), earning 1000s of years off purgatory in the bargain. No coin collector could have been more devout; the duke was serious about his reliquary, and wanted to make Wittenberg into the Rome of Germany. Luther scholar Roland Bainton tallied the elector's treasury of merit: 

"The collection had as its nucleus a genuine thorn from the crown of Christ, certified to have pierced the Savior's brow. Frederick so built up the collection from this inherited treasure that the catalogue illustrated by Lucas Cranach in 1509 listed 5,005 particles, to which were attached indulgences calculated to reduce purgatory by 1,443 years. The collection included one tooth of St. Jerome, of St. Chrysostom four pieces, of St. Bernard six, and of St. Augustine four; of Our Lady four hairs, three pieces of her cloak, four from her girdle, and seven from the veil sprinkled with the blood of Christ. The relics of Christ included one piece from his swaddling clothes, thirteen from his crib, one wisp of straw, one piece of the gold brought by the Wise Men and three of the myrrh, one strand of Jesus' beard, one of the nails driven into his hands, one piece of bread eaten at the Last Supper, one piece of the stone on which Jesus stood to ascend into heaven, and one twig of Moses' burning bush. By 1520 the collection had mounted to 19,013 holy bones. Those who viewed these relics on the designated day and made the stipulated contributions might receive from the pope indulgences for the reduction of purgatory, either for themselves or others, to the extent of 1,902,202 years and 270 days. These were the treasures made available on the day of All Saints."

Luther had taken a great risk posting his 95 Theses decrying indulgences the day before. The duke was his patron, and though he appreciated the popularity his university had gained by Luther's bold teaching and preaching, this was too far. Luther was undaunted because he had seen through the whole hoax of indulgences and a righteousness earned by ones own imagined merit. “The church’s true treasure," he wrote, "is the merits of Christ in the gospel.”

From studying and teaching the Psalms, Galatians, Romans, and Hebrews, Luther had come to know that Rome had flipped everything around and had, thereby, done violence to the gospel, and that venerating the saints and their supposed merits was a supplanting of the merits of Jesus Christ. The realization was at first a personal one. “I must listen to the gospel," he wrote. "It tells me not what I must do, but what Jesus Christ the Son of God has done for me.” 

Transformed by the power of the gospel and the gift of faith, Luther had to tell the Good News to others. And he did, as only Luther could do. “The most damnable and pernicious heresy that has ever plagued the mind of men was the idea that somehow he could make himself good enough to deserve to live with an all holy God.”

Luther knew that the dukes exhibition scheduled for All Saints' Day, November 1, 1517 must be confronted. It was an affront to the gospel of grace, a supplanting of the authority of the Word of God, and an offense to true Christian worship. “The highest worship of God is the preaching of the Word, because thereby are praised and celebrated the name and the benefits of Christ.”

Finally, for Luther the risks to his person were worth it. Why? It was worth it because the Son of God is the only Savior and true friend of sinners. Johann Franck, German Lutheran pastor in the next generation expressed it this way: "Jesus, priceless treasure, fount of purest pleasure, truest friend to me."

Douglas Bond is author of many books, including LUTHER IN LOVE (2017). He leads Church history tours, including the Armistice 100 Tour, June 15-25, 2018, (Reformation tour of France, teen Calvin in Paris, Calvin's birthplace in Noyon; including teen atheist 2/Lt CS Lewis raging at God in the trenches of WW I, Huguenots in Rouen and Amiens, and the failure of Modernism in WW I and WW II). Space is limited so register (what better day to register than All Saints' Day, the day after REFORMATION DAY!). You can purchase a signed copy of LUTHER IN LOVE and his other books at bondbooks.net 

Calvin in Paris, day two

Brittany took the Desotos ahead at their pace down to the Seine The rest of us followed the few blocks until we stood below the grand 12th century magnificence of Notre Dame Cathedral. We found a quiet corner near the monument to Charlemagne and considered the juxtaposition of incomparable gothic architecture, art in stone to boggle the mind, and the myriad of medieval abuses that are Roman Catholicism: transubstantiation, indulgences, pilgrimage to the crown of thorns, the stones on which were written the Decalogue, and the furious intolerance of the Inquisition. Calvin would no doubt have witnessed burnings at the square in front of Notre Dame, as well as at Place Maubert and others. I read some of the last words of martyrs, the curses of the executioners. Determined to stamp out the Reformation, here in July of 1542 and again in 1544 piles of Calvin’s Institutes were burned. It was fascinating to hear of 22-year-old Harry Desoto (now 87, at right) in 1945 driving a tank down the square where we stood in front of Notre Dame (I looked at Heath Salzman, now 22-years-old).

Then we embarked down the Seine on the Batobus, steaming along with monuments of antiquity passing by on all sides. We disembarked before the palatial splendor of the Louvre and walked down to Saint-Germain l’Auxerrois, the royal chapel near where 14-year-old Calvin (Johnny Scharer is 14) lived with his uncle Richard while he studied at College de la Marche for the first months of his time in Paris. We watched listened to a mass in progress (watch on my youtube site) and we appreciated more of the need for Calvin to take on the entire Medieval world as he did. As we talked in front of the royal chapel, the bell tower suddenly began ringing out 12:00, just so did in chime the morning of August 23, 1572, St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, 3,000 Christians lost their lives in Paris that morning and many more throughout the country. Estimates are that Catherine d’Midici was responsible for 20,000 deaths. The first of which was the saintly Admiral Coligny, to whom there is a well-crafted monument across the Rue Rivoli at the Reformed Church. Another block away up Rue Jean Jacques Rousseau is the Rue de Pelican and a corner hose called the wing of the Pelican, which may be all that remains of Etienne de la Forge’s House of the Pelican, a wealthy converted draper who took in enthusiastic young men agitating for Reform. Calvin frequented Etienne’s home and may have begun his Institutes here (I don’t think, however, that Calvin ate at the sushi bar across the street).

Lunch at a Parisian café with Darbys and Prices. Yum, yum. Later we had another Seine picnic with Brittany and Heath, then evening Batobus voyage down to the Champs Elysees. Cool river barges which made my wife recollect her years growing up on a boat. RER back to Notre Dame just in time for some evening light photography of the grand edifice and more filming of the kids who play with fire. A wonderful last night in Paris.