Disputation of Doctor Martin Luther
on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences
by Dr. Martin Luther, 1517
Published in:
Works of Martin Luther
Adolph Spaeth, L.D. Reed, Henry Eyster Jacobs, et Al., Trans. & Eds.
(Philadelphia: A. J. Holman Company, 1915), Vol. 1, pp. 29-38.
Out of love for the truth and the desire to bring it to light, thefollowing propositions will be discussed at Wittenberg, under thepresidency of the Reverend Father Martin Luther, Master of Arts and ofSacred Theology, and Lecturer in Ordinary on the same at that place.Wherefore he requests that those who are unable to be present anddebate orally with us, may do so by letter.
In the Name our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
1. Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, when He said Poenitentiam agite,willed that the whole life of believers should be repentance.
2. This word cannot be understood to mean sacramental penance, i.e.,confession and satisfaction, which is administered by the priests.
3. Yet it means not inward repentance only; nay, there is no inwardrepentance which does not outwardly work divers mortifications of theflesh.
4. The penalty [of sin], therefore, continues so long as hatred of selfcontinues; for this is the true inward repentance, and continues untilour entrance into the kingdom of heaven.
5. The pope does not intend to remit, and cannot remit any penaltiesother than those which he has imposed either by his own authority or bythat of the Canons.
6. The pope cannot remit any guilt, except by declaring that it hasbeen remitted by God and by assenting to God's remission; though, to besure, he may grant remission in cases reserved to his judgment. If hisright to grant remission in such cases were despised, the guilt wouldremain entirely unforgiven.
7. God remits guilt to no one whom He does not, at the same time,humble in all things and bring into subjection to His vicar, thepriest. 8. The penitential canons are imposed only on the living, and,according to them, nothing should be imposed on the dying.
9. Therefore the Holy Spirit in the pope is kind to us, because in hisdecrees he always makes exception of the article of death and ofnecessity.
10. Ignorant and wicked are the doings of those priests who, in thecase of the dying, reserve canonical penances for purgatory.
11. This changing of the canonical penalty to the penalty of purgatoryis quite evidently one of the tares that were sown while the bishopsslept.
12. In former times the canonical penalties were imposed not after, butbefore absolution, as tests of true contrition.
13. The dying are freed by death from all penalties; they are alreadydead to canonical rules, and have a right to be released from them.
14. The imperfect health [of soul], that is to say, the imperfect love,of the dying brings with it, of necessity, great fear; and the smallerthe love, the greater is the fear.
15. This fear and horror is sufficient of itself alone (to say nothingof other things) to constitute the penalty of purgatory, since it isvery near to the horror of despair.
16. Hell, purgatory, and heaven seem to differ as do despair,almost-despair, and the assurance of safety.
17. With souls in purgatory it seems necessary that horror sh