Identifier: martinluthermanh00mcgi (find matches)
Title: Martin Luther, the man and his work
Year: 1911 (1910s)
Authors: McGiffert, Arthur Cushman, 1861-1933
Subjects: Luther, Martin, 1483-1546
Publisher: New York, The Century Co.
Contributing Library: Princeton Theological Seminary Library
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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ey abuse that chiefly aroused the in-dignation of Luther and many other good Catholics;for he was by no means the only one in his own orearlier days to criticize indulgences. Among others,his own superior, Staupitz, had spoken very sharplyabout them, a fact to which Luther later appealed insupport of his own conduct. But all these criticismsleft unmolested the penitential system out of whichindulgences had grown. That system was rooted inthe very heart of traditional Catholicism; to attack itwas to put oneself outside the pale of the historic faith.This was the last thing Luther thought of doing. Asyet he was playing only upon the surface, all unawareof the volcanic depths beneath. Meanwhile, in order to raise funds for the rebuild-ing of St. Peters Church at Rome, Pope Leo X, fol-lowing the example of his predecessor, Julius II, pro-claimed a so-called plenary indulgence, phrased invery sweeping terms and offering to believing pur-chasers all sorts of benefits, including remission of
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From a carbon print by Braun & Co. of the painting in the Pitti Palace, FlorencePOPE LEO X, BY RAPHAEL THE ATTACK ON INDULGENCES 81 sins, freedom from the necessity of penance, and therelease of their deceased friends from purgatory. The young Archbishop and Elector of Mayence,Albert of Brandenburg, a Hohenzollern prince, beingin need of a large amount of money to pay Rome forthe privilege of assuming the archbishopric, when healready held two other sees, made an arrangementwith the pope whereby he was to superintend the trafficin a part of Germany, receiving half the proceeds inreward for his services. He engaged for his chiefagent a Dominican prior, John Tetzel by name, a manof learning and reputation and a preacher of greatpopular power, who had already abundantly provedhis ability to raise money for sacred ends. Such apassage as the following from one of his sermonsshows how he appealed to the emotions of his au-dience : Do you not hear your dead parents crying out Havemercy u

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