For the attainment of the dignity of Doctor of Theology.
Issued in May 1518. Probably never kept. *)
Translated from Latin.
The following theses will be presented by Brother Johannes Tetzel of the Order of Preachers, Baccalareus of Sacred Theology and Inquisitor of the Heresy Court. Theology and Inquisitor of the Court of Heretics, in the University of Frankfurt a. d. Oder, publicly and in a short time on a certain day, which he will also specify in due time, defend and dispute; from which it shall be clearly recognized at the first sight 2) who is to be considered a heretic, schismatic, stiff-necked, obdurate, false spirit, seditionist, slanderer, presumptuous and sacrilegious.
To the praise of God and in honor of the Holy Apostolic See.
In the year of salvation from the Lord. 1517.
2) The old editions make the following comment on this, which Walch has also included:
Behold, Christian reader, with what insolent presumption, thumping and defiance, brother Tetzel lets himself be heard against D. M., as if he had already slain him and obtained the victory again him by his lying, blasphemous contradictions. The foolish man (as is the way of all heretics and hypocrites) did not think nor worry that he would reveal the foolishness of all sophists and papists by these counterstatements of his, much less that he would cause the Pope's authority, majesty and sovereignty to fall, which he had thought to preserve and exalt with them.
Read his following rebuttals and you will see that the pope is the true antichrist, who is
1. Christians are to be taught that because in the Church the authority of the Pope is supreme and instituted by God alone, that it cannot be abridged or extended by any mere man, nor by the whole world at once, but by God alone.
2) Christians are to be taught that they are bound to obey the pope, who has direct jurisdiction over all of them in matters pertaining to the Christian religion and see, if they are in accordance with divine and natural law.
For Br. Tetzel in the following counterclaims freely says that the Pope's authority in the church is the highest, so that he has to command over all Christians, so that his authority is over the general church and concilia. Item, that he alone has authority, and no one else, to interpret the sacred Scriptures of his liking 2c Summa, that he is all, that also his teaching alone is to be heard in the church. And therefore Christ, the only teacher of righteousness and redeemer of the human race, with all that he has commanded and ordered, counts for nothing. Thus, according to Tetzel's counter-sayings, you will find a summary of what you should think of the papacy, namely, that it was founded by the devil, is full of violence and blasphemy, is based on lies, devilish doctrine, human folly and dreams, and that the pope is the real antichrist. 2c More about this and further in the following lies and blasphemy sayings of Br.
*) Cf. Löscher's Reformation Acta I, p. 503 s. Leokonäork, Historia I^utUeranismi, lill. I, 812, paZ. F. Körner in his book "Tetzel, der Ablaßprediger" (Tetzel, the preacher of indulgences) p. 110 refers to Jan. 21, 1518 as the date of the disputation.
3. Christians are to be taught that the pope is higher than the whole general church and than a concilium according to the power of jurisdiction, and that his statutes must be humbly obeyed.
4. Christians are to be taught that the pope alone has to decide what belongs to the faith, and that he alone, and no one else, has the power to interpret the meaning of the holy scriptures according to his sense, and that he has to approve and reject all sayings and works of others.
5 Christians are to be taught that the judgment of the pope in what belongs to faith and is necessary for human blessedness cannot be mistaken.
(6) Christians are to be taught that even if the pope errs in faith when he has a wrong opinion about what belongs to faith, it is impossible for him to err in what belongs to faith when he makes a decision in judgment.
7) Christians are to be taught that one must adhere more to the pronouncements of the Pope in judgment in matters of faith than to the pronouncements of any man, however learned, in opinions which they have from Scripture.
Christians are to be taught that the Pope must be honored by them at all times and in all humility, and not be dishonored.
(9) Christians are to be taught that those who detract from the honor and prestige of the pope are liable to the punishment of blasphemy and the crime of majesty.
10. Christians are to be taught that those who expose the pope to ridicule and diminishment will be branded with the stain of heresy and excluded from the hope of the Kingdom of Heaven.
(11) Christians are to be taught that those who dishonor the pope will be punished with temporal disgrace and sometimes with ignominious death and dishonorable dishonor.
(12) Christians are to be taught that the keys of the church are not given to the general church, which is called the assembly of all believers, but to Peter and the pope, and in them to all their successors and all future dignitaries [praelatis], by transfer of the
same on them.
Christians are to be taught that a plenary indulgence cannot be given by a general council, nor by other prelates of the Church, together or separately, but only by the pope, who is the bridegroom of the universal Church.
(14) Christians are to be taught that no mortal, nor even a general council, but only
the pope, who is to judge Catholic truth by solemn pronouncements, has the power to decide on truth and faith in regard to indulgences.
(15) Christians are to be taught that Catholic truth is called universal truth, and that it must be believed by all believers in Christ, and that it contains nothing false or wrong.
(16) Christians are to be taught that the Church holds many Catholic truths which are not at all contained in the Canon of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments in the proper expression of the word.
Christians are to be taught that the Church holds as Catholic truths many things that are not stated in the Canon of the Bible, nor even by the older teachers.
18 Christians are to be taught that all customs in matters of faith established by a decision of the Apostolic See are to be counted among Catholic truths, even if they are not found in the Canon of Sacred Scripture.
(19) Christians are to be taught that what the Doctors of the Church, confirmed by the Church, have definitely taught with regard to what is to be held as the doctrine of the faith and with regard to the refutation of heretics, even if it is not expressly contained in the Canon of Sacred Scripture, is nevertheless to be counted with their such writings among Catholic truths.
20 Christians are to be taught that even if certain truths are not wholly certainly Catholic, they are nonetheless similar to Catholic truth.
21) Christians are to be taught that all those who claim that the use of the sign of the cross in the churches is not lawful smack of heresy.
(22) Christians are to be taught that those who deliberately doubt the faith are obviously to be considered heretics.
23. Christians are to be taught that those who have attained holy orders through money can be openly called heretics.
(24) Christians are to be taught that all who misinterpret the Scriptures, and do not do so according to the sense of the Holy Spirit by whom they are written, may justly be called heretics.
(25) Christians are to be taught that he who imposes or follows false and new opinions for the sake of temporal glory must rightly be called a heretic.
Christians are to be taught that all those are rightly called heretics who presume to take from the Roman Church a privilege given by the supreme head of all churches himself.
27. Christians are to be taught that, following the example of St. Ambrose, they must follow the Holy Roman Church in everything as their master and not their own conceit.
(28) Christians are to be taught that anyone who stubbornly defends his wrong and pernicious opinion against the Catholic rule of faith is to be considered a heretic and declared so by all.
(29) Christians are to be taught that those who teach something as certain, which cannot be proved by reasonable causes, nor even by thorough proof, are to be considered workers of iniquity.
(30) Christians are to be taught that those who once assert what is false are to be held to be false.
31. Christians are to be taught that those who slander a believer or a respected person are to be considered wrongdoers.
Christians are to be taught that those who write theses which give the hearers cause or occasion to fall, although they are connected with an explanation, because they are put forward unconditionally and without modification, are in truth to be taken for offenders, evil talkers, and those who are offensive to pious ears, because they seem to be favorable to heretical theses.
Christians are to be taught that the assertions of the teachers, which cause division among the people, such as the thesis: A bad prelate or prince should not be obeyed; or: The pope and his bulls should not be believed, are absolutely seditious.
Christians are to be taught that all who hold false opinions and persist in defending them are to be considered heretics.
Christians are to be taught that all who, out of contempt for the divine law, stubbornly persist in error, or invent it, or follow an alien one, and who are more opposed to Catholic truth than willing to submit to it, are simply to be considered heretics.
Christians are to be taught that all who defend the error of others are to be considered not only heretics, but also arch-heretics, because they not only err, but also cause others to err and confirm it.
37. Christians are to be taught that those who bring up new opinions that are contrary to the Catholic
The first is that they are opposed to the truth, by which they might gain adherents, and who therefore deviate from the general road out of recklessness or perversity - which arises from pride, which is actually a desire for distinction - even if they should not be guided by any motive of any temporal advantage, are nevertheless to be considered heretics without a doubt.
Christians are to be taught that those who adhere to the opinions of teachers who are contrary to Catholic truth, persistently err, and sin by erring, are also to be considered heretics.
Christians are to be taught that those who deny any catholic truth that is spread among all believers with whom they associate as catholic and preached publicly by preachers as the Word of God are to be said to be stiff-necked in their error.
40. Christians are to be taught that those who deny assertions which they know are contained in sacred Scripture or the declarations of the Church are to be held as obstinate in their heresy.
Christians are to be taught that those who do not recant, nor correct their error, even though they have been lawfully shown that their error is contrary to Catholic truth, are to be considered obstinate in their heresy.
Christians are to be taught that those who err against the Catholic faith and the declaration of the Church and arrogantly refuse to submit to the rebuke and correction of the one to whom it belongs are to be considered obstinate in their error.
Christians are to be taught that those who have been punished for an error that is obviously contrary to the faith and refuse to be taught the truth are in error and are to be declared obstinate in such heresy.
Christians are to be taught that those who declare by word or deed or writing that they do not wish to recant their heretical assertions, even though those to whom it is due to rain or hail curses against such opinions, are to be considered obstinate heretics and are to be shunned by everyone.
(45) Christians are to be taught that those who invent and defend new heresies in defense of heretical wickedness, because they do not want to be corrected and are unwilling to carefully investigate the truth, are simply to be considered obstinate in their heresies.
46 Christians are to be taught that those who are inferior to the pope, if they have any
The following are heretics: to establish a heretical statement by pronouncement, and to determine that it is to be upheld; also, to order others to hold this statement to be Catholic, to be heretics, and to be held stiff-necked with all who agree with this declaration of theirs, and to be proclaimed. )
Christians are to be taught that those who have the power to resist heretical wickedness and yet do not, and that by so doing they themselves support heresy and error, are obstinately mistaken. 2)
(48) Christians are to be taught that those who defend the error of heretics and by their violence cause them not to come into the hands of the judge for examination are to be considered banished, and if they do not make amends within a year, they are already to be considered dishonorable, and according to the rules of law they are also to be tormented in a terrible manner with many punishments as a deterrent example for all men.
(49) Christians are to be taught that they should not be moved in their faith concerning the authority of the pope and even indulgences by the boldness of heretics and stiff-necked people; for the merciful Lord and our God would not allow heresies to arise unless the truth of faith emerged all the more gloriously from their emergence.
1) This thesis is directed against the bishop of Brandenburg, Scultetus, as well as against the superior of the Augustinian hermit order, Staupitz, who had accepted Luther's teachings and are hereby declared stiff-necked heretics.
2) This and the following thesis are directed against the Elector of Saxony, Luther's sovereign, who protected Luther's person from overt violence.
and we would thereby escape unreasonable childhood: rather, they should remain faithful in regard to the truth preached to them about the pieces of penance and indulgences; through this their steadfastness in said faith will be known and revealed to the whole world that God is pleased with them.
50. Therefore, those who mainly want to speak of the pieces of repentance, confession with the mouth and satisfaction with works, which are indicated and instituted by God and the Gospel, spread by the apostles, confirmed and held by the general church (and yet contested by the adversary erroneously and unchristianly in his German sermon by so many articles), and fill up notes or books about the plenary indulgence and the power of the Roman pope over the same, or at least preach or dispute about it publicly with an insolent face, or adhere to those who preach and write such things and favor their writings, scatter them among the people and spread them through the whole world, or speak about them insolently and contemptuously in corners or publicly before people: Let them be afraid lest they fall under the foregoing theses, and thereby expose themselves and others to the danger of damnation and severe temporal disgrace. For the animal that comes too close to the mountain is stoned to death. 3)
3) In the Jena edition of 1564, vol. I, col. 18 d, there is the following note: "These counterclaims, whether or not they went out under brother Tetzel's name, he did not make them himself, but were made by Conrad Wimpina (Kochs, Dootorsra tÜ6oIoZiu6 seüolastl6U6, written at Frankfurt an der Oder, Anno 1517.