Johann Tetzel
Johann Tetzel was a Dominican monk and preacher born in 1465 in Pima, Saxony, Germany. He became a significant figure in the Roman Catholic Church as the grand commissioner for indulgences, a position that allowed him to promote the sale of indulgences—payments made to the Church that were believed to reduce punishment for sins. His fervent promotion of these indulgences, especially under the commission of Cardinal Giovanni de' Medici (later Pope Leo X), contributed to rising tensions within the Church and ultimately ignited the Protestant Reformation.
Tetzel is known for his catchy phrase, "As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs," which illustrated the practice of purchasing indulgences not only for oneself but also for deceased relatives. This sparked significant controversy, particularly with reformers like Martin Luther, who argued against the legitimacy of indulgences. Their debates highlighted broader theological disagreements within Christianity. Despite his initial prominence, Tetzel's reputation suffered due to the backlash against the sale of indulgences, culminating in his death in 1519, after which he received an honorable burial. His actions are often seen as pivotal in challenging the authority of the Catholic Church and prompting a significant religious upheaval in Europe.
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Johann Tetzel
Dominican monk, preacher
- Born: c. 1465
- Place of Birth: Place of birth: Pima, Saxony (Germany)
- Died: August 11, 1519
- Place of Death: Place of death: Leipzig, Saxony (Germany)
Significance: As a Dominican monk and preacher, Johann Tetzel was made the grand commissioner for indulgences. His zeal for selling indulgences ignited the countermeasures that became the Protestant Reformation.
Background
Johann Tetzel was born in 1465 in the town of Pima, Saxony, Germany. He attended Leipzig University, where he studied philosophy and theology. In 1489, he entered the Dominican friars, a Roman Catholic religious order.
In 1502, Cardinal Giovanni de’ Medici, who would later become Pope Leo X, tasked Tetzel with preaching the Jubilee Indulgence. An indulgence is the promise of a reduction in the punishment for sins offered in exchange for the performance of certain acts such as taking part in confession, saying certain prayers, or engaging in other rituals of penance. The Jubilee Indulgence was offered to Catholics who made a pilgrimage to Rome, where the pope lives and the heart of the Catholic faith is found. Tetzel would honor this commission to promote indulgences for pilgrimages for his entire lifetime.
Tetzel was made the Inquisitor of Poland in 1509, a title that allowed him to serve as an official of the Catholic Church in questioning people suspected of being heretics, or holding a belief that does not conform to church teachings and doctrine. A few years later, Archbishop Albrecht von Brandenburg of Mainz made Tetzel the commissioner of indulgences in the dioceses of Magdeburg and Halberstadt in Germany, giving him church authority to sell indulgences.
Life’s Work
The practice of offering indulgences arose in the eleventh and twelfth centuries in the Roman Catholic Church and stemmed from the belief that souls had to make reparation for the sins committed on earth by spending time in purgatory. People could confess their sins during their lifetimes and receive forgiveness, but a penalty still needed to be paid. During the eleventh and twelfth centuries, the church began offering an opportunity to skip this punishment by earning indulgences through prayers and deeds. By Tetzel’s time, church officials added a new way to avoid punishment: buying indulgences for cash. In addition, the church announced that people could purchase indulgences on behalf of those who were already deceased and presumably in purgatory.
When Tetzel was made commissioner of indulgences, both Archbishop Albrecht and Pope Leo X were in great need of funds. The archbishop had borrowed heavily to buy himself a second archbishopric in a violation of church law and needed to pay the money back. The pope allowed him to sell indulgences as a way to raise the money, but required him to give half of what he raised to Rome. The pope needed the money to pay for the enormous St. Peter’s Basilica, which was under construction in Rome.
Tetzel obliged both men by travelling from town to town, preaching about the advantages of buying indulgences. He encouraged people to buy them on behalf of deceased relatives and is said to have come up with the rhyme, "As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs." He urged people to think of their deceased family members, whose suffering could be eased if their living relatives purchased indulgences on their behalf.
Some saw the sale of indulgences as an opportunity to show God’s love and forgiveness while encouraging people to stay connected with the church as a means of obtaining that forgiveness. They also felt it was a way to meet the human need to do something for loved ones even after their death. Others saw the practice as a perversion of church teachings. One such person was Martin Luther, who engaged in lengthy debate with Tetzel about the practice. The two preached long sermons supporting their own side and refuting the other’s position. Luther argued that there was no church doctrine that supported the concept of indulgences. Tetzel countered that the pope, as the successor to Saint Peter, held the keys of authority and that there was nothing in church doctrine that said this did not extend to the souls in purgatory; therefore, Tetzel argued, the pope had the authority to offer indulgences for the dead as well as the living. Among the most famous of these sermons are Martin Luther’s Sermon on Indulgences and Grace and Tetzel’s Vorlegung, both delivered in 1518.
Tetzel continued to promote indulgences throughout his life. However, the monk fell so far from church favor over the controversy surrounding indulgences that Luther himself felt compelled to offer words of consolation and stated he knew the church hierarchy was responsible for their promotion, not Tetzel. When Tetzel died on August 11, 1519, he received an honorable Christian burial and was laid to rest at the altar in the Dominican church in Leipzig.
Impact
Tetzel’s zealousness in promoting the sale of indulgences, particularly in the Wittenberg area of Germany where Luther lived, provoked Luther into writing his famous list of ninety-five theses, or grievances, and distributing them in the town on October 31, 1517. Thanks to the newly available printing press, the list spread quickly and sparked the revolt against the Catholic Church known as the Protestant Reformation. Tetzel was the catalyst for this profound change that weakened the powerful Catholic Church and also caused much dissent, and even war, over religion.
Bibliography
Gonzalez, Justo L. The Story of Christianity: Volume 1: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation. New York: HarperCollins, 2010. Print.
Horton, David. The Portable Seminary: A Master’s Level Overview in One Volume. Bloomington: Bethany House, 2006. Print.
Jones, Timothy Paul. Christian History Made Easy. Torrance: Rose Publishing, 2009. Print.
MacCulloch, Diarmaid. Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years. New York: Penguin, 2009. Print.
Mark, Joshua J. "Johann Tetzel." World History Encyclopedia, 28 July 2022, www.worldhistory.org/Johann‗Tetzel/. Accessed 30 Sept. 2024.
Petersen, Randy. "Selling Forgiveness: How Money Sparked the Protestant Reformation." Christianity Today. Christianity Today, 1 Apr. 1987. Web. 9 May 2016.
Schirrmacher, Thomas. Indulgences: A History of Theology and Reality of Indulgences and Purgatory. Eugene: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2014. Print.