Charles Beard: "Martin Luther and the German Reformation," Ch. 5-Ninety-...

GERMANY THE VENDING MACHINE. Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses, 200-258. A brief life of Albert of Brandenberg, AB of Mainz, Archchancellor of the Empire, and Primate of Germany is given. Born in 1490 to John, the Elector of Brandenburg, as a younger son, he is primed for the church and splits the government with his older brother Joachim. By 1513, he is in orders and by 1517, he is the Primate of Germany (age 27). Buying the Papal pallium by a loan from the Fugger family of Augsburg is no problem. No questions raised in Rome as long as $$ are rolling. By 1528, Leo X admits the 28-year-old to the College of Cardinals. As expected, Erasmus is hunting for a patron, but the privileged youth does not appear to be up to all that. Indulgences had been around since Boniface VIII made sales in 1300. Julius II adopted the same c. 1500 for the building of St. Peter’s, Rome. Whether the indulgence monies between Germany and Rome had multiple hands in the traffic is one question. Tetzel was definitely skimming monies. How much ended in the pockets of the Pope’s kinfolk is another question. Germany was one big vending machine. Contrition, repentance, satisfaction, the sacrament of penance, the necessity of auricular confession, temporal penalties, purgatory, supererogatory merits, the treasury of the saints’ merits, purchases for relatives in purgatory, appeals to the rich and the poor with graded merits and more are mixed up in this complicated and historic issue—educational, disciplinary, medicinal, theological, but DEFINITELY financial. Preachers were given instructions on the authority of the church, its powers, its mercies…just bring the offerings. Sounds like TBN prosperity hucksters of our times. Pass the plate.