Question

Frederick the Wise of Saxony, Martin Luther's patron and protector, was said to have amassed a collection of over 5,000 of these, which might reduce one's time in Purgatory by 1,443 years. What are these called?

A) Relics
B) Papal Bulls
C) Indulgences
D) Sacraments

Answer 1

Frederick the Wise collected over 5,000 indulgences, which were believed to reduce time in Purgatory. Indulgences are a reduction of punishment for sins granted by the Church, a practice opposed by Martin Luther during the Protestant Reformation.

Step-by-step explanation:

Frederick the Wise of Saxony, Martin Luther's patron and protector, was known to have a collection of over 5,000 indulgences, which were said to reduce one's time in Purgatory by 1,443 years. An indulgence is a concept from medieval Catholic theology that signifies a reduction of punishment for sins, granted by the Church after the sinner has confessed and received absolution. Martin Luther, a professor at the University of Wittenberg and a central figure of the Protestant Reformation, opposed the Church's sale of indulgences, seeing it as a corrupt practice that interfered with the true spirit of repentance and faith.

In 1517, Johann Tetzel's sale of indulgences near Wittenberg, under the authorization of Archbishop Albert, further spurred Luther to articulate his objections in the form of the Ninety-five Theses, challenging the Church's teachings and practices surrounding indulgences and questioning the papal authority.