Question

This Dominican friar was an infamous indulgence seller whose efforts in 1517 to sell indulgences in the Holy Roman Empire in order to raise funds for the reconstruction of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome prompted Martin Luther to write the 95 Theses.

a) John Tetzel
b) Ulrich Zwingli
c) Thomas Müntzer
d) Desiderius Erasmus

Answer 1

John Tetzel was the Dominican friar who sold indulgences and prompted Martin Luther to write the 95 Theses. Luther objected to the practice of selling indulgences and wrote the theses to express his criticisms of the belief that salvation could be achieved through a financial transaction.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Dominican friar who was an infamous indulgence seller and prompted Martin Luther to write the 95 Theses was John Tetzel. In 1517, Pope Leo X granted indulgences to raise money for the reconstruction of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Tetzel, authorized by Archbishop Albert, began selling indulgences in Germany, which deeply concerned Luther.

Indulgences were documents that absolved sinners of their errant behavior, reducing or canceling the time in purgatory before reaching heaven. Luther objected to the idea that salvation could be achieved through a financial transaction rather than through repentance or God's mercy. He wrote the 95 Theses to express his criticisms of the practice.