Who wrote the 95 theses against the Catholic Church?

Who wrote the 95 theses against the Catholic Church? Martin Luther wrote them in 1517.

Known formally as the Ninety-five Theses, the document was titled *Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences*. Luther, a German Augustinian friar and theology professor at the University of Wittenberg, wrote it to challenge abuses surrounding indulgences—certificates associated with reducing punishment for sin.

The theses were written in Latin as propositions for an academic debate, not originally as a complete break from Catholicism. Luther’s central concern was that some preachers encouraged people to believe that buying indulgences could secure forgiveness or salvation. He argued that genuine repentance was an inward, lifelong Christian responsibility.

The date traditionally associated with the theses is 31 October 1517. Popular history says Luther nailed them to the door of All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg, though historians debate how literally that story should be taken. Their rapid printing and translation helped ignite the Protestant Reformation. A common mix-up is to call them a general attack on the entire Catholic Church; they initially focused more specifically on indulgences, repentance, and papal authority.