The fact is that Luther was so little conscious of an intention to stir up strife for his Church that he was probably the most surprised man in Germany when he observed the excitement which his Theses were causing.  The method he had chosen for voicing his opinion had no revolutionary element in it.  It was an invitation to the learned doctors to debate with him the doctrinal grounds for the sale of indulgences.  Catholic writers point to the fact that Luther declared at a later time that he did not know what an indulgence was when he attacked Tetzel.  They seek to prove from this remark of Luther that it was not conscientious scruples, but the desire to cause trouble in the Church that prompted Luther to his action.  They do not see that this remark speaks volumes for Luther.  By his Theses he meant to get at the truth of the teaching concerning indulgences.  His Theses were written in Latin, not in the people’s language.  Others translated them into German and scattered them broadcast throughout Germany.  The Theses are no labored effort to set up, by skilful, logical argument and in carefully chosen terms, a new dogma in oppositon [tr. note:  sic] to the teaching of the Church, but they are exceptions hurriedly thrown on paper, like the notes jotted down by a speaker to guide him in a discussion of his subject.  Last, not least, the Theses, while contradicting the prevailing practise of selling indulgences, breathe loyalty to the Catholic Church.  From our modern standpoint Luther appears in the Theses as half Protestant, or evangelical, half Roman Catholic.  In his own view he was altogether Catholic.  His Theses were merely a call:  Let there be light!  Let our consciences be duly instructed!

We still have a letter which Luther wrote to Pope Leo X about six months after he had published the Theses.  This letter shows in what an orderly and quiet way Luther proceeded in his attack upon the traffic in indulgences, and how much he believed himself in accord with the Pope and the Church.  We shall quote a few statements from this letter:  “In these latter days a jubilee of papal indulgences began to be preached, and the preachers, thinking everything allowed them under the protection of your name, dared to teach impiety and heresy openly, to the grave scandal and mockery of ecclesiastical powers, totally disregarding the provisions of the Canon Law about the misconduct of officials. . . .  They met with great success, the people were sucked dry on false pretenses, . . . but the oppressors lived on the fat and sweetness of the land.  They avoided scandals only by the terror of your name, the threat of the stake, and the brand of heresy, . . . if, indeed, this can be called avoiding scandals and not rather exciting schisms and revolt by crass tyranny. . . .