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1517: Martin Luther and the Invention of the Reformation
Martin Luther's posting of the 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg on 31 October 1517 is one of the most famous events of Western history. It inaugurated the Protestant Reformation, and has for centuries been a powerful and enduring symbol of religious freedom of conscience, and of righteous protest against the abuse of power.
But did it actually really happen?
In this engagingly-written, wide-ranging and insightful work of cultural history, leading Reformation historian Peter Marshall reviews the available evidence, and concludes that, very probably, it did not. The theses-posting is a myth. And yet, Marshall argues, this fact makes the incident all the more historically significant. In tracing how--and why--a "non-event" ended up becoming a defining episode of the modern historical imagination. Marshall compellingly explores the multiple ways in which the figure of Martin Luther, and the nature of the Reformation itself, have been remembered and used for their own purposes by subsequent generations of Protestants and others--in Germany, Britain, the United States and elsewhere.
As people in Europe, and across the world, prepare to remember, and celebrate, the 500th anniversary of Luther's posting of the theses, this book offers a timely contribution and corrective. The intention is not to "debunk," or to belittle Luther's achievement, but rather to invite renewed reflection on how the past speaks to the present--and on how, all too often, the present creates the past in its own image and likeness.
But did it actually really happen?
In this engagingly-written, wide-ranging and insightful work of cultural history, leading Reformation historian Peter Marshall reviews the available evidence, and concludes that, very probably, it did not. The theses-posting is a myth. And yet, Marshall argues, this fact makes the incident all the more historically significant. In tracing how--and why--a "non-event" ended up becoming a defining episode of the modern historical imagination. Marshall compellingly explores the multiple ways in which the figure of Martin Luther, and the nature of the Reformation itself, have been remembered and used for their own purposes by subsequent generations of Protestants and others--in Germany, Britain, the United States and elsewhere.
As people in Europe, and across the world, prepare to remember, and celebrate, the 500th anniversary of Luther's posting of the theses, this book offers a timely contribution and corrective. The intention is not to "debunk," or to belittle Luther's achievement, but rather to invite renewed reflection on how the past speaks to the present--and on how, all too often, the present creates the past in its own image and likeness.
256 pages, Hardcover
Published October 10, 2017
16 people are currently reading
157 people want to read
About the author
Peter Marshall
17 books24 followersPeter Marshall is Professor of History at the University of Warwick, with a particular interest in the study of religious belief and practice in sixteenth and seventeenth-century England and the cultural impact of the English Reformation. He has published widely in the field, including a survey of the period, Reformation England 1480-1642, and The Catholic Priesthood and the English Reformation, also published by Oxford University Press.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 9, 2017
1517 is a short but thorough survey of the images of Luther in the past 500 years. Marshall explains the social and political contexts of the different images to show the reader that what people have thought about Luther in each generation has largely been influenced by contemporary events. This book is also a good study of Protestant historiography. Most readers of this book will be encountering the study of the writing of history for the first time. Through his analysis of the different images of Luther (particularly images of the nailing of the 95 Theses), Marshall encourages the reader to consider how past events are understood collectively. I would have preferred a full chapter dedicated to Luther's social and political views. I have a strong background in Reformation history, but the general reader may only know a few stories about Luther (the posting of the 95 Theses, the burning of the Bull of Excommunication, or the speech at the Diet of Worms). Finally,, Marshall is at his best when he analyzes all of the images of Luther in a particular century, instead of focusing exclusively on images of the posting of the 95 Theses. The posting of the theses is a popular image of Luther, but so is the equally legendary "Here I Stand" line at the end of Luther's speech at the Diet of Worms. The former gets a lot of emphasis, but the latter doesn't get much mention. Despite these few criticisms, I strongly recommend 1517 to anyone interested in Protestant history and/or the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.
October 30, 2017
First of all, can we agree that it should be “95” or “ninety-five” but never “ninetyfive”, like WTF.
Distinctly weird hyphenation aside, 1517: Martin Luther and the Invention of the Reformation, is a thoughtful examination of one of those well-celebrated yet mythologized moments in history. Peter Marshall uses the stories surrounding Luther’s apocryphal posting of the 95 theses to examine the character of the Reformation in Luther’s time, his legacy and effects on the Reformation, and the enduring nature of the thesis-posting as a watershed moment in European politics and religion. The intricate differences between and among the Catholic church and various Protestant denominations provide no end of fascination for me (I have lost many an hour to the very detailed Wikipedia articles on these topics—seriously, that stuff is complex). As such, when this book showed up on NetGalley, it immediately caught my eye. Thanks to NetGalley and Oxford University Press for making it available.
Prior to reading this, I had little knowledge of Martin Luther or his 95 theses beyond vague recollections of something in a Grade 12 history class (and even then I think we spent more time on Giordano Bruno). I knew that Luther had played a significant role in the early Reformation, and that he had written his 95 theses, and I had heard the story of him nailing them to the church wall. I was unaware of the larger context, or the way in which this story has been magnified and repeated even though the event itself might not have happened.
Marshall himself takes the stance that Luther almost certainly did not nail his theses to the Wittenberg church(es) on October 31. However, he also pushes back against the idea that the thesis-posting is as unimportant a detail as, say, the apple that didn’t fall on Newton’s head. He argues that the theses may have been posted on church doors at some point in the following month, because—and this I did not know—posting stuff you wanted to argue about on church doors was the Hot New Thing back in Luther’s day, kind of a post-Renaissance version of shouting into the abyss that is Twitter. Marshall concludes from his examination of the story around this story that the mythologizing of the thesis-posting tells us so much about the early Reformation.
This is the kind of history book I do quite enjoy. Rather than simply retelling history to me in a way that claims to be objective, Marshall examines it, as if under a microscope. He pulls it this way and that, asking contradictory what-ifs and then pursuing lines of inquiry to their logical conclusions. He points out where contemporary writers may have been mistaken, or deliberately conflated things. He reminds us that translations are fallible, and especially back in that time, for many people a single translation would be their only way to read and understand a text. As such, those translations might propagate unintentional errors across entire generations. Marshall reminds us that history is not this static thing left here for historians to lecture about; it is a dynamic series of snapshots, some of which lie or are too grainy to make out, and we are constantly re-interpreting it.
Marshall points out that whether or not Luther posted the theses to the church door on October 31 matters. If Luther did this, it was much more an act of deliberate rebellion against the Church than if he simply posted (as in mailed) the theses to his bishop for approval to publish them. Indeed, like everyone else who hasn’t actually read the theses and made a study of what Luther was arguing, I wasn’t aware how Luther began his journey as a reformer from a conciliatory position. At first he’s all, “Well, the pope isn’t that bad; it’s these local corrupt officials who are misusing indulgences!” and it isn’t until years later, after the usual song-and-dance of persecution and excommunication, that Luther actually changes his tune and declares the pope anathema.
At some points, the depth of Marshall’s inquiry goes beyond my tastes as a lay person. I’m increasingly finding this is the case with the university press publications I grab from NetGalley. That’s not a criticism of them, because obviously I’m not the target audience here. But I always like to mention it, in case you are also not in the target audience; you should know what you’re getting into. 1517 is among the more accessible works I’ve read lately in this format. Nevertheless, this book’s topic is very specialized. Although Marshall brings up more points of general history and talks about the Reformation in general during parts of the book, he (rightly) focuses tightly on Luther’s light-cone.
So, if you’re looking for a book specifically about Martin Luther, the Reformation, and the posting of the 95 theses, you came to the right place. If you want a more general history of the Reformation, or a more narrative presentation of the subject matter, you might be disappointed. 1517 is scholarly but not stupefying, informative but not imposing.
Distinctly weird hyphenation aside, 1517: Martin Luther and the Invention of the Reformation, is a thoughtful examination of one of those well-celebrated yet mythologized moments in history. Peter Marshall uses the stories surrounding Luther’s apocryphal posting of the 95 theses to examine the character of the Reformation in Luther’s time, his legacy and effects on the Reformation, and the enduring nature of the thesis-posting as a watershed moment in European politics and religion. The intricate differences between and among the Catholic church and various Protestant denominations provide no end of fascination for me (I have lost many an hour to the very detailed Wikipedia articles on these topics—seriously, that stuff is complex). As such, when this book showed up on NetGalley, it immediately caught my eye. Thanks to NetGalley and Oxford University Press for making it available.
Prior to reading this, I had little knowledge of Martin Luther or his 95 theses beyond vague recollections of something in a Grade 12 history class (and even then I think we spent more time on Giordano Bruno). I knew that Luther had played a significant role in the early Reformation, and that he had written his 95 theses, and I had heard the story of him nailing them to the church wall. I was unaware of the larger context, or the way in which this story has been magnified and repeated even though the event itself might not have happened.
Marshall himself takes the stance that Luther almost certainly did not nail his theses to the Wittenberg church(es) on October 31. However, he also pushes back against the idea that the thesis-posting is as unimportant a detail as, say, the apple that didn’t fall on Newton’s head. He argues that the theses may have been posted on church doors at some point in the following month, because—and this I did not know—posting stuff you wanted to argue about on church doors was the Hot New Thing back in Luther’s day, kind of a post-Renaissance version of shouting into the abyss that is Twitter. Marshall concludes from his examination of the story around this story that the mythologizing of the thesis-posting tells us so much about the early Reformation.
This is the kind of history book I do quite enjoy. Rather than simply retelling history to me in a way that claims to be objective, Marshall examines it, as if under a microscope. He pulls it this way and that, asking contradictory what-ifs and then pursuing lines of inquiry to their logical conclusions. He points out where contemporary writers may have been mistaken, or deliberately conflated things. He reminds us that translations are fallible, and especially back in that time, for many people a single translation would be their only way to read and understand a text. As such, those translations might propagate unintentional errors across entire generations. Marshall reminds us that history is not this static thing left here for historians to lecture about; it is a dynamic series of snapshots, some of which lie or are too grainy to make out, and we are constantly re-interpreting it.
Marshall points out that whether or not Luther posted the theses to the church door on October 31 matters. If Luther did this, it was much more an act of deliberate rebellion against the Church than if he simply posted (as in mailed) the theses to his bishop for approval to publish them. Indeed, like everyone else who hasn’t actually read the theses and made a study of what Luther was arguing, I wasn’t aware how Luther began his journey as a reformer from a conciliatory position. At first he’s all, “Well, the pope isn’t that bad; it’s these local corrupt officials who are misusing indulgences!” and it isn’t until years later, after the usual song-and-dance of persecution and excommunication, that Luther actually changes his tune and declares the pope anathema.
At some points, the depth of Marshall’s inquiry goes beyond my tastes as a lay person. I’m increasingly finding this is the case with the university press publications I grab from NetGalley. That’s not a criticism of them, because obviously I’m not the target audience here. But I always like to mention it, in case you are also not in the target audience; you should know what you’re getting into. 1517 is among the more accessible works I’ve read lately in this format. Nevertheless, this book’s topic is very specialized. Although Marshall brings up more points of general history and talks about the Reformation in general during parts of the book, he (rightly) focuses tightly on Luther’s light-cone.
So, if you’re looking for a book specifically about Martin Luther, the Reformation, and the posting of the 95 theses, you came to the right place. If you want a more general history of the Reformation, or a more narrative presentation of the subject matter, you might be disappointed. 1517 is scholarly but not stupefying, informative but not imposing.
October 25, 2017
This book is not really about Martin Luther or even exclusively about the year 1517. It is more of a detailed study of the posting of the 95 Theses - whether or not it really happened and how the action (whether historical or legend) has been viewed and inspired others throughout the five centuries since.
While this was an interesting study, I couldn't help but wonder throughout my reading of it how much it really mattered. I will admit that, as one who has studied the era and even visited Wittenberg, I am not entirely convinced that Luther did boldly nail the 95 Theses to the door of Castle Church on October 31, 1517. However, the spark of the Reformation was lit and Martin Luther's journey began on that day, even if he did just mail the discussion points to his archbishop rather than immediately publicize them.
The author includes a detailed study on how the beginning of the Reformation has been memorialized and celebrated through the ages. This is partially evidence to disprove the Theses posting, but it is an interesting look at how different people in different ages and circumstances viewed Luther's work. Different generations placed more significance on the Diet of Worms or the burning of the Papal Bull or simply Luther's birth or death anniversary. How did we come to focus on the Theses posting as the most significant event giving life to the Reformation? The author is not sure and seems disappointed in the choice.
I can relate. I have stood before the doors that are now bronze and embossed with the words of the 95 Theses, and was thrilled to be there. But wasn't Luther's 'On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church' more important? Wasn't the Diet of Worms when he truly stood up for reform? Maybe, but before those more compelling events, Luther had to go through the experiences that the 95 Theses brought about. Maybe the burning of his notice of excommunication is more defiant and bold, but it would not have happened without the 95 Theses.
Maybe the passing years have injected October 31, 1517 with more of the drama of the events that followed it because we like the movie-worthy moment of the mild and obedient monk angrily hammering his objections to the door of the very church he is protesting. Maybe the Theses really weren't posted until Luther had been ignored by the proper chain of command. Maybe he had a student glue them up, as would have been more proper than the professor of theology taking nails to the church door. Maybe people didn't gather in excitement the moment the notice went up. However, in retrospect, people of Luther's time and many more since have recognized October 31, 1517 as the day when Martin Luther began something that changed the world.
I received this book through NetGalley. Opinions are my own.
While this was an interesting study, I couldn't help but wonder throughout my reading of it how much it really mattered. I will admit that, as one who has studied the era and even visited Wittenberg, I am not entirely convinced that Luther did boldly nail the 95 Theses to the door of Castle Church on October 31, 1517. However, the spark of the Reformation was lit and Martin Luther's journey began on that day, even if he did just mail the discussion points to his archbishop rather than immediately publicize them.
The author includes a detailed study on how the beginning of the Reformation has been memorialized and celebrated through the ages. This is partially evidence to disprove the Theses posting, but it is an interesting look at how different people in different ages and circumstances viewed Luther's work. Different generations placed more significance on the Diet of Worms or the burning of the Papal Bull or simply Luther's birth or death anniversary. How did we come to focus on the Theses posting as the most significant event giving life to the Reformation? The author is not sure and seems disappointed in the choice.
I can relate. I have stood before the doors that are now bronze and embossed with the words of the 95 Theses, and was thrilled to be there. But wasn't Luther's 'On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church' more important? Wasn't the Diet of Worms when he truly stood up for reform? Maybe, but before those more compelling events, Luther had to go through the experiences that the 95 Theses brought about. Maybe the burning of his notice of excommunication is more defiant and bold, but it would not have happened without the 95 Theses.
Maybe the passing years have injected October 31, 1517 with more of the drama of the events that followed it because we like the movie-worthy moment of the mild and obedient monk angrily hammering his objections to the door of the very church he is protesting. Maybe the Theses really weren't posted until Luther had been ignored by the proper chain of command. Maybe he had a student glue them up, as would have been more proper than the professor of theology taking nails to the church door. Maybe people didn't gather in excitement the moment the notice went up. However, in retrospect, people of Luther's time and many more since have recognized October 31, 1517 as the day when Martin Luther began something that changed the world.
I received this book through NetGalley. Opinions are my own.
January 21, 2018
Peter Marshall is a historian at Warwick University, and an accomplished scholar of the English Reformation, who in this book takes a look at the whole idea of "The Reformation" as a singular event took hold in people's minds by examining the genesis and spread of the "95 Theses" tale. This is the story that Luther nailed his theses against the abuse of indulgences on the Castle Church door at Wittenberg. Marshall relays the prevailing academic opinion that the event never happened: it first appears in a biography written by his protoge Philip Melancthon shortly after Luther's death, and Marshall does an excellent job of tracing the evolution of this story over time. Taking it from 1517 and then showing how it was commemorated in 1617, 1817 and 1917, Marshall details in highly readable prose how the story was reshaped and interpreted according to differing historical circumstances (the Thirty Years War, the Post Napoleonic Era, WWI) finally ending with how academic historians came to doubt the reality of the event. Throughout this telling, Marshall hints at the construction of a broad view of "The Reformation" as a response to the almost immediate fracturing of the evangelical movement in the 1520s: since they had no prospect of unity of belief (especially in Germany, with the split between Lutheran and Reformed), the idea that the various Protestant churches began with a single, historical event allowed them to trace a shared history, so they could at least have some hope that this history was moving toward unity, even as it continued to elude them. Without coming down on any side of the Reformation divide, Marshall does a splendid job of synthesizing an immense historiography as well as relaying the sense of the historical evidence to a lay audience. This is no easy feat for an academic writer, and though one doubts that this book will ever gain a wide audience, it is masterfully done and perfect for an educated layman. Highly recommended
September 13, 2017
When I requested this book from Netgalley, I anticipated that it would be more about Martin Luther and the events leading up to the iconic moment he pounded those theses on the church door. I was woefully ignorant. While Peter Marshall gives plenty of background information on the man, Martin Luther really isn't the focus of this book. Perhaps I should have read the description better! Though it wasn't what I was expecting, I think I enjoyed the content much more than I would have had it been a straight biography.
1517 takes a look at that one specific event (the posting of the theses) and then puts it in the wider context of public remembrance. How is it that an event that probably never even happened came to be regarded as an absolute?
The premise of the book is similar to that of a dissertation, but Marshall's style is engaging enough that even a lay-person would find it an enjoyable read. Highly Recommend!
1517 takes a look at that one specific event (the posting of the theses) and then puts it in the wider context of public remembrance. How is it that an event that probably never even happened came to be regarded as an absolute?
The premise of the book is similar to that of a dissertation, but Marshall's style is engaging enough that even a lay-person would find it an enjoyable read. Highly Recommend!
July 21, 2025
Brilliant book. Fascinating story. Reminds us that the line between the titular event of 1517 and our celebration of that event is not straight. What we mean by celebrating it is not always in common with, and is sometimes very much at odds with, past celebrants—and even many of our contemporaries. Who “owns” the meaning of that event? It’s not clear that anyone does. But don’t be dismayed. You are not just celebrating a story. You are part of that story. Don’t you want to know what it is?
September 20, 2019
A very dry historical read that has left me with unclear emotions on Martin Luther. I really need to either re-read this, or read another book regarding his contributions to the Reformation ...
August 20, 2017
For centuries people have had a precise date to market the start of the reformation, that being Martin Luther's nailing of his 95 Theses against the sale of indulgences, to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg on 31 October 1517.
However Peter Marshall reviews the available evidence and concludes (as have others previously) that, very probably this event (the Thesenanschlang) never actually happened. However that does not matter as the very ‘idea’ that it did happened, combined with Luther’s actual actions, clearly did change the world.
This is a great examination of what did actually happen in 1517-1520 plus an examination of how the Thesenanschlang was; ‘remembered', celebrated and portrayed over the following 500 years, and all packed into a little over 200 pages.
However Peter Marshall reviews the available evidence and concludes (as have others previously) that, very probably this event (the Thesenanschlang) never actually happened. However that does not matter as the very ‘idea’ that it did happened, combined with Luther’s actual actions, clearly did change the world.
This is a great examination of what did actually happen in 1517-1520 plus an examination of how the Thesenanschlang was; ‘remembered', celebrated and portrayed over the following 500 years, and all packed into a little over 200 pages.
April 14, 2022
Read at library. Wow. This is a really good book. Maybe I'm just not used to reading straight historical reporting but the sources are all traced back to their origin, their backgrounds are well researched. The author is extremely knowledgeable about the Reformation and Martin Luther.
What's so fascinating for me after reading this is just how disconnected the actual world has always been from the written word. Even in the 16th century there was an illusion of physical simultaneity being propagated: that Martin Luther hammered his theses to the Castle Church doors to interrupt the festival of All Saints, that his complaints about Teztel's granting of indulgences started a domino effect that would lead to a great schism in the church. In reality, at best he probably finished writing his theses on the date of October 31st and never wielded a hammer. The first depiction of Martin Luther with the hammer only begun with the centenary celebration in 1617. There's a fascinating phrase here referencing the "usable past": The 95 theses serving as "a beacon serving as a point of navigation for successive generations of non-conformists".
Another super interesting realization for me is how dominant the clergy has been in influencing intellectual thought throughout the majority of history. For a large span of time if you wanted to read, and think about the world there weren't many alternatives to learning Latin and becoming a priest. The rest of the medieval skilled trades seem awfully limited in comparison.
The phrase "Thesenanschlag", or theses-posting (alternatively, political theater mythologizing specific instances in time), is a good one I'll probably start slipping into regular conversation.
Also Jubilee is originally the word for a religious holiday! Who knew.
What's so fascinating for me after reading this is just how disconnected the actual world has always been from the written word. Even in the 16th century there was an illusion of physical simultaneity being propagated: that Martin Luther hammered his theses to the Castle Church doors to interrupt the festival of All Saints, that his complaints about Teztel's granting of indulgences started a domino effect that would lead to a great schism in the church. In reality, at best he probably finished writing his theses on the date of October 31st and never wielded a hammer. The first depiction of Martin Luther with the hammer only begun with the centenary celebration in 1617. There's a fascinating phrase here referencing the "usable past": The 95 theses serving as "a beacon serving as a point of navigation for successive generations of non-conformists".
Another super interesting realization for me is how dominant the clergy has been in influencing intellectual thought throughout the majority of history. For a large span of time if you wanted to read, and think about the world there weren't many alternatives to learning Latin and becoming a priest. The rest of the medieval skilled trades seem awfully limited in comparison.
The phrase "Thesenanschlag", or theses-posting (alternatively, political theater mythologizing specific instances in time), is a good one I'll probably start slipping into regular conversation.
Also Jubilee is originally the word for a religious holiday! Who knew.
November 27, 2018
A book I've been wanting for a long time: a reception history of "Reformation Day," in particular Luther's "thesenanschlag" (posting of the 95 theses). Marshall has a chapter on 1517, 1617, 1817, and 1917 and explores the various ways the memory of the thesenanschlag was used for a variety of means, be it confessional solidarity, German unification, or Nazi terrors.
That being the case, it seems like the idea didn't match the execution as some chapters dragged on for a bit. My favorite chapters, however, were on 1817 and 1917 and the ways in which the thesenanschlag became more and more a political than religious moment.
All things considered, an enjoyable, fresh take on Luther and his legacy in a world in which that is increasingly rare.
That being the case, it seems like the idea didn't match the execution as some chapters dragged on for a bit. My favorite chapters, however, were on 1817 and 1917 and the ways in which the thesenanschlag became more and more a political than religious moment.
All things considered, an enjoyable, fresh take on Luther and his legacy in a world in which that is increasingly rare.
February 18, 2023
Not quite what I was expecting, so I stopped at p47. -- This a book more about the IDEA of the Reformation and how it spread, how it influenced subsequent events. Seems well-written enough, but it was not what I was looking for at the moment...
August 26, 2018
An interesting survey of the myths and legends surrounding Luther’s 95 Theses. A nice objective examination of the historical record over the last 500 years separates fact from fiction.
February 18, 2025
لم أكمل الكتاب، فالعنوان نوعا ما مضلل، هو صحيح أن الكتاب عن بداية الثورة البروتستانتية لكنه يركز بتفصيل على القضايا الخمس وتسعون التي أعلنها مارتن لوثر وهل حقيقة علقها على باب الكنيسة أم لا.
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