58 Readings i?i European History 240. Ex- amples of Luther's ninety-five theses. Meaning of poenitentia defined. that they should have been so widely circulated, for they were " somewhat obscurely expressed, as was the cus- tom in such cases," so that the defender could not be easily driven into a corner. Had he foreseen their gen- eral diffusion, he would have tried to be clearer. Yet there is no doubt that they really expressed his general convictions, which he did not realize at that time were in any way opposed to the teachings of the Catholic Church. In the desire and with the purpose of elucidating the truth, a disputation will be held on the underwritten propo- sitions at Wittenberg, under the presidency of the Reverend Father Martin Luther, monk of the order of St. Augustine, Master of Arts and of Sacred Theology, and ordinary lecturer in the same at that place. He therefore asks those who can- not be present and discuss the subject with us orally to do so by letter in their absence. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. i. Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ in saying "Repent ye ,fl _poenite?itiam agite~, etc., intended that the whole life of believers should be penitence J>oenitentia~. 2. This word cannot be understood as sacramental pen- ance, that is, the confession and satisfaction which are per- formed under the ministry of priests. 3. It does not, on the other hand, refer solely to inward penitence ; nay, such inward penitence is naught, unless it outwardly produces various mortifications of the flesh. 1 The theologians of Luther's time appear to have used the same word, poenitentia, for both penitence and penance. The words of Christ, " Repent ye," are translated in the Vulgate poenitentiam agite, which is good Latin for " Be sorry," but looked to a careless reader of Luther's time like " Do ye penance." Erasmus notices this misapprehension in his edition of the New Testament, published the year before Luther's theses.
