500th anniversary of the Reformation: five fast facts

Protestants and Catholics came together at London’s Westminster Abbey today to remember the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby presented a joint declaration described as “a sign of healing after 500 years of division”.

Anniversary celebrations promoting unity also took place across the US and Europe, including in Luther’s homeland of Germany, where 31 October is known as “Reformation Day”.

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Here’s what you should know about the historical date.

The history of Martin Luther’s 95 Theses

On 31 October 1517, German monk Martin Luther (1483-1546) nailed his 95 Theses, attacking papal abuses and the sale of indulgences, to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. (Or at least, that’s the popular version of events. Some modern scholars argue it’s more likely that he simply distributed the Theses.) The work formed the foundation for Protestant Christianity, ignited the Protestant Reformation and divided the Christian world.

“Luther had come to believe that Christians are saved through faith and not through their own efforts,” the BBC says.

Between 1519 and 1520, Luther developed his idea in a series of pamphlets - On Christian Liberty, On the Freedom of a Christian Man, To the Christian Nobility and On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church. His work spread quickly through Europe, thanks to the printing press.

Indulgences

The changes ended the sale of “indulgences” - payments to the church that were to reduce punishment for sins after death - which were at the top of Luther’s grievances. These funds had been used to pay for the building of St Peter’s Basilica in Rome, says The Guardian.

Impact on language

The Reformation led to the translation of the Bible into languages other than Latin, Time magazine says, allowing people to engage with scripture for the first time.

“More generally, the Reformation contributed to the expansion of literacy, with people no longer needing to rely on priests to read and interpret the Bible,” the magazine adds.

Where did the term Protestant come from?

The term arose from a “letter of protestation” jointly issued by a number of German rulers in 1529 that argued against the Church’s condemnation of Luther as a heretic, according to the Anglican Journal.

What did today's event commemorate?

The service at Westminster Abbey celebrated the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification - a major document agreed by the Lutheran and Catholic churches in 1999. It resolves the most contentious issue between them, dating back to the Reformation: how does someone go to Heaven?