It was the last day of October, All Saints’ Eve, in the year of our Lord 1517. The little town of Wittenberg, Saxony, buzzed with anticipation for the dawn of All Saints’ Day. Once a year, Frederick, elector of the Holy Roman Empire and prince for Saxony, opened up his relic collection for the benefit of the faithful.

Frederick had compiled an impressive collection of Christian relics: pieces of bone and hair from saints long deceased, a piece of the true cross, and snippets of cloth and other personal items that had once belonged to heroes of the faith. In 1517 Elector Frederick boasted of more than 17,000 items in his impressive collection. For only a nominal fee to participate in this once-a-year extravaganza, the pious Christian who took pains to view all of Frederick’s relics could earn himself a reprieve of nearly two million years from purgatory!

Forgiveness for sale

Just down the road from Wittenberg there was competition with Frederick’s relic collection. John Tetzel, a friar of the Dominican order, was getting souls out of purgatory in a different fashion. The indulgences he sold bore the coat of arms of his holiness, the pope himself. The coin paid to Tetzel bought a plenary indulgence—full forgiveness and release from all penalties for sin.

As a salesman, Tetzel excelled. He peddled pardons to people for sins they had committed. He peddled pardons for sins they were going to commit. He offered his indulgences as payment for penalties to the living and the dead: “As soon as the coin in the coffer clinks, the soul from purgatory springs!” So powerful were his indulgences, Tetzel thundered, that they could even remove the stain of sin from one who had violated the virgin Mary. Tetzel boasted that he had saved more people with his indulgences than the apostle Peter did with his preaching. Tetzel was brash and crude—and he hauled in money for his indulgences hand over fist.

Elector Frederick kept Tetzel and his indulgences outside of Saxony; paper pardons were bad for the relic business. But that didn’t stop droves of Wittenbergers from heading down the road to Jüterbog to clink good Saxon money into Tetzel’s coffers.