Johann Tetzel

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Johann Tetzel, fictional portrait ( engraving 1717). A portrait of Johann Tetzel drawn from life has not survived; later pictures - like this one on the 200th anniversary of the Reformation - usually depict him with polemical intent: well-fed and with references to his income.

Johann Tetzel or Johannes Tetzel , also Dietze , Dietzel , Tetzell , Detzel , Thizell (* around 1460 or around 1465 in Pirna or Leipzig ; † August 11, 1519 in Leipzig) was a German Dominican and indulgence preacher . His sermons of indulgence were the occasion for Luther's 95 theses directed against indulgence .

Life

Johann Tetzel was the son of Hans Dietze or Dietzel, a goldsmith or operator of a carting and trading business in Pirna. The house where he was born is in today's Schmiedestrasse. In the winter semester of 1482/83 he began studying theology in Leipzig, he enrolled with the Latin name Johannes Tezelius de Lipsia. In 1487 Tetzel acquired the Baccalaureus artium . In 1489 he entered the Dominican monastery of St. Pauli in Leipzig, of which he was a member until his death despite frequent absence. In Leipzig he first worked as a preacher and as a theological teacher at the local religious studies.

The Tetzelhaus in Pirna, known as the house where he was born

In 1504 Tetzel began his activity in selling indulgences, initially for the Teutonic Knight Order . After a short term as prior in Glogau , he was on the road as an indulgence preacher in Saxony from 1505 to 1510. Here he is said to have an unsound lifestyle. After that he was presumably active in southern Germany. Contrary to what Martin Luther claims in his propaganda pamphlet Wider Hans Worst , Tetzel was never in Innsbruck and was therefore not sentenced to death by drowning for adultery and gambling fraud. In general, a lot of the biographical information about Tetzel is extremely questionable, because since Luther and his first biographer Johann Mathesius there have been numerous fictitious anecdotes about the indulgence preacher. Tetzel is said to have been "released" by the Elector Friedrich von Sachsen from Emperor Maximilian I after alleged sexual intercourse with a married woman. It is possible, however, that Tetzel had two children with an unknown woman, as indicated in a contemporary letter (1519) from Karl von Miltitz to Degenhard Pfeffinger. A temporary imprisonment in the "Tower of Leipzig" is to be counted among the propaganda legends as well as an "eternal monastery imprisonment" in Pirna, where, according to his opponents, he is said to have "not let go of the whore" and impregnated a maid. The same applies to a trip to Rome in 1512 or 1514, which actually did not take place.

1508/1509 Tetzel stayed in Alt Gebhardsdorf No. 3 in the Queiskreis . He was denied entry to Silesia. Nevertheless, out of gratitude for the good business, he had the chapels in Friedeberg and Gebhardsdorf renovated at his own expense. In 1516 the diocese of Meißen appointed Tetzel as sub-commissioner for the sale of indulgences for the construction of St. Peter's Church in Rome. In the same mission, but now as general sub-commissioner, he was on the way to the dioceses of Halberstadt and Magdeburg from 1517 on behalf of the Archbishop of Mainz Albrecht von Brandenburg . Stays in Eisleben , Halle , Zerbst , Berlin , Jüterbog and Magdeburg can be proven here. This work was also the reason for Luther's theses in Wittenberg and the beginning of the Reformation .

From 1518 Tetzel lived again in the Pauline monastery in Leipzig. In the same year he was made a doctor of theology on the basis of an authorization from Pope Leo X.

In 1519 he died of the plague in Leipzig . He was buried in the choir of the Paulinerkirche , which was partially demolished in 1546 due to the expansion of the city fortifications for the Schmalkaldic War .

Indulgences

The Tetzel column on the Elbe near Pirna . Tetzel is said to have preached here.

Until the end of the 15th century, the indulgence trade was strictly regulated, only certain penalties for sin could be waived in the form of money and under no circumstances without active repentance. Tetzel exaggerated the extent of the indulgence. With his slogans:

"As soon as the gold in the basin sounds in the huy the soul jumps in the sky"

or

"If you give me your money, then your dead relatives will no longer burn in hell, but will go to heaven"

Johann Tetzel is said to have opened the indulgence trade in the manner of a barkeeper. Nowadays, however, the exclamation is translated into standard German

"As soon as the money is in the box, the soul jumps to heaven!"

more familiar to the general public.

A sentence that probably came from a dispute at the Paris Sorbonne in 1484 by Jean Laillier . The master of arts and professor of theology, who not only questioned the primacy of the Roman Church, but also condemned the intentions of a monk who demanded indulgences for foundation purposes, abbreviated in German “When the money sounds in the box, the soul jumps out of the fire. ”A sentence with which one could paraphrase the actions of the indulgence preacher Johann Tetzel .

Half of the income was used to build St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, while the other half was shared by Archbishop Albrecht of Brandenburg and the respective preacher of indulgence. The bishop needed the income to pay off his debts to the Fuggers . In order to secure the share of the bank, representatives of the Fugger accompanied Tetzel and collected the repayments in sales promotions. Part of this debt arose from fees that the Pope demanded for exempting Albrecht from the regulations against the accumulation of offices . Thus, in addition to the bishopric of Magdeburg and Halberstadt , Albrecht was able to acquire the most important German archbishop's seat of Mainz , Latin Sancta sedes (Moguntia) , which was connected to the arch chancellery across the German part of the empire.

Tetzel worked in the area of ​​the Archdiocese of Magdeburg, but the citizens of Wittenberg also came to him to free themselves from their sins with money instead of real penance. Martin Luther, confessor of many Wittenbergers, noticed this with bitterness. He denounced what he considered to be the shameful indulgence trade, as it actually mocked his idea of ​​a sinful person who, because of bad deeds, submits to a life of humility. The 95 theses that he is said to have published in Wittenberg in response to this stand for the expression of a profound disappointment and are considered to be the trigger for the Reformation. Shortly before Tetzel's death, Luther sent him a letter of comfort.

Tetzel was also viewed critically in other places. The pastor at Ulm Minster , Konrad Krafft, for example, gave a sermon in 1517 against Johann Tetzel's indulgence practice.

Tetzel is said to have sold his letters of indulgence in Küblingen in the local pilgrimage church of St. Marien . According to a legend, a preacher of indulgence was buried under the Tetzelstein in 1518 in the nearby Elm , a ridge just under 20 kilometers east of Braunschweig .

Tetzel box

The tetzel box was the box for collecting the proceeds from the sale of indulgences . To get people to buy, Tetzel had a devil painted on the box that torments poor souls in purgatory . It was written about it: "When the money rings in the box, the soul jumps out of the fire."

Braunschweig

Tetzel box in Jüterbog , around 1510

One of the previously found tetzel boxes (also known as the drainage drawer ) in which the fines were kept is in the Braunschweig City Museum in the old town hall . It comes from the Peterskapelle of Süpplingenburg Castle , where Tetzel is said to have preached and used this box. This is covered with wide iron sheets and has two handles on the side. On the front there were three locks, the opening of which was probably reserved for the Roman Curia, the Fuggers and Archbishop Albrecht. Its dimensions are 40.6 × 82.5 × 47.5 cm.

Jueterbog

The Nikolaikirche in Jüterbog also has a tetzel box. Hans von Hake (1472–1541) from Stülpe gave this drawer to Jüterbog after he had taken the box from Tetzel. He had already bought the indulgence slip from him and waved it when Tetzel threatened him with the agony of purgatory. Theodor Fontane describes this story in the first volume of his hikes through the Mark Brandenburg (see also “ Raid in the Golmheide ”).

Elm

At the height of the Elm (between Königslutter and Schöppenstedt ), Tetzel is said to have been attacked by a knight "von Hagen" when he came from Königslutter. It is said that this knight had previously bought a letter of indulgence from Tetzel “for sins still to be committed”, then held it under his nose and then stole the indulgence fund with reference to it. The presumed location of the attack is marked with the so-called Tetzelstein .

Berlin

A similar story has also come down to us from Berlin: for example, Tetzel sold the “written forgiveness of sins” to well-paying people in front of the Nikolaikirche . In exchange for money, an anonymous wealthy person bought a certificate of indulgence for a sin that he did not want to commit until the following day. When Tetzel was traveling on the next day, he was attacked near Trebbin, and the drawer with the money he had collected was stolen from him - by the man who had already redeemed himself from God's punishment.

Goerlitz

The metal-shod ark in the parish church of St. Peter and Paul in Görlitz is also said to be a tetzel box .

Annaberg-Buchholz

Also in the St. Anne's Church (previously in the old sacristy) in Annaberg-Buchholz there is a Tetzel box, in which donations are now collected for the renovation of the church and the organ. Tetzel stayed in Annaberg from 1502 to 1504, 1508 and again from 1510 to 1512.

literature

Web links

Commons : Johann Tetzel  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Enno Bünz: "the big screamer" Johann Tetzel . Lecture at the Leibnizforum Leipzig, September 27, 2016.
  2. ↑ Both statements can be found in the literature.
  3. ↑ He could also have practiced the craft of white baker at times
  4. ^ Johann Tetzel (around 1465–1519), Pirna city administration [1]
  5. ↑ a b Adolf Brecher:  Tetzel, Johann . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 37, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1894, pp. 605-609.
  6. ↑ Valentin Gröne: Tetzel and Luther: or the life story and justification of the indulgence preacher and inquisitor Dr. Johann Tetzel , Soest 1860, p. 202
  7. ↑ Enno Bünz, Hartmut Kühne, Peter Wiegand (eds.): Johann Tetzel und der Ablass , volume accompanying the exhibition "Tetzel - Ablass - Purgatory" in Jüterbog 2017, p. 87
  8. ↑ Enno Bünz, Hartmut Kühne, Peter Wiegand (eds.): Johann Tetzel und der Ablass , accompanying volume for the exhibition "Tetzel - Ablass - Purgatory" in Jüterbog 2017, p. 88
  9. ↑ Enno Bünz, Hartmut Kühne, Peter Wiegand (eds.): Johann Tetzel und der Ablass , accompanying volume for the exhibition "Tetzel - Ablass - Purgatory" in Jüterbog 2017, p. 88
  10. ↑ Valentin Gröne: Tetzel and Luther: or the life story and justification of the indulgence preacher and inquisitor Dr. Johann Tetzel , Soest 1860, p. 202
  11. ^ Karl Pellegrini, Brief history of the Gebhardsdorf community , Arthur Dresler, Friedeberg am Queis 1927, page 10
  12. ↑ Birk Engmann: "A journey through the centuries: The structural development of the university in the city center." In: Vivat, Crescat, Floreat: Special edition of the Leipziger Blätter for the 600th anniversary of the University of Leipzig. Passage, Leipzig 2009, ISBN 978-3-938543-53-5 , pp. 54-61.
  13. ^ Heinrich Boehmer: The young Luther. Martin Luther and the Reformation: With 39 illustrations after woodcuts and copper engravings from the 16th century. Diplomica Verlag, Hamburg 2018, ISBN 978-3-96337-026-7 , p. 165
  14. ^ "(...) toute âme du purgatoire s'envole immédiatement au ciel (...) dans les troncs pour la réparation de l'église de Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Beauvais " In: Plessis d'Argentré, Collectio Judiciorum de Novis Erroribus.
  15. ↑ Luise Schorn-Schütte : The Reformation. History, course, effect . CH Beck, Munich 2006, p. 32.
  16. ↑ Carl Eduard Vehse : World history from the standpoint of culture and national characteristics. 2 volumes. Walther, Dresden 1842, Vol. 2, p. 56.
  17. ^ Theodor Fontane: Walks through the Mark Brandenburg . Vol. 1: The County of Ruppin. The Barnim. The Teltow. Berlin 1862, p. 387.
  18. ^ Tetzel, Königslutter and the Tetzelstein. (PDF; 174 kB) Website Luther in Braunschweig. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013 ; accessed on November 16, 2017 .
  19. ↑ The Stralau fish haul. Legends, stories and customs from old Berlin. Neues Leben, Berlin 1987, ISBN 3-355-00326-3 , p. 34 f.
personal data
SURNAME Tetzel, Johann
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German Dominican brother, preacher of indulgence and opponent of Luther
DATE OF BIRTH around 1460
PLACE OF BIRTH Pirna or Leipzig
DATE OF DEATH August 11, 1519
Place of death Leipzig