The Facts About Johann Tetzel

I came across a Roman Catholic stating Johann Tetzel "is one of history's most unjustly persecuted figures by Protestantism," and also, "Tetzel didn't sell nor could he have sold indulgences." It was asserted that to "portray Dr. Tetzel an ignorant goof-ball by Luther is shear arrogance and fabrication." Over the years I've come across a number of Rome's cyber-defenders similarly trying to defend the reputation of Johann Tetzel.  If you come across someone from the other side of the Tiber defending Tetzel, here are some basic facts to keep in mind.

Did Tetzel Really Say "As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs"?
It is usually taken at absolute fact that Tetzel often used this jingle while preaching his indulgence sermons. It may be surprising to find out that attributing this exact jingle to Tetzel isn't as easy as one may think. Roman Catholics have a valid gripe if they question if Tetzel was the originator of the jingle. It does not appear in his extant written sermons. There is though evidence from contemporaries of Tetzel that he did use it. This phrase may actually be traced back to a much earlier date (Martin Brecht notes the University of Paris complained about this popular jingle as early as 1482). For a full discussion of Tetzel and this jingle, see my blog entry here, and the related discussion here.

Where can I find one of Tetzel's indulgence sermons? Were they that bad?

Yes, they were horrific. Extracts from Tetzel's indulgence sermons can be found here. In this link you will find Tetzel preaching, "Don’t you hear the voices of your wailing dead parents and others who say, ‘Have mercy upon me, have mercy upon me, because we are in severe punishment and pain. From this you could redeem us with a small alms and yet you do not want to do so.’ Open your ears as the father says to the son and the mother to the daughter, ‘We have created you, fed you, cared for you, and left you our temporal goods. Why then are you so cruel and harsh that you do not want to save us, though it only takes a little?"

Where can I find the instructions Tetzel was given to preach indulgences?

The instructions can be found here, towards the bottom of the entry. You'll see the instructions included "the complete remission of all sins."

Did Tetzel say that for every mortal sin committed, there will be seven years of  penitence or suffering purgatory? Would an indulgence letter take the suffering away?

According to an extant sermon, he did.  He preached, "Consider, that for each and every mortal sin it is necessary to undergo seven years of penitence after confession and contrition, either in this life or in Purgatory," and also, "But with these confessional letters you will be able at any time in life to obtain full indulgence for all penalties imposed upon you, in all cases except the four reserved to the Apostolic See. Thence throughout your whole life, whenever you wish to make confession, you may receive the same remission, except in cases reserved to the Pope, and afterwards, at the hour of death, a full indulgence as to all penalties and sins." For a full discussion, see my blog entry here. 

Was the indulgence controversy the fault of Tetzel, or did Rome have a role also?

Tetzel typically gets thrown under the bus for his significant role in the indulgence controversy. But what about Rome? Were they at fault as well? Yes they were involved, and it was a scandalous financial involvement. Find the facts here.

How do Roman Catholic encyclopedias portray Tetzel?

It's interesting to see if  Roman Catholic sources will criticize Tetzel in any way. The Old Catholic Encyclopedia blames his errors on following the wrong opinions. The New Catholic Encyclopedia does similarly.  See their treatment here. 

What types of indulgences were preached by Tetzel?

He preached the complete remission of all sins, he offered a confessional letter that enabled a person to receive absolution from all sins, and a release from purgatory of dead people. See the addendum at the bottom of this entry for the specifics. 

What is the definitive biography on Tetzel?

I haven't come across anything modern yet, but the most popular biography of Tetzel was done in the nineteenth century by the Roman Catholic scholar, Nikolaus Paulus. Paulus is credited for a scholarly positive defense of Tetzel, proving that often Reformation polemics against him went too far. For a discussion of Paulus' defense of Tetzel, see this entry. 

Where can I find Tetzel's rebuttal to Luther?

You can find Tetzel going after Luther here.  

How would you respond to a Roman Catholic defending Tetzel?

Here's how I did it in response to some comments defending Tetzel found in a Catholic Answers discussion. 

Did Tetzel sell an indulgence to a man who then robbed him? 

I found this one Wikipedia. As far as I can tell, the story functions more as hearsay than an actual historical happening. See my blog entry here for the full details. 

Did Luther lie about Tetzel?

It's true that Luther was harsh against Tetzel, and he would attribute the worst things to him without checking the facts (I will do some posts on this in the future). However, Luther did get some things right about Tetzel, as this blog entry shows.