According to
Philipp Melanchthon, writing in 1546, Luther "wrote theses on indulgences and posted them on the church of All Saints on 31 October 1517", an event now seen as sparking the Reformation.
Some scholars have questioned Melanchthon's account, since he did not move to Wittenberg until a year later and no contemporaneous evidence exists for Luther's posting of the theses.
Others counter that such evidence is unnecessary because it was the custom at Wittenberg university to advertise a
disputation by posting theses on the door of
All Saints' Church, also known as "Castle Church".
The
Ninety-five Theses were quickly translated from Latin into German, printed, and widely copied, making the controversy one of the first in history to be aided by the
printing press.
Within two weeks, copies of the theses had spread throughout Germany; within two months throughout Europe.
