Western Civilization I / Unit 15 WC1 1402 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Purgatory, Indulgences, and the Treasury of Merit
Captions available
The idea
Purgatory meant centuries of purging fire; an indulgence, a certificate with confession's power, promised time off. First granted for crusading, indulgences were sold for revenue by Renaissance popes, drawing on the treasury of merit, the surplus of Christ and the saints.
In practice
The anchor's relic collection worth thirty-nine million years off purgatory.
Where people slip
The sale, not the doctrine, was Luther's first target.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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