Neither the original manuscript nor the original door exist.
The 95 Theses
.. Luther wrote a pamphlet called "The 95 Theses" which was an obvious criticism of indulgences. The pamphlet contained ninety five points that he felt should be argued at an academic level - they were not for general public discussion.
There are two reasons for thinking this: The pamphlet was written in Latin which was the traditional language of the scholar then and beyond the understanding of most people including the rich and even members of the European royal families some of whom were not literate in their own language let alone Latin! The pamphlet was not released to the general public to read but it was pinned to the church door in Wittenburg for other scholars to read and to discuss in preparation for a full discussion at a later date. This was the traditional manner for a scholar to bring attention to his work to other academics to allow for a full discussion.
There was nothing revolutionary about what Luther did - it was the standard accepted practice of those academics who attended the university at Wittenburg. What happened next makes it appear that Luther was a revolutionary but this was not so.
Someone took down the pamphlet and made a copy of it. It would be normal for a number to be made available for all the academic staff at a large university. Someone then had it translated into German and it was printed off for the general public to have greater access to it. When Luther found out what had happened he tried to get back to original copy but to no avail. The "95 Theses" had gone public and was no longer merely a topic for academic staff.
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/Martin_Luther_95_Theses.htm
The original door was unfortunately lost in the fire of 1760. King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia had the door replaced with a bronze door with all 95 theses are inscribed. The painting above the door depicts Luther with the German Bible on the right and Melanchthon with the Augsburg Confession on the left. You can see the city of Wittenberg in the background.
Luther and the 95 Theses: It was here that Martin Luther posted his 95 theses which called for a dispute on the state of the Church. Why did he put a long, detailed document on a church door? In those days, the wooden door served as the University's bulletin board. He was opposing the additions and conditions that had been placed on indulgences. They were written in Latin, but were translated (without his permission) into German and circulated very widely. The spark of Reformation had been lit.
[reformationtours.com/site/490868/page/180550] link no longer exists
http://mtziondiscussion.blogspot.com.au/2010_05_01_archive.html
