The Christian jubilee.
The Christian jubilee.
§ 136. Against the Roman jubilee, which takes it origin from a misunderstanding of the Jewish jubilee but especially from the greed of the popes, we set forth the Christian jubilee. Concerning it the Savior says, “The Lord has sent Me to declare the year of Jehovah’s good-pleasure” (the acceptable or peaceable year, Isa. 61:2; Luke 4:18[–19]). This is nothing other than the joyful preaching of the Gospel brought forth from the bosom of the eternal Father by Christ. In this [preaching] the free liberation from all sins and from punishment for sin because of Christ’s unique merit is announced to all the truly repentant who believe in Christ. This benefit is offered to people by the ministry of the Word and Sacraments and by the ministry of private Absolution, and is applied by each person’s own faith. This does not happen in the hundredth or the fiftieth year but at any time from the beginning of the world after the promise was given about the woman’s Seed which would crush the serpent’s head [Gen. 3:15], but especially in the new testament now that Christ has been revealed and the Gospel has been preached throughout the world.