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Perhaps the indulgence was the first "time contract." An indulgence could be purchased as a sort of "coupon" by sinners as credit against time to be spent in Purgatory. These slips of paper--which served the Church by raising funds for projects (like building cathedrals)--were initially hand written. With the innovation of the printing press, however, indulgences could be printed by the thousands--and they were.
Indulgences figured prominently among Martin Luther's 95 Theses--his list of complaints about the Catholic Church--and their prolific popularity fueled the flames of Luther's Protestant Revolution. |
Sources for the timeline and accompanying information.