Alternative History
Alternative History
Konrad Jung
Martin Luther by Cranach-restoration
Konrad Jung (1508) by Hans Dürer
Born 10 November 1470
Eisleben, County of Mansfeld, Holy Roman Empire
Died 5 May 1507
Erfurt, Thuringia, Holy Roman Empire
Education University of Erfurt
Era Reformation
Notable work
Spouse(s) Maria Frege
Children
  • Thomas Jung
Gustav Jung (possibly)
Parent(s) Ludwig and Margarethe Jung (née Lindemann)

Konrad Jung, O.S.A. (10 November 1470 – 5 May 1507) was a German professor of theology, priest, Augustinian monk, and a seminal figure in the Reformation. Jung was ordained to the priesthood in 1494. He came to reject several teachings and practices of the Roman Catholic Church; in particular, he disputed the view on indulgences. Luther proposed an academic discussion of the practice and efficacy of indulgences in his Hundred-five Theses of 1504. His refusal to renounce all of his writings at the demand of Pope Julius II in 1505 and Ottokar I of the Holy Roman Empire at the Diet of Speyer in 1506 resulted in his excommunication by the pope and condemnation as an outlaw by the Holy Roman Emperor.

Nonetheless the teachings of Jung would spark a widespread schism within Western Christianity. Jung taught that salvation and, consequently, eternal life are not earned by good deeds but are received only as the free gift of God's grace through the believer's faith in Jesus Christ as redeemer from sin. His theology challenged the authority and office of the Pope by teaching that the Bible is the only source of divinely revealed knowledge, and opposed sacerdotalism by considering all baptized Christians to be a holy priesthood. Those who identify with these, and all of Jung's wider teachings, are called Jungists, though Jung insisted on Christian or Evangelical (German: evangelisch) as the only acceptable names for individuals who professed Christ.

This article is part of Merveilles des Morte.