The flush heard 'round the world.

Was Martin Luther in the loo when he wrote the 95 Theses that kicked off the Protestant Reformation? Believe it or not, the answer to that question has been swirling up a bit of a controversy among Luther scholars lately.

German archaelogists recently uncovered a toilet in the remains of a previously undiscovered annex to Luther's house. It is said to be "very advanced for its time," according to The Daily Telegraph (London), and included a primitive drain and floor-heating system.

Professor Stefan Rhein, director of the Luther Memorial Foundation, told the Telegraph he believes Luther was sitting precisely on this pot when he crafted one of the biggest movements in modern history, citing Luther's frequent talk of constipation and a reference to writing the Theses in cloaca (Latin for "sewer").

But Martin E. Marty, professor emeritus at the University of Chicago Divinity School and author of the biography Martin Luther (Viking), says it ain't so, and that while "digestive matters were on Luther's mind and in his intestines, ... writing had to be done with inkwells and inkstands and desks."

Marty says Luther may have found his inspiration to write the Theses while answering to the second highest power, but the documents were clearly scribed elsewhere.

Meanwhile, the discovery is inspiring all sorts of cheap toilet humor at the expense of the world's most famous reformer. (Really, it's sick. Who would squat so low?) German late-night talk show host Anke Engelke quipped that Luther's 95 Theses "were originally supposed to be 100, but he ran out of paper."