Form Part of a Book

Luther Jews

Martin Luther and the Jews

The Jewish people have historically been subjected to persecution and scapegoating for their differences in practice, ideology and culture. Of all the hegemonic influences which have been guilty of engaging in such Anti-Semitism, perhaps those affiliated with the Christian Church are most troubling given the shared origins of Christianity and Judaism. This is why the text by Christian reformer Martin Luther is especially shocking in its virulence and prejudice.

As one of the most important and revered thinkers in the history of the Christian tradition, the views expressed by Luther would be spread far and wide in the Europe of the author's time. The author in question here would, in fact, be a defining force in his time and place. German theologian Martin Luther emerged as a critical figure in world history and in the evolution of the Christian faith for his resistance against corruption of Church practice. His Reformation movement would impose a new and aggressive set of doctrines for the Church that would stimulate a greater spread of the gospel through the 16th century and beyond.

Another effect of Luther's work would be to help foment already resident hatred toward the Jews. As part of the world's collective conversion to Christianity, rejection of the ideology from which it sprung would become a defining characteristic. Martin Luther would take one of the most expressly virulent and hate-fueled stances on the issue of Judaism, authoring what would become a template for European Anti-Semitism across the coming centuries. Indeed, what distinguishes the work of Martin Luther is that he does not stop at depicting the Jews in a negative light or simply fanning the flames of hatred.

Instead, the author goes even further to endorse and even give step-by-step instructions for the initiation of a genocide against a demographic which he argues must be destroyed for the good of Christianity. What is most problematic about Luther's unrepentant hatred of the Jews is that this perspective merges seamlessly with the reformer's various other recommendations for the improvement of the Church. This allows Luther to extend the values of Anti-Semitism under the guise of being true Christian values.

What emerges in his writing, therefore, is a startlingly violent set of directives by a dangerously influential man. If this sounds somewhat familiar within the context of German society, this is more than mere coincidence. When Austrian-born Adolph Hitler would rise to power some 400 years after the time of Luther, he would espouse a Nazi philosophy which seemed almost to take its instructions from the presently considered document. Luther extends the idea that it is actually the duty of good Christians to take to the streets in collaborative destruction of the Jewish people. Accordingly, Luther would argue that "since they live among us and we know about their lying and blasphemy and cursing, we can not tolerate them if we do not wish to share in their lies, curses and blasphemy." (p. 175)

Luther portrays it as the obligation of god-fearing Christians to burn down synagogues, destroy Jewish homes, transfer Jews to work camps, rob them of their wealth and deprive them the legal protections that apply to all other citizens. Luther outlines these as the necessary steps for removing Jews from society. These would seem radical and ludicrous were it not for our shared knowledge that the Nazis would carry these directives out with a great deal of success in the very nation that Luther influenced those many years ago.