Luther's Antisemitism in Historical Context: A Necessary Discussion for Christian Educators

Abstract

Martin Luther remains a complex, contradictory figure whose impact on modern Western history cannot be overstated. Among the most controversial aspects of Luther's work is his ambivalent perspective of the Jews. The early Luther viewed the Jews warmly, depicting them as Christianity's historical and religious ancestors. Later, however, he unleashed vitriolic antisemitic statements that called for the isolation and eventual exclusion of the Jews from German society. This paper sets Luther's antisemitism in historical context, proposing that educators in Christian settings should include the study of this aspect of Luther's work as they present curricula in various courses of study.

Notes

¹The word antisemitism was not coined until the 1870s. Thus, some writers argue that the word should not be used to discus events prior to that time, opting instead to use the term anti-Judaism. To promote consistency, the term antisemitism is used throughout this article.

²The spelling of the word antisemitism is problematic. Various sources spell the word as anti-semitism, Anti-semitism, anti-Semitism, and antisemitism. In this discussion, the last term will be used except when quoting sources that use alternate spellings. See Bergen (2009, p. 4) for a rationale discussing the use of this spelling.

³East German historians, political scientists, and propagandists made convenient use of Luther in creating a political modus operandi for East Germany. Given the GDR's anti-religious structure, it is noteworthy that the regime's historians acknowledged the critical importance of a person whose role was primarily religious in nature.

⁴That the Nazis propagandized Luther's legacy was predictable. Connecting Luther to a broad variety of German social and political issues began during his lifetime and continues today.

⁵The matter of what the general German population desired is, of course, a matter of considerable controversy as witnessed by the fierce debate regarding Goldhagen's Hitler's Willing Executioneers.

⁶Some authors combine economic and political antisemitism, labeling them collectively as cultural antisemitism.

⁷Many early and medieval church policies correlate closely with laws enacted in Nazi Germany. For a representative list of these policies, see Hilberg (1985, pp. 10–11).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

David H. Lindquist

David H. Lindquist is Coordinator, Undergraduate Secondary Education Program and Co-Director, Institute for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, in the School of Education at Indiana University Purdue University–Fort Wayne.