Luther's Jews

A Journey into Anti-Semitism

Thomas Kaufmann

Facing up to the undeniable anti-semitism of one of the most important figures in European religious and cultural history - on the five hundredth anniversary of the Reformation which he started
The vexed and sometimes shocking story of Martin Luther's increasingly vitriolic attitudes towards the Jews over the course of his lifetime - set against the backdrop of a Europe in turmoil
Written by one of the world's leading authorities on the Reformation
Includes a final chapter reflecting on the baleful legacy of Luther's anti-semitism for German history in the centuries since

Luther's Jews

A Journey into Anti-Semitism

Thomas Kaufmann

Description

If there was one person who could be said to light the touch-paper for the epochal transformation of European religion and culture that we now call the Reformation, it was Martin Luther. And Luther and his followers were to play a central role in the Protestant world that was to emerge from the Reformation process, both in Germany and the wider world.

In all senses of the term, this religious pioneer was a huge figure in European history. Yet there is also the very uncomfortable but at the same time undeniable fact that he was an anti-semite. Written by one of the world's leading authorities on the Reformation, this is the vexed and sometimes shocking story of Martin Luther's increasingly vitriolic attitude towards the Jews over the course of his lifetime, set against the backdrop of a world in religious turmoil.

A final chapter then reflects on the extent to which the legacy of Luther's anti-semitism was to taint the Lutheran church over the following centuries. Scheduled for publication on the five hundredth anniversary of the Reformation's birth, in light of the subsequent course of German history it is a tale both sobering and ominous in equal measure.

Luther's Jews

A Journey into Anti-Semitism

Thomas Kaufmann

Introduction: 'Luther's Jews' - an unavoidable topic
1. Neighbours yet strangers - Jews on the fringes of Luther's world
2. The Church's Enemies - Luther's early theological position on the Jews
3. The Jews' Friend? Luther's 'Reformation' of Attitudes towards the Jews
4. Hopes disappointed, expectations fulfilled: The late 1520s and the 1530s
5. The Final Battle for the Bible: Luther's Vicious Writings
6. Mixed Responses: The History of the Reception of Luther's Attitude to the Jews from the 16th to the 20th Century
Conclusion: A Fallible Human Being
Sources and bibliography
Index

Luther's Jews

A Journey into Anti-Semitism

Thomas Kaufmann

Author Information

Thomas Kaufmann is Professor of Church History at University of Gottingen.

Contributors:

Thomas Kaufmann is Professor of Ecclesiastical History at the University of Göttingen and Chairman of the German Society for Reformation History. He has published numerous books on the theological, cultural, and social history of Christendom in the late Middle Ages and in the Early Modern period, and is one of the world's leading experts on Reformation history, with a particular focus on the Lutheran Reformation.

Luther's Jews

A Journey into Anti-Semitism

Thomas Kaufmann

Reviews and Awards

"This book is a remarkable and timely volume that is the result of the confluence of a number of important lines of inquiry in epistemology, philosophy of religion and theology. . . this text provides helpful standalone essays that can accompany units on standard issues within the theology curriculum. . . the constructive systematician will find in many of these essays valuable guidance regarding how to go about constructive work in a manner that is epistemically responsible. . . This volume excels as such a cardinal text and will be a required resource for any wishing to make a future contribution to theological topics that touch in any way on epistemic issues." --International Journal of Systematic Theology

"This marvelous book will be the standard work in the field. Kaufmann's ability to cover so much ground in such a short space and with such precision is remarkable. He is always careful to distinguish the demonstrable from the intriguingly possible, and when we simply do not know, he says so explicitly. For those scholars and students who are more interested in the afterlife of Luther's writings relating to the Jews than in the specifically sixteenth-century context of those writings, Kaufmann's final chapter on reception history will prove to be an indispensable resource."--Brooks Schramm, Antisemitism Studies

"By showing the depth of Luther's anti-Judaism, and his commitment to early-modern anti-Semitism, Kaufmann hopes to break the reverence Protestants have for Luther, for this has retarded their efforts to come to terms with their relationship to the Jews after the Holocaust (151). Kaufmann does not hold Luther directly responsible for the Holocaust, but he insists that he was a factor in helping to make it possible. Hence, the only way forward is to accept 'that we can no more put our faith blindly in Luther's theology than responsible 21st century adults would voluntarily place themselves in the hands of a 16th-century surgeon' (11)." -- Reading Religion

Luther's Jews

A Journey into Anti-Semitism

Thomas Kaufmann

From Our Blog

"The Church's Enemies" - an extract from Luther's Jews

Set against the backdrop of a Europe in turmoil, Thomas Kaufmann illustrates the vexed and sometimes shocking story of Martin Luther's increasingly venomous attitudes towards the Jews over the course of his lifetime. The following extract looks at Luther's early position on the Jews in both his writing and lectures.

Posted on March 29, 2017

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