Learning For Life: Reformation 500 Review of Oct. 22: Allegations of Antisemitism On the Jews and Their Lies (1543)
Allegations of Antisemitism The book called Christians to seven actions: 1. to set fire to Jewish synagogues and schools; 2. to refuse to let Jews own houses among Christians; in fact, to raze and destroy their houses; 3. to confiscate Jewish religious literature like prayer books and Talmudic writings because they teach idolatry, lies, cursing and blasphemy; 4. to forbid rabbis from preaching on pain of life and limb; 5. to offer no protection to Jews on highways; 6. to prohibit usury and for all silver and gold to be removed, put aside for safekeeping, and given back to Jews who truly convert; and 7. to give young, strong Jews flail, axe, spade, and spindle, and let them earn their bread in the sweat of their brow. "Luther was not content with verbal abuse. Even before he wrote his anti-semitic pamphlet, he got Jews expelled from Saxony in 1537, and in the 1540s he drove them from many German towns; he tried unsuccessfully to get the elector to expel them from Brandenburg in 1543 (Paul Johnson).
Why the Change in Luther s View of Jews? Nobody knows for sure. Early as a young reformer, resisting and suffering under Papal and Roman Catholic power and doctrine, Luther had a natural ally in the Jews whose plight he could identify with, but--some scholars argue--when it became clear Jews would not convert, Luther became convinced that the Jewish community was increasingly viewing him as the enemy, perhaps even to the point they were trying to poison him. Renowned theologian Roland Bainton argues Luther s extreme views were theologically motivated and not cultural; that is, that Luther's attacks on Jews were part and parcel of his continuing theological struggles with the Catholic Church. Feeling salvation was at stake, his main fury toward Jews was over their rejection of Jesus as the messiah. After all, he had used equally vitriolic wording in his opposition of Catholicism in works like Against the Evil Bull of the Antichrist.
Why the Change in Luther s View of Jews? Reformation expert, Harold Grimm states, Luther had hoped that, because the worst abuses in the church had been eliminated by the Reformation, many Jews would be won over to Christianity. As he grew older, he became exceedingly impatient with those rabbis who would not accept his belief that the Old Testament pointed unmistakably not only to the coming of Jesus but to the virgin birth, and who could not see that the destruction of Jerusalem and the fifteen hundred years of wandering of the Jews without a kingdom was God s punishment for their unbelief.it must be noted, [therefore], that his enmity had been provoked for religious, not racial, reasons, for he still hoped that some Jews at least would be convinced by the gospel (The Reformation Era).
Other Contextual Considerations An almost fatal gallstone attack in 1537. The death of his daughter Magdalene in 1542. The increasingly worldly preoccupations of the people and leaders of Wittenberg. Contemporary Church Reaction In 1994, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America rejected the violent recommendations of his later writings against the Jews. The ELCIC followed suit in 1995. In November of 2016, the Lutheran Church in Germany issued a statement condemning Luther s anti-semitism and acknowledging, the part played by the Reformation tradition in the painful history between Christians and Jews. The state Lutheran churches of Norway and the Netherlands have since made similar declarations.
The Ninety-Five Theses or Disputation on the Power of Indulgences The 1517 Nuremberg Printing
The Ninety-Five Theses: The Reformation Officially Begins Many factors incited Luther to write the Ninety-Five Theses, but one of the chief was the selling of indulgences by Johann Tetzel, a Dominican priest, commissioned by the Archbishop of Mainz and Pope Leo X. The purpose of this fundraising campaign was to finance the building of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Even though Luther's prince, Frederick the Wise, and the prince of the neighboring territory, George, Duke of Saxony, forbade the sale in their lands, Luther's parishioners traveled to purchase them. When these people came to confession, they presented the plenary indulgence, claiming they no longer had to repent of their sins, since the document promised to forgive all their sins. As he often did, Luther responded through his sermons and his writings. The Ninety-Five Theses were composed throughout summer and early fall of 1517. Originally written in Latin (demonstrating Luther was not seeking to arouse the public), they were intended as an invitation to debate the teachings of the Catholic Church, especially about penance, and the theology of indulgences.
The Ninety-Five Theses: The Reformation Officially Begins Interestingly, Luther initially claimed that his position on indulgences largely harmonized with those of the pope. For example, Thesis 73 states, " the pope justly thunders against those who by any means whatsoever contrive harm to the sale of indulgences." Luther s real objection was to the abuse of indulgences, especially under the salesmanship of Johann Tetzel. Luther posted the Theses October 31, 1517, or All Saints Eve. Whether or not he actually nailed them to the church door is open to conjecture, but what is clear is that he sent the Theses enclosed with a letter to Albert of Brandenburg, the Archbishop of Mainz, on 31 October 1517, who then forwarded the Theses to Rome as he suspected Luther of heresy. However, Pope Leo X didn t react much initially, considering the dispute a monastic squabble between the Augustinian and Dominican Orders. Only once the sale of indulgences started to dry up did he intervene and exert pressure.
The Ninety-Five Theses: The Reformation Officially Begins The Theses gained almost immediate attention, were quickly translated into German, widely copied and printed. Within two weeks they had spread throughout Germany, and within two months throughout Europe. This was one of the first events in history that was profoundly affected by the printing press. Because of the public outcry, the debate never happened. Within two months, Johann Tetzel responded: "Christians should be taught that the Pope, by authority of his jurisdiction, is superior to the entire Catholic Church and its councils, and that they should humbly obey his statutes."
The Ninety-Five Theses: The Reformation Officially Begins Luther s Theses are often considered a charter, a courageous declaration of independence for the Protestant church. They also are often described as the spark that set ablaze the extant social and political tinder of 16 th Century Europe. However, the tone of the Theses, especially when compared to his other writings against the Roman Catholic church, is quite restrained and academic in nature. They question more than they accuse, especially challenging the limits of papal authority.
The Ninety-Five Theses: The Document The preamble to the Theses reads: Out of love for the truth and from desire to elucidate it, the Reverend Father Martin Luther, Master of Arts and Sacred Theology, and ordinary lecturer therein at Wittenberg, intends to defend the following statements and to dispute on them in that place. Therefore, he asks that those who cannot be present and dispute with him orally shall do so in their absence by letter. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen. The first two theses present the central theological claim that provides context for the remaining theses, namely that God intended believers to seek repentance and that faith alone, and not deeds, would lead to salvation: 1. When our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, says "Repent ye," etc., he means that the entire life of the faithful should be a repentance. 2. This statement cannot be understood of the sacrament of penance, i.e., of confession and satisfaction, which is administered by the priesthood.
The Ninety-Five Theses: The Document Key Points: There is no such thing as a treasury of merits (good works done by Jesus and others that benefit other people). The only true treasure is the holy gospel of the glory and grace of God. Luther is pointedly critical of the Pope for not granting indulgences gratis, and for bilking the poor of their money to rebuild St Peter s instead of using his own immense wealth. The Theses distinguished between repentance (the attitude of contrition) and penance (the sacramental act of the Catholic church). The truly penitent sinner acknowledges sin with humility and faith rather than purchasing indulgences to avoid punishment. Contrition is required for forgiveness, not indulgences. Nothing definitive can be said about the spiritual state of those in purgatory. Luther closes the Theses calling Christians to imitate Christ even if it brings suffering. Enduring punishment and entering heaven is preferable to the false security of indulgences.