Martin Luther and the Reformation

doi:10.1017/9781108637725.019

15 - Martin Luther and the Reformation

from Part III - The Modern Era

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 May 2022

Debra Kaplan

Edited by

Steven Katz

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Steven Katz: Affiliation:
Boston University

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Summary

Martin Luther’s infamous writings against the Jews are brought into focus, examining both their impact from the 16th through the 20th centuries and the different scholarly approaches toward interpreting them. Luther’s treatises are placed into the historical context in which they were written, and the significance of the response to his writings by his Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish contemporaries is highlighted.

Keywords

Luther Reformation Jews antisemitism

Type: Chapter
Information: The Cambridge Companion to Antisemitism , pp. 273 - 290

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108637725.019 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2022

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References

Bell, D. P., and Burnett, S. G., eds., Jews, Judaism, and the Reformation in Sixteenth Century Germany (Leiden, 2006). An anthology comprising a wide range of scholarship about Jews and Christians during the Reformation, including articles about specific reformers, Jewish life, and Christian–Jewish polemics during the Reformation.CrossRef Google Scholar

Ben-Sasson, Ḥ. H., “The Reformation in Contemporary Jewish Eyes,” Proceedings of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities 4.12 (1971), 239–326. Ben-Sasson discusses Jewish reactions to the Reformation from the Ottoman Empire to the Holy Roman Empire. He includes the theological and messianic interest that the Reformation sparked among some Jewish thinkers as well as the conservative approach of Jews residing in German lands.Google Scholar

Burnett, S. G., “Jews and Judaism,” in Luther in Context, ed. Whitford, D. M. (Cambridge, 2018), 179–86. A brief and useful overview of Jews in Germany during Luther’s lifetime, and a discussion of Luther and the Jews.Google Scholar

Edwards, M. U., Luther’s Last Battles: Politics and Polemics, 1531–46 (Ithaca, NY, 1982). Edwards analyzes Luther’s works over the last years of his life, arguing that his writings in his later years were increasingly hostile toward Jews and others, providing a wider context to the issue of Luther’s antisemitism.Google Scholar

Gershon, ben J., Fraenkel-Goldschmidt, Ch., and Shear, A., eds., The Historical Writings of Joseph of Rosheim: Leader of Jewry in Early Modern Germany (Leiden, 2006). An English translation of Josel of Rosheim’s writings, including sources and an excellent introduction to Josel’s interactions with Luther and other Protestant figures.Google Scholar

Hsia, R. P., and Lehmann, H., eds., In and Out of the Ghetto: Jewish-Gentile Relations in Late Medieval and Early Modern Germany (Cambridge, 2002). An anthology of Jewish–Christian relations in Germany, including in the Reformation period. Provides important examples of such interactions from the perspective of intellectual and social history.Google Scholar

Kaplan, D., Beyond Expulsion: Jews, Christians, and Reformation Strasbourg (Stanford, CA, 2011). A case study of Jewish–Christian relations in Strasbourg, a Protestant city from which Jews were expelled. Kaplan argues that Jews were very much a fabric of early modern European life and that they influenced and were impacted by the Protestant Reformation.Google Scholar

Kaufmann, T., Luther’s Jews: A Journey into Anti-Semitism, trans. Lesley Sharpe and Jeremy Noakes (Oxford, 2017). Kaufmann discusses the development of Luther’s attitudes toward the Jews, arguing that they firmly reflected attitudes held by his contemporaries in the 16th century. He also traces the reception of Luther’s antisemitic writings into the 20th century, arguing that how a book was received is an undeniable part of its legacy.Google Scholar

Oberman, H. A., The Roots of Antisemitism in the Age of Renaissance and Reformation (Philadelphia, 1984). Oberman traces the development of antisemitism in the 16th century, examining Erasmus, Reuchlin, and Luther. He highlights the influence of Luther’s apocalyptic thinking on his antisemitic writings.Google Scholar

Schramm, B., and Stjerna, K. I., Martin Luther, the Bible, and the Jewish People (Minneapolis, MN, 2012). An anthology of Luther’s texts about Jews and the Old Testament presenting Luther’s theology and Jews’ place in his biblical exegesis and teachings. The introduction provides vital context for understanding Luther and the Jews.Google Scholar

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15 - Martin Luther and the Reformation

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