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Luther's Conception of Territorial and National Loyalty

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 July 2009

Harold J. Grimm
Harold J. Grimm
Affiliation:
The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
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Extract

The Luther renaissance of our century was in large part a consequence of the determination of German scholars to find an explanation for the debacle of their nation following the First World War. For this reason the attitude of the first truly German genius of modern times toward the German territorial states and the Holy Roman Empire has been a matter of primary concern. This concern was intensified by the resurgence of German nationalism under the totalitarianism of the National Socialists who set about to interpret the life and work of every important historical figure of Germany in the light of the new national faith. German scholars will again study Luther's writings for the purpose of finding hope and inspiration after the catastrophic consequences of the Second World War is already indicated by the frequent references to the importance of religion in Germany's historical evolution.

Type
Research Article
Information
Church History , Volume 17 , Issue 2 , June 1948 , pp. 79 - 94
Copyright
Copyright © American Society of Church History 1948

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References

1 Cf. Meineeke, Friedrich, Die deutsche Katastrophe (Zürich and Wiesbaden, 1946), especially 151–177.Google Scholar

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42 Ibid., I, 904; III, 3636.

43 Ibid., VI, 7044.

44 Ibid., IV, 4018.

45 Ibid., I, 904; V, 6310, 6145; VI, 7043, 7054.

46 Ibid., IV, 4011, 4803; VI, 6546.

47 Ibid., IV, 4018; V, 6146.

48 Ibid., IV, 4380; cf. 4342.

49 Ibid., III, 3687.

50 Cf. Thiel, Rudolf, Luther, II, especially pp. 347–348,Google Scholar who interprets Luther's desire for a hero as a desire for a Führer in the National Socialist sense and states that he, as a German, “taught his people respect for the great leaders (Führer) whom fate has chosen.”

51 Tischreden (Weimar ed.), III, 3562, 3636; V, 5735, 5982.Google Scholar

52 Ibid., VI, 6955.

53 Ibid., V, 5540.

54 Ibid., V, 6118.