Demonizing the Jews

Christopher J. Probst

Description

The use of Luther's writings to reinforce antisemitism and anti-Judaism

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This innovative new work demonstrates that a significant minority of pastors, bishops, and theologians of varying theological and church-political persuasions utilized Martin Luther's writings about Jews and Judaism with considerable effectiveness to reinforce the anti-Semitism and anti-Judaism already present in substantial degrees among Protestants in Nazi Germany.

Scholarship on Nazi Germany and the Holocaust has typically viewed anti-Semitism as a modern, racially-based phenomenon. Anti-Judaism, on the other hand, has regularly been regarded as a pre-modern, religiously-based hatred of Jews. In this book, Christopher J. Probst, demonstrates that anti-Semitism pre-dates the modern era and anti-Judaism survived into and flourished during the Nazi era.

Following historian Gavin Langmuir, Probst argues that the traditional distinction between anti-Judaism as "theological" hostility and anti-Semitism as "racial" animus is not empirically demonstrable and thus should be abandoned. Instead, it is irrational thought that characterizes anti-Semitism; nonrational (symbolic) thought, the kind found in art and affirmations of belief, characterizes anti-Judaism. This schema helps us to comprehend with greater clarity how the nature of theological discourse shaped German Protestant approaches to the "Jewish Question."

The carefully situated case studies presented in the book demonstrate that a significant minority of pastors, bishops, and theologians of varying theological and church-political persuasions utilized Luther's writings about Jews and Judaism with considerable effectiveness to reinforce the cultural anti-Semitism and anti-Judaism already present in significant degrees among Protestants in Nazi Germany.

With material from Luther's writings forming an important part of their intellectual arsenal, many German Protestant theologians and clergy seized upon old ideas and overlaid them with more up-to-date connotations. Such anti-Semitism and anti-Judaism thus circulated widely through the largest theological confession in Germany. Thousands had access to such potent literature, much of which contained material that resembled Nazi ideology aimed at dehumanizing Jews, who died by the millions in Hitler's Third Reich.

List of Abbreviations
Introduction
1. Protestantism in Nazi Germany
2. "Luther and the Jews"
3. Confessing Church and German Christian Academic Theologians
4. Confessing Church Pastors
5. German Christian Pastors and Bishops
6. Pastors and Theologians from the Unaffiliated Protestant "Middle"
Conclusion
Bibliography

Sujets

• Religion
• Christianisme
• Protestant
• 20th Century
• Modern
• Holocaust
• HISTORY
• Philosophie et théologie
• Religión
• Protestantism
• The Holocaust
• Political science of religion
• Modern history
• Freedom of religion
• Christianity
• Obermodern-Zutzendorf
• Holocauste
• Protestantisme

Informations

• Publié par: Indiana University Press
• Date de parution: 08 juin 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780253001023
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

DEMONIZING THE JEWS
DEMONIZING THE JEWS
Luther and the Protestant Church in Nazi Germany
Christopher J. Probst
PUBLISHED IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM
INDIANA UNIVERSITY PRESS
Bloomington Indianapolis
Published in association with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
The assertions, arguments, and conclusions contained herein are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council or the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
This book is a publication of Indiana University Press
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Bloomington, Indiana 47404-3797 USA
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2012 by Christopher J. Probst
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. The Association of American University Presses Resolution on Permissions constitutes the only exception to this prohibition.
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences-Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1992.
Manufactured in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Probst, Christopher J., [date]
Demonizing the Jews : Luther and the Protestant church in Nazi Germany / Christopher J. Probst.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.
ISBN 978-0-253-00098-9 (cloth : alk. paper) - ISBN 978-0-253-00100-9 (pbk. : alk. paper) - ISBN 978-0-253-00102-3 (e-book) 1. Churh and state-Germany-History-1933-1945. 2. Bekennende Kirche-History. 3. Christianity and antisemitism. 4. Protestant churches-Germany-History-20th century. 5. Germany-Church history. 6. Luther, Martin, 1483-1546.
I. Title.
BX4844.P743 2012
261.2 6094309043-dc23
2011049610
1 2 3 4 5 17 16 15 14 13 12
Lovingly dedicated to the memory of my grandmother Esther Goldstein who passed from this life to the next in June 2006
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
List of Abbreviations

Introduction
1 Protestantism in Nazi Germany
2 Luther and the Jews
3 Confessing Church and German Christian Academic Theologians
4 Confessing Church Pastors
5 German Christian Pastors and Bishops
6 Pastors and Theologians from the Unaffiliated Protestant Middle
Conclusion

Notes
Bibliography
Index
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book would have never been completed without the assistance of many friends, colleagues, and institutions. It gives me great pleasure to express my gratitude to them here. I extend my thanks first of all to Dan Stone. His constant guidance, patience, and good humor were invaluable in the early stages of the study from which this book grew. He has become both mentor and friend.
I would not have been able to finance the research required for the book without the generosity of Gabriel Pretus and the Friendly Hand Charitable Foundation, which awarded me the St. Th r se of Lisieux Ph.D. Scholarship, and Royal Holloway, University of London, which awarded me a research studentship. My aunt, Catherine Sinclair, and my wife s aunt, Peggy Hall, exhibited abundant generosity, as did many friends too numerous to list but without whose support we could not have continued. To them, to my parents, to my wife s parents, and to our families, I offer my deepest gratitude.
This book was made possible in part by funds granted to the author through a Charles H. Revson Foundation Fellowship at the Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The statements made and views expressed, however, are solely the responsibility of the author. I am also grateful to the Emerging Scholars Publication Program at the Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies for its support in the preparation of the manuscript and of the book proposal. In particular, Steven Feldman gave helpful advice over many cups of coffee. I enjoyed my time as a Fellow at the Center immensely. I am grateful to staff there, especially Benton Arnovitz, Victoria Barnett, Suzanne Brown-Fleming, Robert Ehrenreich, Steven Feldman, Nicole Frechette, Michael Gelb, Dieter Kuntz, J rgen Matth us, Claire Rosenson, Traci Rucker, Joe White, and Lisa Yavnai, and to colleagues who were Fellows with me there.
I offer heartfelt appreciation to my friend and mentor Frank James, for recognizing and believing in my abilities. Thanks to Eckart Conze, Tanja Hetzer, Jochen-Christoph Kaiser, Roland L ffler, Wencke Meteling, and Antje Robrecht for their helpful feedback and warm hospitality during my travels in Germany. I am grateful to members of the faculty and staff of the history department at Royal Holloway. My advisor Rudolf Muhs has been especially helpful and supportive, offering numerous suggestions for reading and ideas for consideration. Jonathan Harris and Marie-Christine Ockenden provided continual assistance with practical matters.
My thanks are due to many skilled and obliging archivists and librarians: Michael H usler, Johannes R hm, and Birgit Spatz-Straube at the Archiv des Diakonischen Werkes der EKD in Berlin, Sona Eypper and Christiane Mokro at the Evangelisches Zentralarchiv in Berlin, Katharina Schaal and the kind and attentive staff at the Archiv der Philipps-Universit t Marburg of the Hessisches Staatsarchiv Marburg, the helpful staff of the Theological Faculty Library at Humboldt Universit t in Berlin, Hans-G nther Kessler at the Landeskirchenarchiv der Ev.-Lutherischen Kirche in Th ringen (Eisenach), Karin K hler at the Landeskirchliches Archiv Berlin-Brandenburg, J rgen K nig at the Landeskirchliches Archiv der Evangelisch-Lutherischen Kirche in Bayern, Michlean Amir, Ron Coleman, and Vincent Slatt at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Margit Hartleb and Rita Seifert at the Universit tsarchiv Jena, and Howard Falksohn and the helpful staff at the Wiener Library in London. For photographs, I would like to thank Judy Cohen, Gotthard Jasper, J rgen K nig, and Caroline Waddell.
Many friends, colleagues, and scholars read drafts of chapters, offering helpful critiques and suggestions, including Rachel Anderson, Steve Cavallaro, David Cesarani, Christopher Clark, John Conway, Steven Feldman, Mary Fulbrook, Matthew Hockenos, Kyle Jantzen, Hartmut Lehmann, Rudolf Muhs, and Dan Stone. Others offered valuable feedback on conference papers drawn from chapter drafts or offered their insights in less formal settings. These include Victoria Barnett, Doris Bergen, Michael Berkowitz, Donald Bloxham, Christopher Browning, Eckart Conze, Martin Dean, Bob Ericksen, Susannah Heschel, Tanja Hetzer, J rgen Matth us, Kevin Spicer, Eric Steinhart, and Shulamit Volkov.
I have appreciated the skillful and helpful staff at Indiana University Press, including my editor Bob Sloan, copyeditor Joyce Rappaport, and project manager June Silay, as well as Rhonda Van der Dussen and Sarah Wyatt Swanson. Two anonymous readers provided invaluable feedback on the manuscript.
To our many dear friends in Orlando, London, and northern Virginia, who provided meals, breaks, and immeasurable friendship and moral support to my wife and me over these past eight years, I am deeply grateful. I am also appreciative of the advice and camaraderie of my colleagues and mentors at Howard Community College and University of Maryland University College, including Hanael Bianchi, Bob Bromber, Jerry Casway, Lisa Beth Hill, Dawn Malmberg, Margaret Wedde, and Joe White.
Last and most of all, I owe my deepest debt to my dear wife Rachel. She painstakingly combed through the manuscript at every stage of its production; even more importantly, she offered constant encouragement throughout the process of completing the book. Without her willing sacrifice and unending kindness, none of this would have been possible. Proverbs 18:22.
ABBREVIATIONS
AC
Apologetische Centrale, or Apologetics Center
ADW
Archiv des Diakonischen Werkes der EKD
BBK
Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon
BDM
Bund Deutscher M del, or League of German Girls
BK
Bekennende Kirche, or Confessing Church
DC
Deutsche Christen, or German Christians
DDP
Deutsche Demokratische Partei, or German Democratic Party
EZA
Evangelisches Zentralarchiv Berlin
HStAM
Hessisches Staatsarchiv Marburg
Kd.
Kamerad, or comrade
LKA BB
Landeskirchliches Archiv Berlin-Brandenburg
LKA Eisenach
Landeskirchenarchiv der Ev.-Lutherischen Kirche in Th ringen
LKA Nuremberg
Landeskirchliches Archiv der Evangelisch-Lutherischen Kirche in Bayern
LW
Luther s Works
NSDAP
Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, or National Socialist German Workers Party (Nazi Party)
NS-Frauenschaft
National Socialist Women s Organization
OMGUS
Office of Military Government, United States
P.Z.
Preu ische Zeitung, or Prussian Newspaper
RGG 4
Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart, 4th Edition
SA
Sturmabteilung, or Storm Troopers
SD
Sicherheitsdienst, or Security Service
Sopade
Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, or Social Democratic Party of Germany
SS
Schutzstaffel
UAJ
Universit tsarchiv Jena
USHMM
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
VKL
Vorl ufige Kirchenleitung, or Provisional Church Leadership of the German Protestant Church
WA
Weimarer Ausgabe (the Weimar Edition of Luther s Works)
DEMONIZING THE JEWS
INTRODUCTION
What shall we Christians do now with this rejected, cursed people, the Jews?
-Martin Luther, On the Jews and Their Lies
. . . it is the inexorable Jew who struggles for his domination over the nations. No nation can remove this hand from its throat except by the sword.
-Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf
On January 10, 1934, German Protestant pastor Heinrich Fausel gave a lecture titled Die Judenfrage (The Jewish