The Great 🇮🇱 Noticing ✡️ Continues

The Great 🇮🇱 Noticing ✡️ Continues

Martin Luther’s view of jews changed drastically over time. Early in his reform movement, he hoped that jews would convert to Christianity once it was freed from Catholic corruption. But by the 1540s, after seeing that they had not accepted his message, his attitude turned fiercely hostile. He came to see jews not only as nonbelievers but as enemies of the Gospel, believing their religious texts, especially the Talmud, insulted Christ and undermined Christian faith. His disillusionment transformed into anger, which he expressed in increasingly severe terms.

In 1543, Luther published "On the jews and Their Lies", a long and aggressive denunciation. He accused jews of deceit, greed, and of corrupting Scripture, claiming their synagogues and schools spread blasphemy. He called on Christian rulers to burn synagogues, confiscate jewish books, ban rabbis from teaching, and expel jews from their lands. He argued that these harsh measures were necessary to protect Christian society and faith from what he saw as jewish hostility.

Luther’s writings carried enormous weight in Protestant Europe. His authority gave legitimacy to deep-seated prejudices, fueling discrimination and persecution for centuries. What began as a theological dispute grew into a lasting pattern of hostility that shaped European attitudes toward jews long after his death. His fierce conviction in defending what he believed to be divine truth shows both the passion and the peril of his reforming spirit — a legacy that profoundly altered religious and social history.