Martin Luther and Jews
I have read the WELS response to the question of Martin Luther's anti-Semitism. I have also read about his anti-Semitism on Wikipedia. I do think that Wikipedia did a fair treatment of the subject without adding their own opinion. I have not read the book, "On the Jews and Their Lies," but have read some of the passages online and was surprised by Luther's inflammatory rhetoric. He was not "anti-Judaism" as you have suggested, but truly anti-Semitic. The surprising aspect of his harsh feelings about the Jews are that those feelings came late in his life. His aforementioned book was published three years before his death. An even more disturbing aspect is that the Nazis used his book to justify their "final solution." So, my question is this: how many Lutherans know that he was virulently anti-Semitic? (And, if you disagree with "virulently anti-Semitic," read his book.) Thanks for taking my question.
The starting point in my response is that Martin Luther is not the foundation of our faith. Our doctrine or practice has not resulted from any of Martin Luther’s writings. We certainly do not rubber-stamp everything he wrote. What we do is recognize that Luther was a highly gifted individual whom God used at a critical time in history to restore the truths of his word. Scripture alone, which points to Jesus Christ as Savior, is the foundation of our faith (Ephesians 2:20).
While Luther expressed some views toward Jews that we cannot condone, his position cannot be described as “virulently anti-Semitic” or even “anti-Semitic” as the term is defined and understood today. Luther did not speak out against Jews simply because they were Jews. Luther wrote some harsh words because of the Jews’ rejection of Jesus Christ as the promised Messiah (just as he wrote harsh words against others who were opposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ). As he did so, he included these words in his Preface to the work you cited: “We must indeed with prayer and the fear of God before our eyes exercise a keen compassion towards them [the Jews] and seek to save some of them from the flames. Avenge ourselves we dare not.”
The supposed connection between Luther’s writings and the “final solution” is addressed and dismantled by Uwe Siemon-Netto in his book: The Fabricated Luther: Refuting Nazi Connections and Modern Myths. I commend that book for your reading.
In this 500th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation, Martin Luther is obviously going to receive attention, but we do well to keep him in perspective. Our gracious God deserves our greatest attention—and praise. To him alone be glory.