Book contents
- The Cambridge Companion to Antisemitism
- Cambridge Companions to Religion
- The Cambridge Companion to Antisemitism
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Part I The Classical Period
- Part II Medieval Times
- Part III The Modern Era
- 15 Martin Luther and the Reformation
- 16 The Enlightenment and Its Negative Consequences
- 17 Modern Antisemitism in Western Europe
- 18 Antisemitism in Late Imperial Russia and Eastern Europe through 1920
- 19 Marxism, Socialism, and Antisemitism
- 20A Antisemitism in Modern Literature and Theater
- 20B Antisemitism in Modern Literature and Theater
- 20C Antisemitism in Modern Literature and Theater
- 21 Antisemitism in America, 1654–2020
- 22 Antisemitism in the Weimar Republic and the Third Reich
- 23 New Islamic Antisemitism, Mid-19th to the 21st Century
- 24 Anti-Zionism as Antisemitism
- 25 New Issues
- 26 Antisemitism in Social Media and on the Web
- 27 Theories on the Causes of Antisemitism
- Appendix The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance: Working Definition of Antisemitism
- Index
- Cambridge Companions to Religion
- References
15 - Martin Luther and the Reformation
from Part III - The Modern Era
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 May 2022
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Edited by
Book contents
- The Cambridge Companion to Antisemitism
- Cambridge Companions to Religion
- The Cambridge Companion to Antisemitism
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Part I The Classical Period
- Part II Medieval Times
- Part III The Modern Era
- 15 Martin Luther and the Reformation
- 16 The Enlightenment and Its Negative Consequences
- 17 Modern Antisemitism in Western Europe
- 18 Antisemitism in Late Imperial Russia and Eastern Europe through 1920
- 19 Marxism, Socialism, and Antisemitism
- 20A Antisemitism in Modern Literature and Theater
- 20B Antisemitism in Modern Literature and Theater
- 20C Antisemitism in Modern Literature and Theater
- 21 Antisemitism in America, 1654–2020
- 22 Antisemitism in the Weimar Republic and the Third Reich
- 23 New Islamic Antisemitism, Mid-19th to the 21st Century
- 24 Anti-Zionism as Antisemitism
- 25 New Issues
- 26 Antisemitism in Social Media and on the Web
- 27 Theories on the Causes of Antisemitism
- Appendix The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance: Working Definition of Antisemitism
- Index
- Cambridge Companions to Religion
- References
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.
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- The Cambridge Companion to Antisemitism , pp. 273 - 290Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2022
References
Further Reading
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.CrossRefGoogle 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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