WAS MARTIN LUTHER ANTI-SEMITIC?

In the early days of the Reformation, Luther was very friendly toward the Jewish people and he maintained personal friendships with Jews throughout his life. He had hoped that Jews would respond en masse to the rediscovered gospel message of the Reformation.

In 1523 Luther wrote a book entitled, That Jesus Christ Was Born a Jew, in which he attempted to win Jews to Christ, and in that context, he also advocated humane treatment for them in the face of widespread anti-Semitism throughout Europe. He reminded Christians that Jesus Christ was born a Jew and that “we in turn ought to treat the Jews in a brotherly fashion.” He also stated that he admired—indeed, loved—the Jewish people.

Luther reported on one occasion that three rabbis visited him because they had heard of his interest in the Hebrew language and hoped to reach an agreement with him. However, they rejected Luther’s argument that the messianic prophecies of the Old Testament point to Jesus Christ.

Nonetheless, because Jews were forbidden to travel in that part of Germany, Luther gave them a letter of introduction in which he asked, “for Christ’s sake,” that they be granted free passage. Because of his mention of Christ, they refrained from using the letter.

Luther continued to support his Jewish friend, Bernard, when he fell on hard times in 1531 and had to leave his family because of his debt. Luther and Melanchthon each cared for one of his children and continued this support for many years. Even though it posed a financial hardship for him, Luther said he did it because “he felt obligated to do good to Bernard as a member of the Jewish church.” Bernard also served as a messenger for Luther on numerous occasions.

To another Jewish friend, Luther argued that the gospel had to be of God; for how else could it be explained that Gentiles, who hate Jews, worship a Jewish king, much less a crucified one. 

Luther was eventually attacked by Jewish writers who vilified him for his attempts to win them to Christ. His writings such as, That Jesus Christ Was Born a Jew, were maligned and held up to ridicule.

Luther’s response was, at first, mild. He replied, “For the sake of the crucified Jew, whom no one will take from me, I gladly wanted to do my best for you Jews, except that you abused my favor and hardened your hearts.”

Luther’s attitude toward the Jews obviously hardened as he entered more extensive dialogues/debates with Jewish rabbis on the Scriptures and the Messiah. Luther had hoped that, through these debates, the Jews would be won to faith in Christ.

Through these debates, however, Luther was exposed to writings that maligned Jesus and Christianity. He was horrified to read of Jesus being vilified as the illegitimate son of a whore and a cabalistic magician who was exposed for his trickery and put to death.

Having been taught from childhood to reverence and honor God and Jesus and Mary, he responded with both anger and fear. He wrote;

I am still praying daily and I duck under the shelter of the Son of God. I hold Him and honor Him as my Lord, to whom I must run and flee when the devil, sin or other misfortune threatens me, for He is my shelter, as wide as heaven and earth, and my mother hen under whom I crawl from God’s wrath. Therefore, I cannot have any fellowship or patience with obstinate blasphemers and those who defame this dear Savior.[i]

When he found the rabbis to be obstinate in their positions, he finally gave up any hope of the Jews coming to Christ en masse. And with them entertaining such blasphemous views of Christ, he gave up any hope of Christians and Jews being able to live together in harmony.

Although Luther should have responded in the spirit of the One he proclaimed (Who had prayed for His tormenters at the cross, “Father forgive them, they know not what they do”) he, instead, reacted with anger and fury and wrote a treatise entitled On the Jews and Their Lies. The word Lies in the title referred to the Jewish diatribes against Jesus, Mary, and the Triune God. The third section of this book contains the diatribes that he fulminated against the Jewish people.

Different reasons have been offered for Luther’s violent verbal attack on the Jews in which he called for their synagogues being burned and them being expelled from Germany. Some have pointed that this was just a few years before his death when he was dealing with various illnesses, including chronic constipation, dysentery, kidney stones, dizziness and bouts of depression. In this state, everything seemed to set him off.

Essentially, however, Luther related to the Jews the same way, and on the same basis, he did other groups with whom he disagreed. The rough, violent language he used against the Jews was the same sort of language he used against Anabaptists, Catholics, peasants, “Turks” and everyone he considered to be enemies of the gospel of Christ.

Luther is a prime example of how one’s greatest strength may turn out to be their greatest weakness. His bold, bombastic rhetoric was exactly what was needed in confronting the pope and the Roman Church. When, however, he was in a place of influence and used the same rhetoric on weaker groups, that is when his greatest strength became his greatest weakness.

These verbal attacks were based on his belief that the civil magistrate had a Divine responsibility to enforce the doctrines and practices of the official church, which in Germany was Lutheranism. Dissenting belief systems were not tolerated. Therefore, Luther’s attacks on Jews. Anabaptists, Turks and Catholics, were all doctrinal and theological in nature, not racial.

The eminent Lutheran scholar, Martin Brecht, makes this point as well, arguing that Luther’s verbal attacks against the Jews were not based on race but on a disagreement in theology. He says that Luther, therefore, “was not involved with later racial anti-Semitism.”[ii]

Nonetheless, Luther’s misguided invectives had the unfortunate result of him becoming identified with the church fathers of anti-Semitism and they provided fodder for modern anti-Semites who cloaked their hatred of the Jews in the authority of Luther.

On their website (www.lcms.org), The Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod, has graciously and wisely denounced Luther’s anti-Jewish invectives while recognizing the vital and critical contributions he has made to all of Christendom.

They also point out Luther’s conciliatory tone in his last sermon when he said of the Jews, “We want to treat them with Christian love and to pray for them, so that they might become converted and would receive the Lord.” This indicates that, in later life, Luther’s tone shifted back toward his earlier and more conciliatory attitude.

Another example of this occurred in 1545, about one year before his death, when he revised a hymn that had blamed the Jews for the death of Christ (a common claim by the medieval church). In his revision, Luther removed the invective against the Jews. His revised version reads,

T’was our great sins and misdeeds gross,

Nailed Jesus, God’s true Son, to the cross.

Thus you, poor Judas, we dare not blame,

Nor the band of Jews; ours is the shame.

Commenting on this eye-opening revision by Luther, Eric Metaxas says,

So if people want to see Luther as any kind of run of the mill anti-Semite, they must be disappointed. He rightly lays the blame for Jesus’s Crucifixion not on the Jews, but on everyone one of us and on himself, as well he should.[iii]

This author suspects that if Luther were living today in this more tolerant and civil era, and with the Jews back in their homeland, he might well be one of their biggest supporters.

This article was derived from Eddie Hyatt's latest book, The Charismatic Luther, available from Amazon and from his website at www.eddiehyatt.com.

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[i] Brect, Martin Luther: The Preservation of the Church, 1532-1536, 350.

[ii] Brect, Martin Luther: The Preservation of the Church, 1532-1536, 351.

[iii] Metaxas Martin Luther, 418.

WHEN IT IS ABSOLUTELY WRONG TO SUBMIT

On this day, December 10, 1520, students at the University of Wittenberg in Germany built a large bonfire and Martin Luther proceeded to burn a papal bull (official decree) that ordered him to recant within 60 days or suffer excommunication as a heretic. This was serious, for excommunication for heresy commonly led to death by burning or beheading.

Luther had received the order on October 10. He, therefore, allowed the 60 days to expire and then, in an open and defiant act against Pope Leo and the Roman Church, he publicly burned the papal bull, the Roman canon law and other books supporting the pope. There would be no turning back.

Leo responded by announcing Luther’s formal excommunication as of January 3, 1521. He referred to Luther as “a wild boar” that had invaded the Lord’s vineyard. Excommunication was also threatened against anyone who would harbor Luther or his friends.

All princes and magistrates were ordered to seize Luther and his followers and turn them over to the proper authorities. Christians were ordered not to read, print or publish any of Luther’s books, but instead to burn them, and such occurred in many cities

Luther was not fazed. He was convinced he was on the side of truth and in a letter to the German prince, Frederick the Wise, stated, “Your Grace knows, if not, I make known to you, that I have the gospel, not from men, but from heaven through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Luther knew what he believed and why he believed it; and he was willing to risk everything, including life itself, for the truth of the Gospel. 

What about you and me? Are we totally committed to the truth of the Gospel? Are we willing to buck religious tradition, political-correctness, cultural acceptance and whatever else is contrary to the truth that is in Jesus? Are we ready to risk it all, including life itself, so that the the truth may continue to the next generation? 

I am here reminded of the words of Paul concerning the insistence of the Judaizers that his Gentile convert, Titus, be circumcised. He wrote, To whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you (Galatians 2:5). 

This article by Eddie Hyatt was excerpted from his book, The Charismatic Luther, available from Amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com/bookstore.html.

THE HIGHEST FORM OF WORSHIP

What is the highest form of worship? Is it listening to my favorite “worship” song? Is it attending a Hillsong concert? Is it lifting my hands? Is it jumping, dancing, and so on?

Martin Luther would give an emphatic "No" to all of the above. According to Luther, the highest form of worship is to trust God. In his book, The Freedom of the Christian, published in 1520, Luther wrote,

The very highest worship of God is this that we ascribe to Him truthfulness, righteousness and whatever else should be ascribed to one who is trusted. On the other hand, what greater rebellion against God, what greater wickedness, what greater contempt of God is there than not believing his promise? For what is this but to make God a liar or to doubt that He is truthful—that is, to ascribe truthfulness to one’s self but lying and vanity to God.

Indeed, our English word “worship” comes from the old Saxon word weorthscipe meaning “worth-ship,” and it referred to any activity utilized to recognize or describe the “worth” of a person or thing to which homage was being paid.

Luther’s point was that we ascribe “worth” to God by putting our complete trust in Him in every situation of life. We ascribe worth to God when we trust Him, even when we don’t understand. We ascribe worth to God—we worship—when we trust Him, even in the midst of heartbreak and tragedy.

Such worship from a heart of trust may be expressed while going about one’s daily tasks. In fact, even hoeing one’s garden can be an act of worship, as is illustrated by the following story from the life of Francis of Assisi.

Francis was hoeing his garden one hot afternoon when a friend passing by stopped and posed a question. “Francis,” he asked, “What would you do if you knew that at sunset you would be standing in the presence of Jesus Christ?” 

Francis replied, “I would finish hoeing my garden.” Francis' answer revealed how that, for him, every act was a sacred act done for the glory of God. Even hoeing his garden was an act of worship for it was done from a yielded heart that was trusting explicitly in the Lord.

We should realize that there could be greater worship in a quiet, traditional service as people are listening to God’s word, than in a worship concert with lights, smoke, sound, and much emotional energy.

The point is we that should never exalt a particular outward expression of “worship” over another, but focus, instead, on the condition of the heart. As God said to Israel in Isaiah 66:2, But on this one I will look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit and who trembles at My word. Trusting God is the highest form of worship!

Learn more about Martin Luther and how he discovered truth, trusted God and changed the world. Find it all in Dr. Eddie Hyatt's latest book, The Charismatic Luther, available from Amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com. 

WHAT MODERN EVANGELICALS CAN LEARN FROM THE MARRIAGE OF MARTIN LUTHER

“There is no more lovely, friendly and charming relationship,
communion or company than a good marriage.”

Martin Luther

Modern evangelicals can learn a lot from the marriage of Martin Luther and Katharina von Bora. At a time when women were subjugated and demeaned, “Katy,” as Luther called her, played a leading role in the Luther household with Luther often referring to her as "Lord Katy." She handled all the finances and business dealings of their large household, leaving Luther free to write and teach. There was also an amazing affection and mutual respect expressed in their marriage relationship.

Luther initially had no intention of ever marrying. As a monk and a priest, he had taken a vow of celibacy. But even after renouncing his vow he still did not expect to marry, for his condemnation as a heretic by the pope and emperor, meant that death could always be lurking just around the corner.

A Wife Finds Luther

Things began to change when he received a letter from a nun in a convent who had read his writings. She explained that she and others were ready to leave the convent but needed advice on how to proceed, since leaving a convent and breaking the monastic vow was illegal and punishable by death.

Luther arranged for a merchant, who delivered fish to the convent, to smuggle them out—twelve in all—in or around the fish barrels in his covered wagon. They were brought to Wittenberg where their arrival cause quite a stir. A local student in the university, wrote to a friend, “A wagon load of vestal virgins just came to town, all more eager for marriage than for life. God grant them husbands lest worse befall."

Over time Luther helped each one find a husband or a vocation except one, Katharina von Bora, the one who had written the letter. Of a feisty and assertive character, Katharina publicly stated that there were only two men she was interested in marrying, Nicholas von Almsdorf or Martin Luther. When Almsdorf declined the offer, Luther decided to accept it.

The Roman Church was furious with Luther for telling priests, monks and nuns that they were free to renounce their vows of celibacy and marry, if they so desired. Also, Luther’s father had expressed hope that Luther would marry and produce offspring that would carry on the Lutheran name. This was the context in which Luther, with tongue in cheek, stated that he decided to marry because it would “please my father, rile the pope, cause angels to laugh, and devils to weep.”

Luther and Katharina, whom he called “Kate” or “Katy,” were married on June 13, 1525. He was 41 and she was 26. He wrote to a friend, "Suddenly, and while I was occupied with far other thoughts, the Lord has plunged me into marriage." 

Luther was obviously very happy in his marriage and in later life wrote,

I would not want to exchange my Kate for France nor for Venice to boot; to begin with (1) because God has given her to me and me to her; (2) because I often find out that there are more shortcomings in other women than in my Kate; and although she, of course, has some too, these are nonetheless offset by far greater virtues; (3) because she keeps faith and honor in our marriage relation.

Katy’s Role in the Lutheran Household

Katy has been described as "healthy, strong, frank, intelligent and high-minded." She managed the Lutheran household, which included their own six children, four cousins, an aunt, 25 or more students who boarded with them, servants and a constant stream of visitors. One of Luther’s colleagues said he had seen as many as 100 people at the Lutheran home for a meal.

Katy managed everything, including the finances. She raised livestock and chickens. She had an extensive garden, or farm, all used for feeding her extensive household. She was a good manager and able to procure enough money to purchase her brother’s part in the family estate known as Zulsdorf, which she also managed.

Luther related to Katy both respectfully and affectionately. In his letters he referred to her as “my dearest” and himself as “your loved one.” Because of her leading role in the household, he often referred to her as “herr” Katy, “herr” being a German word of respect meaning “lord” or “master.” He also referred to her as “Moses” and at times signed his letters (I am sure all in fun), “your willing servant.”

He also used the word “Lady” in referring to her, which was a civil term of respect for a woman of nobility, influence and authority. One can see his playful humor in some of the titles he gave her. For example, because of her business and farming skills, he sometimes called her “Lady of the Pig Market.” Because she spent so much time at her family estate he called her “Lady of Zulsdorf and because she was continually giving him home remedies for his many illnesses he called her “Lady Doctor.”

They obviously had their differences, but Luther never tried to pull rank or set up a marriage hierarchy. He once said,

Oh, how smoothly things move on when man and wife sit lovingly at table! Though they have their little bickerings now and then, they must not mind that. Put up with it!”

Luther & His Children

Katy bore six children, three boys and three girls. Luther took great joy in both Katy and the children. When he was away from home, the children would write letters to him and he would bring little gifts for them when he returned. His family was obviously a solace in the midst of his stormy life as a Reformer.

Two daughters died young, one at seven months and the other, Magdalene, at 13 years of age. The death of Magdalene, called Lena by her family, was particularly difficult for Luther who enjoyed her company and often “made merry” with her.

When it seemed obvious that death was nearing, Luther asked, “My dear Lena, are you willing to leave your earthly father and go to your heavenly father?” She replied, “Yes, dear father, just as God wills.”

On the night of her death, a friend observed Luther kneeling by her bed weeping and pleading with God to spare her life. She died in his arms.

Speaking of the joy of knowing she was with Jesus, Luther said, “I am rejoicing in the spirit but I am very sad according to the flesh.” At the funeral, as they laid her body in the coffin, Luther stated that it was well with his beloved daughter and that she would rise again. He then was overcome with sobbing.

Luther Valued Partnership in Marriage

Luther’s attitude toward marriage was a large step forward from that of the medieval period, and he and Katy deserve credit for this. His rejection of celibacy as a requirement for ordination undermined the medieval idea that women are sinister and unclean and detrimental to a life committed to God.

Although Luther held to the traditional idea of the woman as the weaker vessel, he was too aware of human deficiency, including his own, to talk about male superiority. The Lutheran scholar, Martin Brecht, says, “The marriage partners seemed to him to be equal.”

Luther, indeed, warned against either partner seeking dominance, saying,

It is foolish for a man to want to demonstrate his masculine power and heroic strength by ruling over his wife. On the other hand, the ambition of wives to dominate the home is also intolerable.

Luther and Katy functioned according to their gifts. She obviously was a good manager and administrator, and he admitted that he wasn’t. Her management of the household left him free do that for which he was called and gifted. They functioned according to their gifts, not their gender.

Coming Out of the Dark Ages

This was a large step forward, for in the Middle Ages women were, for the most part, looked upon as sex objects and servants of men. The great African church father, Augustine, had taught in the fifth century that the woman does not bear the image of God apart from the man. The man bears the image of God in himself alone, Augustine said, but the woman only when she is related to the man.

In explaining the meaning of the word “helper” in Genesis 2:18, Augustine surmised that the woman could not be a helper in physical and manual labor since a man would be a better help. And when it comes to fellowship and dialogue, Augustine insisted that a man’s companionship is preferable to that of a woman. He concluded that the only way the woman is a “helper” to man is in bearing children and helping him perpetuate the human race.

This sort of thinking resulted in women being treated as children and slaves. It resulted in wife beating being approved in some sectors of the church. Dr. Susan Hyatt has documented these terrible conditions for women in her book, In the Spirit We’re Equal.

Conclusion

Luther’s marriage to Katy was, therefore, a wonderful departure from that way of thinking. He and Katy rescued marriage from the abominable state into which it had fallen. Although the marriage was not perfect, it was a remarkable advance and provided an excellent model for ministers of the emerging Reformation who were now allowed to enter into marriage.

Their marriage is also a good model for modern evangelicalism where gender determined roles have too often been emphasized to the ignoring of individual gifts and personalities. Some have even taught that a wife cannot handle the money because whoever controls the money, they say, controls the relationship, and the man, they insist, is to control the relationship.

Such an approach to marriage is a regression past Luther and back to the Middle Ages. Let’s take a lesson from Martin and Katy and walk in the three characteristics that made their marriage a success: (1) mutual love, (2) mutual respect, and (3) mutual recognition and respect for each other's gifts and weaknesses. If we do this, perhaps we can say with Luther, “There is no more lovely, friendly and charming relationship, communion or company than a good marriage.” 

This article is derived from Eddie Hyatt's latest book, The Charismatic Luther, available from Amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com.

HOW MARTIN LUTHER FOUND PEACE WITH GOD AND CHANGED THE COURSE OF HISTORY

Martin Luther was tormented by a sense of sin and guilt. He entered a monastery hoping to purge his soul of the continual pain, and find peace with God.  

With a small cell containing a hard, simple bed, a chair and a desk, Luther gave himself completely to the austere lifestyle of a monk. He arose at 2 a.m. every morning to engage in the saying of the Lord’s Prayer and repeating the Ave Maria during the seven appointed hours of prayer.

In his zeal to be a saint and make his salvation sure, Luther went beyond the required discipline of the monastery. He engaged in extended times of prayer, meditation, fasting, vigils, night watches and other religious exercises. He was held up as a model of sanctity by his fellow monks and later wrote, “If ever a monk got to heaven by monkery, I would have gotten there.”

But in spite of his best efforts, he was still tormented by a sense of corruption in his heart and the fact that he had no peace with God. It was not a particular sin that he could identify, but sin as a corruption of nature and a sense of alienation from God that distressed his mind and brought him to the brink of despair.

Finally, the truth dawned on his soul and set him free. As he read and taught from the book of Romans, Romans 1:17 came alive in his heart by the Holy Spirit. It reads, For in it [the gospel] the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

Luther suddenly saw that righteousness, or acceptance with God, is not something one can earn, but is a gift given to the sinner who puts his/her faith completely in Christ and what He has done. As this light dawned over his soul, he said,

All at once I felt that I had been born again and entered into paradise itself through open gates. Immediately I saw the whole of Scripture in a different light.

This discovery led him to challenge the teachings of the church of his day, which emphasized church-appointed works and the authority of the pope and church hierarchy to forgive sins. It was after this that he challenged this religious system by nailing his 95 theses to the Wittenberg church door, which was comparable to a modern post on Facebook. 

Luther's discovery of the power of faith for salvation ignited the Protestant Reformation and led to his excommunication from the Roman Catholic Church. It also changed the course of church and world history.

What about you? Have you discovered Luther's revelation? Have you put your faith completely in Christ and His redemptive work on the Cross? 

This article was derived from Dr. Eddie Hyatt's book, The Charismatic Luther, available from Amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com.

HOW MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. GOT HIS NAME

The ancient Hebrews believed in the power of names. Parents gave names to their children based on their hopes and aspirations for a particular child. A change of circumstances or a change of character often called for a new name to express the change that had taken place, as in the case of Abram to Abraham and Jacob to Israel.

With this Biblical understanding of the inherent power of a name, it is, therefore, interesting to note how Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. came by his name.

In 1934, Michael King, a black pastor from Atlanta, Georgia, travelled with a group of Baptist pastors to the Holy Land and then attended a week-long Baptist World Alliance conference in Berlin. While in Germany, King and others visited many of the religious, historical sites related to Luther and his work of Reformation.

King was so inspired by the life of Luther that upon returning home he changed his name to Martin Luther King, Sr. and changed the name of his five-year-old son to Martin Luther King, Jr. The rest is history. 

Taken from The Preface of The Charismatic Luther by Dr. Eddie L. Hyatt, available from Amazon and from www.eddiehyatt.com/bookstore.html