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Ultimate Price: Testimonies of Christians Who Resisted the Third Reich
Through their own words and their stories, Ultimate Price highlights the witness of seven men and women who felt compelled by their Christian faith to resist the idolatrous Nazi regime. Some of these seven martyrs are well known, others less so. They include Lutheran theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, imprisoned and executed for his part in a plot to overthrow Hitler; Jesuit Alfred Delp, executed for his role in the anti-Nazi Kreisau Circle; Franz Jaegerstaetter, an Austrian peasant who refused to take a military oath; Sophie Scholl, a young university student and part of the doomed White Rose conspiracy; hymn writer and novelist Jochen Klepper; Berlin's Cathedral provost Bernhard Lichtenberg; and recently beatified Jesuit preacher Rupert Mayer.
177 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 17, 2021
pg 40 Franz Jagerstatter
We must keep in mind, of course, that suffering during our earthly lives is not the worst thing. Even the saints had to suffer frightfully until God took them into eternal life. The Lord did not spare even his apostles from suffering, and most of them lost their lives through martyrdom. And the prospect of martyrdom did not deter them from working so much for Christ.
Amid our sinful lives, we want to live without suffering and struggles, to have a gentle death, and to attain eternal wellbeing beyond all of this. Christ himself, the most blameless individual, suffered the most among all human beings and purchased heaven for us by means of his suffering and death. Yet we do not want to suffer for him!
pg 42-43 Christ demands from us a public acknowledgement of our faith, exactly as the Fuhrer Adolf Hitler demands of his Volk.
pg44 people bear more guilt for their actions when they fully recognize that these actions are more bad than good and when they nevertheless do them so that no danger and no deprivations will afflict their pampered bodies. These people bear more guilt than those people who simply do what they do because they see their actions as their duty and, according to their thinking, entirely good.
pg 45, 46 not being pulled along by the crowd
pg 49 God does not want us to be lost, but fortunately to be with him in eternity. There is nothing more beautiful in this world than peace.
pg 55 If God had not bestowed on my the grace and power to die for my faith-then I would be doing the same as the majority of people are doing.
pg 68
pg 70 this other knowledge which constantly buoys us up and gives us strength: the knowledge of the promises that have been given and fulfilled.
pg 106 Only the Christian can fully live in the present because his past has been canceled and his future is already certain.
pg 131 Praised be Jesus Christ! vs Heil Hitler.
pg 140, 143, 144, 145, 148,
pg 162 Therefore, do not fear! Have faith! Trust in Jesus Christ! He is the joy of our life, the power of our life, the comfort of our life. He is our friend, our Alpha and Omega, beginning and end. Trust in him! How easy he has made it for all those who are dying!
pg 164
We must keep in mind, of course, that suffering during our earthly lives is not the worst thing. Even the saints had to suffer frightfully until God took them into eternal life. The Lord did not spare even his apostles from suffering, and most of them lost their lives through martyrdom. And the prospect of martyrdom did not deter them from working so much for Christ.
Amid our sinful lives, we want to live without suffering and struggles, to have a gentle death, and to attain eternal wellbeing beyond all of this. Christ himself, the most blameless individual, suffered the most among all human beings and purchased heaven for us by means of his suffering and death. Yet we do not want to suffer for him!
pg 42-43 Christ demands from us a public acknowledgement of our faith, exactly as the Fuhrer Adolf Hitler demands of his Volk.
pg44 people bear more guilt for their actions when they fully recognize that these actions are more bad than good and when they nevertheless do them so that no danger and no deprivations will afflict their pampered bodies. These people bear more guilt than those people who simply do what they do because they see their actions as their duty and, according to their thinking, entirely good.
pg 45, 46 not being pulled along by the crowd
pg 49 God does not want us to be lost, but fortunately to be with him in eternity. There is nothing more beautiful in this world than peace.
pg 55 If God had not bestowed on my the grace and power to die for my faith-then I would be doing the same as the majority of people are doing.
pg 68
pg 70 this other knowledge which constantly buoys us up and gives us strength: the knowledge of the promises that have been given and fulfilled.
pg 106 Only the Christian can fully live in the present because his past has been canceled and his future is already certain.
pg 131 Praised be Jesus Christ! vs Heil Hitler.
pg 140, 143, 144, 145, 148,
pg 162 Therefore, do not fear! Have faith! Trust in Jesus Christ! He is the joy of our life, the power of our life, the comfort of our life. He is our friend, our Alpha and Omega, beginning and end. Trust in him! How easy he has made it for all those who are dying!
pg 164
April 3, 2012
Would you be willing to make a stand against a regime when you know the possible penalty is death? Would you be willing to die for your faith? That was the fate of six out of the seven Christians in this book. The final person, Rupert Mayer, was the only one to survive the war which makes him the anomaly of this collection.
I picked up this book thinking it was a publication of biographies of these martyrs. Each selection does begin with a biographical description, but the majority of the book consists of excerpts of their writings. Where the martyrs were theologians this works, but Sophie Scholl's writings were letters to friends which were vague and not very revealing. I admit that some of the philosophy and theology went over my head, but they were good examples of how and why these people of faith could not support the Nazi regime.
Overall, I would have preferred more biographical information and fewer writing excerpts or a more balanced mix of both. Perhaps in a longer book this might have been possible.
I picked up this book thinking it was a publication of biographies of these martyrs. Each selection does begin with a biographical description, but the majority of the book consists of excerpts of their writings. Where the martyrs were theologians this works, but Sophie Scholl's writings were letters to friends which were vague and not very revealing. I admit that some of the philosophy and theology went over my head, but they were good examples of how and why these people of faith could not support the Nazi regime.
Overall, I would have preferred more biographical information and fewer writing excerpts or a more balanced mix of both. Perhaps in a longer book this might have been possible.
October 30, 2020
I like that this uses primary sources. It helps answer the question, "What was going through the mind of these Christians IN Germany while Nazism rose?"
Franz Jagerstatter is worth looking up. Sophie Scholl as well. They see everyone else "swallowing their consciences" but they cannot even though they know their probable fate is death.
Sophie's letters to her fiancee who is fighting on the front lines are particularly moving.
Wow!
Franz Jagerstatter is worth looking up. Sophie Scholl as well. They see everyone else "swallowing their consciences" but they cannot even though they know their probable fate is death.
Sophie's letters to her fiancee who is fighting on the front lines are particularly moving.
Wow!
October 4, 2018
This book did not turn out to be what I thought it was. I enjoyed reading about the various Christians and how they stuck to their faith and resisted Nazi ideas, even when they knew it would cost them their lives. What I didn't expect was all the inclusion of their various writings and speeches. It helps give the reader a sense of what their mentality was in their decisions leading up to their death. I enjoyed the book but I think that including more narrative on their lives and accomplishments would have aided in the portrayal of their stories.
December 30, 2022
Excerpts from the writings of Christians who opposed the Nazi party in Germany. It was demoralizing for me to discover that Christian resistance to the Nazi party was actually the exception, even among Catholics.
September 21, 2017
Outstanding, every student should read it.
August 4, 2021
Heroic witness to the faith. Courageous love even to death.We need more heroes like these men and women to shine in the darkness
January 21, 2026
Very neatly written. This book is structured well, the biographical text is easy to spot as is the text of the actual Christians being discussed. Would recommend for Christians and historians alike.
January 28, 2017
I knew of the names of Bonhoeffer, Delp, & Scholl, but only knew things about Bonhoeffer & Scholl.
The best part of this book was the writings by the people detailing why they did what they did. That being the case, the last two men were disappointing on that point. I still enjoyed reading about them, but there wasn't any information detailing really why they were against the Nazis.
Franz Jagerstatter: "People want to observe Christians who have taken a stand in the contemporary world, Christians who live amid all of the darkness with clarity, insight, and conviction, Christians who live with the purest peace of mind, courage and dedication amid the absence of peace and joy, amid the self-seeking and the hatred. People are looking for Christians who are not like a wavering reed that is pushed back and forth by every light breeze, for Christians who ask primarily about the teaching of Christ and our faith, Christians who do not watch to see how their associates will respond to this or that point. If sign posts are set in the ground so loosely that they can be turned by every wind and, as a result, point in this direction and then in that direction, is someone for whom the way is unfamiliar able to find the right path?" pg 46
Alfred Delp: "One thing is clear and tangible to me in a way that it seldom has been: the world is full of God." pg 65
Bernhard Lichtenberg: "I am never less alone than when I am alone, because when I am not by myself I am with people, and when I am by myself I am with God." pg 137
The best part of this book was the writings by the people detailing why they did what they did. That being the case, the last two men were disappointing on that point. I still enjoyed reading about them, but there wasn't any information detailing really why they were against the Nazis.
Franz Jagerstatter: "People want to observe Christians who have taken a stand in the contemporary world, Christians who live amid all of the darkness with clarity, insight, and conviction, Christians who live with the purest peace of mind, courage and dedication amid the absence of peace and joy, amid the self-seeking and the hatred. People are looking for Christians who are not like a wavering reed that is pushed back and forth by every light breeze, for Christians who ask primarily about the teaching of Christ and our faith, Christians who do not watch to see how their associates will respond to this or that point. If sign posts are set in the ground so loosely that they can be turned by every wind and, as a result, point in this direction and then in that direction, is someone for whom the way is unfamiliar able to find the right path?" pg 46
Alfred Delp: "One thing is clear and tangible to me in a way that it seldom has been: the world is full of God." pg 65
Bernhard Lichtenberg: "I am never less alone than when I am alone, because when I am not by myself I am with people, and when I am by myself I am with God." pg 137
May 27, 2014
This nonfiction book contains the testimonies of German Christians whose personal beliefs conflicted with Hitler's political ideologies. These were people not involved with the military; common people, so to speak, also known as the resistance. Various countries had resistance groups attempting to guide citizenry away from Hitler's purification plan. This book focusses on the German resistance and includes personal writings from clergy, scholars and youth such as the White Rose. The writings can be sometimes difficult to interpret as the typical narratives of that time period tend to be wordy and round-about-the-point. They are best read in a slow and thoughtful manner for greatest impact and dissemination. None the less, these martyrs were heroic and their thoughts and actions document the firm belief of Germans willing to give up their life to defend human dignity. Especially notable are the writings of Jochen Klepper, who in his anguish wrote hymns which were adopted by both Catholic and Protestant churches, and Sophie Scholl, a 22 year-old member of the White Rose who was beheaded for distributing anti-Nazi flyers.
Karen J. / Marathon County Public Library
Find this book in our library catalog.
April 7, 2015
If you took the last two stories out this would be a five star book. The first five people payed the ultimate price the last two were politicos for the catholic church and died of natural causes. Their suffering seems mild in comparison.
July 1, 2016
An interesting topic -- but weak execution. Some of the writings selected were good, others were dry and could have been omitted. Many of the editorial remarks were confusing.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews