Luther and the Jews: Putting Right the Dark Side of Luther's Legacy

by Richard S. Harvey

In 1517 a young monk, Martin Luther, nailed his ninety-five theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenburg. Luther sparked a revolt, a radical restatement of what Christianity was all about, and a renewal of the whole church.He was a man of vision and courage. He was also, however, profoundly anti-Semitic, and his sermons against the Jews were reprinted by Adolf Hitler in his campaign for the Final Solution. This darker side of Luther's legacy still casts a shadow across the world.

With the 500th anniversary of the posting of the theses coming in 2017, it is time to examine what Luther said and the impact of his words, and to see what Catholics, Protestants, and Jews alike can do to heal the terrible divisions he fostered. After reviewing Luther's words and deeds, Richard Harvey considers their ongoing impact through the years before considering what is needed to heal the wounds of the past. What does reconciliation really look like?

Genres: Christianity, History

224 pages, Paperback

Published July 27, 2017

Reviews

[Dusty]

I dove into this right after reading The Jews And Their Lies. On the one hand, it presented me with some good context, both about Luther and the Jews of his time—by a Jewish believer no less! However, in the end, it wasn’t what I was looking for. I was looking for someone to explain and refute Luther’s lies about the Jews, and I felt that was largely brushed over. Perhaps it was brushed over because the author felt it had been more than covered in other works, and that is fair, but I can’t rate the book because I didn’t get what I was looking for. Instead of refutations, the book dwells largely on the topic of modern reconciliation, and imagines what it would have been like if key points in Luther’s life had gone differently. It was worth reading, but if you’re looking for refutations, this isn’t the right book.

[Ross Heinricy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not knowing much except for peripheral information about the Lutheran faith this was an eye opener. I never knew how anti-semitic Luther was and I am saddened by the legacy of hate he left behind. Did you know his writings were used by the Nazi's to implement and carry out the "Final Solution"? I will be reading more by Richard Harvey as time goes by. great exegete on Scripture and history - enjoy :)

[Robert · Rating 1 out of 5]

He spends so much time talking about unity and restoration that it sometimes reads less like a critique of Luther and more like a spiritual pep talk. I wanted more hard-hitting critique, less theology fluff.

This is rubbish