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Plea
for Fair Treatment of the Jews
In his early
writings, Martin Luther, the German religious reformer instrumental
in launching the Protestant Reformation, condemned the persecution
of Jews. In this excerpt from a 1523 pamphlet, he criticizes traditional
attitudes toward the Jews and suggests that kind treatment would
convince more Jews to convert to Christianity.
Later in life, however, Luther grew hostile toward the Jews,
angered by his lack of success in winning converts from among
them.
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For our fools -- the popes, the bishops, the sophists, and
the monks -- these coarse donkey-heads, have hitherto treated
the Jews in such a way that any man who is a good Christian
could well turn into a Jew. And if I were a Jew and saw
such stupid rascals as these leading the Christian faith
and giving instruction in it, I would sooner be turned into
a swine than a Christian. For they have treated the Jews
as though they were curs with nothing in common with humanity.
They continue to abuse them and take away their money even
after they have baptized them as Christians. They have not
taught them Christian doctrine or the Christian way of life,
but simply placed them under papistry and monarchism. When
they [the converts] see that the arguments of the Jews are
well based in Holy Writ, while those of the Christians are
only idle chatter without any Holy Writ, is it possible
that they should have the heart to be good Christians?
I myself have heard from God-fearing Jewish converts that
if they had not been privileged to hear the tidings of the
Evangel in these days, they would have remained Jews in
the mask of Christians all their lives long. . . . I hope
that if the Jews are treated in a friendly fashion and are
instructed from Holy Writ, many of them will become worthy
Christians.
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