Martin Luther

MARTIN LUTHER: THE RELUCTANT REVOLUTIONARY
PROF. M. M. NINAN
CHAPTER SIX
THE DOCTRINE OF SUPERCESSIONISM
AND
ANTI-SEMITICISM
Luthers anti-semiticism has always been a pain within reformation. But it certainly arose from the
existing interpretation of Paul known as supercessionism or the replacement theology. The word
supersessionism comes from the English verb to supersede, from the Latin verb sedeo, sedere,
sedi, sessum, "to sit", plus super, "upon". It thus signifies one thing being replaced or supplanted by
another. Replacement theology holds to the idea that Israel’s covenantal status with God was
revoked and given instead to the Christian church. Israel is no longer the elect of God and hence
ceases to have any special priviledges that are normaly claimed by the jews as a nation including
the land of Canaan. The destruction of the temple was the final statement of the fact.
Following Paul, most of the early church fathers like Justin Martyr, Hippolytus, Tertullian, and
Augustine affirmed it it was Luther who became the strongest virulant advocate of this thesis
• Justin Martyr (about 100 to 165): "For the true spiritual Israel ... are we who have been led to God through this
crucified Christ."
• Hippolytus of Rome (martyred 13 August 235): "[The Jews] have been darkened in the eyes of your soul with a
darkness utter and everlasting."
• Tertullian (c. 155 – c. 240 AD): “Who else, therefore, are understood but we, who, fully taught by the new law,
observe these practices,—the old law being obliterated, the coming of whose abolition the action itself
demonstrates ... Therefore, as we have shown above that the coming cessation of the old law and of the carnal
circumcision was declared, so, too, the observance of the new law and the spiritual circumcision has shone out
into the voluntary observances of peace.”
• Augustine (354–430) : "The Jews ... are thus by their own Scriptures a testimony to us that we have not forged the
prophecies about Christ." The Catholic church built its system of eschatology on his theology, where Christ rules the
earth spiritually through his triumphant church. Augustine mentioned to "love" the Jews but as a means to convert
them to Christianity.
• St. Ambrose (340-397) of Milan, defined Jews as a special subset of those damned to hell, calling them "Witness
People": "Not by bodily death, shall the ungodly race of carnal Jews perish (..) 'Scatter them abroad, take away their
strength. And bring them down O Lord".
In 1523, Luther accused Catholics of being unfair to Jews and treating them “as if they were dogs,”
thus making it difficult for Jews to convert. “I would request and advise that one deal gently with
them [the Jews], … If we really want to help them, we must be guided in our dealings with them not
by papal law but by the law of Christian love. We must receive them cordially, and permit them to
trade and work with us, hear our Christian teaching, and witness our Christian life. If some of them
should prove stiff-necked, what of it? After all, we ourselves are not all good Christians either.”
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