On Luther, his hatred of Jews, and the judgement of the Lord

Responding to my earlier letter of May 10, Rev Stephen Johnston states “The Reformer Martin Luther reputably once said to the Renaissance scholar Erasmus: ‘The difference between you and me, Erasmus, is that you sit above Scripture and judge it, while I sit under Scripture and let it judge me’.”
Letter to the editorLetter to the editor
Letter to the editor

Letter ‘Guidance and comfort under the infallible word of God’, May 13, in response to ‘Should gays face a life of celibacy?’, May 10.

One wonders how Luther (a virulent antisemite) was judged when he wrote his diatribe “On Jews and their lies” (1543). I quote just one example of Luther’s thinking: “I shall give you my sincere advice: First set fire to their synagogues or schools and to bury and cover with dirt whatever will not burn, so that no man will ever see a stone or cinder of them. This is to be done in honour of our Lord and of Christendom, so that God might see that we are Christians, and do not condone or knowingly tolerate such public lying cursing, and blasphemy of the Son and of his Christians.”

George McNally, Londonderry

Related topics: