Robert A. Krieg. Catholic Theologians in Nazi Germany. New York: The Continuum International Publishing Group, 2004. ix + 234 pp. $24.95, cloth, ISBN 978-0-8264-1576-9.

Reviewed by Beth A. Griech-Polelle

Published on H-German (April, 2005)

Robert Krieg's work ofers historians a very open confrontation with the new government. In‐ readable, understandable account of fve major stead, they chose routes of accommodation, such German Catholic theologians and their views on as lifting the prohibition on Nazi Party member‐ the mission of the in a modern ship for Catholic laity. Theologically, most of the world. In a clear and concise manner, Krieg ex‐ German bishops approached the National Social‐ plains the struggle between the neo-Scholastic ist state from the perspective that had been deter‐ model of the Church's role in society and the mined by the First Vatican Council (1869-70) and emerging view among some theologians that the other papal teachings. What Krieg shows is that Church should function as a voice of moral advo‐ the churchmen tended to view the Church itself cacy and a defender of human rights in general. from a neo-Scholastic view that stressed the idea By examining the teachings of fve theologians, of a societas perfecta. He shows that this self-def‐ Krieg demonstrates the conficting and evolving nition had serious implications for the way in notions of what the Church should be while he si‐ which the Church could function in a modern na‐ multaneously impresses on the reader the idea tion-state, for the very notion of a "perfect society" that what these theologians believed had a sub‐ meant that the Church was hierarchical, perfect, stantial impact on the world as they were teach‐ and distinct and separate from all other human ing their ideas to hundreds of seminarians each society. It acknowledged that the Church stood day. apart from modern times as a hierarchical institu‐ Chapter 1 addresses the general mindset of tion (p. 10). The privileging of the neo-Scholastic the German bishops under the Nazi regime and approach to "truth fnding" severely limited the evolution of their thinking regarding Catholic Catholic theologians in that it confned them intel‐ involvement in the NSDAP and the state it domi‐ lectually to a largely medieval past, preventing nated. Once Hitler was appointed Chancellor of them from approaching modern problems in any Germany, the bishops met and decided not to risk innovative way. H-Net Reviews

Chapters 2 through 6 ofer in-depth analysis Guardini preferred the language of existentialism of the theologians Karl Eschweiler, Joseph Lortz, to that of neo-Scholasticism. Studying under , Romano Guardini, and Engelbert Krebs, Guardini was shaped by his research on Krebs. In particular, the focus of each chapter is Bonaventure and Neoplatonism. This background how the individual theologian approached the would infuence his work for the rest of his life. At Church-State position. For example, the chapter frst, under the National Socialist regime, Guardi‐ on Eschweiler reveals the theologian encouraging ni chose to remain silent even though he regarded Catholics and National Socialists to work together Hitler and his party as "barbarians" (p. 115). In to improve the German state. Likewise, each 1935, however, he decided to break his silence chapter explores the attitudes of the theologians and began to publish writings that reafrmed Je‐ towards the neo-Scholastic model. Eschweiler, for sus Christ as the true savior, not Hitler. Ultimately, example, saw no reason to limit theology to me‐ Guardini's position on idolatry brought him into dieval concepts and pressed for the reconciliation confict with the German state. He was denied of Catholicism with modernity. He also actively permission to continue lecturing and threatened sought cooperation with the National Socialist with imprisonment. Guardini sought and found state authorities, arguing that racial diferences refuge in a rural village in southern Germany were part of divine creation. where he lived until 1946. Romano Guardini's At the other end of the political spectrum was view on modernity and the need to stress the dig‐ Engelbert Krebs, who was already known by the nity of all human beings infuenced, among oth‐ 1920s for attacking the racist views held by some ers, Karl Rahner. Catholics. Krebs refused to reject the Jewish ori‐ Unlike Krebs and Guardini, Joseph Lortz and gins of Catholicism and encouraged Catholics to Karl Adam did not see the rise of modern, plural‐ put love of neighbor as their frst priority. Krebs's istic societies as benefcial developments. Rather, refusals to remain silent in the face of injustice re‐ they viewed western society as a degenerating sulted in his interrogation, arrest, and imprison‐ civilization and looked for ways to combat the in‐ ment. To Krebs, such views were not merely a creasingly secularized world in which they lived. matter of political dissent. In his mind, the As a church historian, Lortz joined the NSDAP in Catholic Church and its theologians had to be a 1933, for he believed that Hitler was ushering in a part of the modern world. Although he saw quite new stage of development in western history. He clearly the ills of his society, he believed that did recognize some evils in National Socialism, modernity could also bring respect for human but he argued that Christians joining the party rights and democracy (p. 151). Unlike Eschweiler, could infuse it with their positive values, thereby Krebs used the well-defned concepts of neo- dampening the more dangerous elements con‐ Scholastic thought to help him craft a theology en‐ tained in its Weltanschauung. Lortz would contin‐ gaged with contemporary problems. This ap‐ ue to support the idea of reconciling Catholicism proach allowed Krebs to argue that the Church to National Socialism until approximately 1937, at could not withdraw from the world and that it which point he tried to resign his Nazi member‐ must be a moral voice, speaking for all human be‐ ship (but was not permitted to do so). At war's ings regardless of race, gender, or ethnicity (p. end, Lortz was required to go through a de-Nazif‐ 150). cation process and then resumed his scholarly ca‐ Krebs played an important role in directing reer. Like Eschweiler and Karl Adam, Lortz the research interests of theologian Romano "judged that modernity was a form of rebellion Guardini. Born in Italy, but raised in Germany, against God and the church," and he therefore "re‐ jected democracy and favored an authoritarian

2 H-Net Reviews state that would formally recognize the church" (p. 82). Krieg's work ends on a positive note, reveal‐ ing the connections that these various theologians opened up. Although three out of the fve under consideration supported Hitler and the National Socialist regime for at least a brief time, their challenges to the dominant theological perspec‐ tive of the day (which endorsed a view of the Church as a societas perfecta) led to a new gener‐ ation of scholars who embraced modernity and who could think of the Enlightenment legacy in a positive light. These new scholars helped to shape the teachings of the , which endorsed the idea of the church as a moral advocate that works to promote truth and justice for all people. Krieg's work shows how fve theolo‐ gians were constrained by the societas perfecta notion and how a few of them were able to have a profound impact on revising the role of the Catholic Church in the modern world. Krieg's ex‐ cellent work underscores the idea that the Catholic Church's self-image had to be clarifed af‐ ter living through the darkness of the Hitlerzeit.

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Citation: Beth A. Griech-Polelle. Review of Krieg, Robert A. Catholic Theologians in Nazi Germany. H- German, H-Net Reviews. April, 2005.

URL: https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=10396

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