Luther, Bach, and the Jews: the Place of Objectionable Texts in the Classroom

religions Article Luther, Bach, and the Jews: The Place of Objectionable Texts in the Classroom Beth McGinnis 1 and Scott McGinnis 2,* 1 Division of Music, School of the Arts, Samford University, 800 Lakeshore Dr., Birmingham, AL 35229, USA; [email protected] 2 Department of Religion, Samford University, 800 Lakeshore Dr., Birmingham, AL 35229, USA * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +1-205-726-4260 Academic Editors: Peter Iver Kaufman and Christopher Metress Received: 16 February 2017; Accepted: 26 March 2017; Published: 1 April 2017 Abstract: This article examines the pedagogical challenges and value of using objectionable texts in the classroom by way of two case studies: Martin Luther’s writings on Jews and two works by J.S. Bach. The use of morally or otherwise offensive materials in the classroom has the potential to degrade the learning environment or even produce harm if not carefully managed. On the other hand, historically informed instructors can use difficult works to model good scholarly methodology and offer useful contexts for investigating of contemporary issues. Moral judgments about historical actors and events are inevitable, the authors argue, so the instructor’s responsibility is to seize the opportunity for constructive dialogue. Keywords: Martin Luther; Johann Sebastian Bach; anti-Judaism; anti-Semitism; pedagogy 1. Introduction Although the Castle Church in Wittenberg famously appears in Martin Luther’s biography as the site of the (possibly mythical but nevertheless) dramatic posting of the Ninety-Five Theses, the “mother church of the Reformation” actually lies a short walk to the east: the Stadtkirche, or City Church, dedicated to St. Mary. It was here that Luther as university professor and city preacher regularly proclaimed those early doctrines that would become foundational for the reformation breaking out all over Germany, here where the first mass was celebrated in German rather than Latin, and here where the laity received communion in both kinds. Visitors to the church today marvel not only at Lucas Cranach’s magnificent altarpiece painting, but may also be found outside staring up at a stone relief on the southeast corner of the building. There they see a particularly grotesque image that dates to the medieval period: the Judensau, or Jewish pig (See Figure1). In the carving a rabbi lifts the tail of a sow and stares intently as if in deep contemplation while other Jews are depicted as suckling underneath. The Judensau was by no means unique to Wittenberg but could be found all over Germany and beyond.1 The image not only epitomizes the coarseness and ugliness of medieval anti-Semitism but also continues to provoke controversy among moderns, who debate whether to relegate it to a museum or contextualize it in some way in its place, especially in the light of the many visitors expected in Wittenberg for the 500th anniversary of the Reformation (Harvey n.d.).2 In a way, this modern debate over the fate of the Wittenberg Judensau helps to cast a number of questions that illustrate the 1 See (Shachar 1974). 2 E.g., see the petition at https://www.change.org/p/remove-the-wittenberg-judensau. A similar debate arose around the fiftieth anniversary of Kristallnacht, after which a sculpture was placed on the ground immediately beneath the Judensau to commemorate the Jews murdered during the Holocaust. Religions 2017, 8, 53; doi:10.3390/rel8040053 www.mdpi.com/journal/religions Religions 2017, 8, 53 2 of 12 Religions 2017, 8, 53 2 of 11 illustratepedagogical the issue pedagogical at hand: howissueshould at hand: professors how should handle professors offensive textshandle and offensive other artifacts texts ofand the other past artifactsin the context of the of past the classroom?in the context What of arethe theclassroom? professor’s What responsibilities are the professor in introducing’s responsibilities students in to introducingoffensive materials? students To to put offensive the question materials? more sharply, To put what the obligations—moral question more or sharply, otherwise—do what obligationseducators have—moral in investigating or otherwise— anddo teachingeducators about have the in past?investigating To consider and teaching these questions, about the in past? what Tofollows consider we examine these questions, two case studiesin what that follows illustrate we theexamine challenges two thatcase arise studies regularly that inillustrate the context the challengesof our teaching: that arise first, regularly Luther’s writingsin the context on Jews, of our and teaching: second, twofirst, vocal Luther works’s writings by Johann on Jews, Sebastian and second,Bach, the two composer vocal works working by Johann in the LutheranSebastian traditionBach, the two composer centuries working later. Wein the argue Lutheran teachers traditi shouldon twoembrace centuries the opportunity later. We argue such controversialteachers should works embrace present the in orderopportunity to (1) model such historicallycontroversial informed works presentreadings in and order (2) investigateto (1) model the historically ethical issues informed raised byreadings historical and study. (2) investigate To do one withoutthe ethical the issues other, raisedhowever, by limitshistorical the effectiveness study. To do of introducingone without controversial the other, workshowever, in the limits classroom the effectiveness and carries theof introducingpotential for controversial harm. works in the classroom and carries the potential for harm. Figure 1. The Wittenberg Judensau. Figure 1. The Wittenberg Judensau. 2. Luther and the Jews 2. Luther and the Jews Although the Wittenberg Judensau predated Luther by two centuries, it nevertheless received Although the Wittenberg Judensau predated Luther by two centuries, it nevertheless received favorable mention in his 1543 writing Von Schem Hamphoras (Of the Unknowable Name): favorable mention in his 1543 writing Von Schem Hamphoras (Of the Unknowable Name): Here at Wittenberg, in our parish church, there is a sow carved into the stone under which lieHere young at Wittenberg, pigs and Jews in our who parish are sucking; church, therebehind is athe sow sow carved stands into a therabbi stone who under is lifting which up thelie right young leg pigs of andthe Jewssow, whoraises are the sucking; behind behind of the thesow, sow bows stands down a rabbi and wholooks is with lifting great up effortthe right into leg the of Talmud the sow, under raises thethe behindsow, as of if the he sow, wanted bows to down read and and looks see withsomething great effortmost difficultinto the and Talmud exceptional; under the no sow,doubt as they if he gained wanted the to Shem read andHamphoras see something from that most place difficult (Falk 1992)and. exceptional; no doubt they gained the Shem Hamphoras from that place (Falk 1992). Later followers followers of of Luther Luther took took inspiration inspiration from from his his writing writing and and placed placed an an inscription inscription over over the the relief: relief: “Rabini“Rabini Shem hamphoras,”hamphoras,” a nonsensical name meant to ridicule the medieval Jewish mystical referencereference to the unspeakable divine name. Martin Luther Luther’s’s attitudes attitudes toward toward Jews Jews and and Judaism Judaism have have been been the the subject subject of of intense intense s scrutinycrutiny by by historians and others, others, in in terms of both the role those attitudes play in Luther Luther’s’s broader broader theology theology and theirtheir placeplace inin thethe history history of of Western Western anti-Semitism anti-Semitism (Kaufmann (Kaufmann 2006 2006; Hillerbrand; Hillerbrand 1990 ;1990 Oberman; Oberma 1984n; 1984; Edwards 1983).3 This scrutiny predated the Second World War and indeed was underway 3 The literature is vast, and it is beyond the scope of this article to provide a comprehensive review. Works particularly useful for those preparing to teach Luther’s writings on Jews include: (Kaufmann 2006, pp. 69–104; Hillerbrand 1990; Oberman 1984; Edwards 1983). Religions 2017, 8, 53 3 of 12 Edwards 1983).3 This scrutiny predated the Second World War and indeed was underway among Luther’s contemporaries and in the period immediately following his death. However, favorable mentions by Nazi propagandists and the move by some to draw a direct line from Luther to Hitler and the Holocaust show the truth of Thomas Kaufmann’s observation that it “would be naïve or careless to think that a German Protestant church historian could approach the extraordinarily complex topic of ‘Martin Luther and the Jews’ without considering the fatal historical effects” of Luther’s writings. At the same time, Kaufmann finds equally problematic the idea that there is a necessary or inevitable connection between the two (Kaufmann 2006, p. 69). Complex and problematic: the two terms could also be said to describe the task of instructors assigned to introduce the sixteenth-century reformer to undergraduate students. One of the first questions to arise is that of texts: out of the vast corpus of Luther’s writings, which should claim a spot in the limited real estate of course syllabi? Luther’s attitudes concerning Jews are frequently summarized by dividing them into two periods, earlier and later, that span the majority of his writing career. The earlier period may be represented by the 1523 treatise That Jesus Christ Was Born a Jew. Writing not long after his excommunication by Leo X, Luther used the unbelief of the Jews as a cudgel against the Catholic Church: “If I had been a Jew and had seen such dolts and blockheads govern and teach the Christian faith, I would sooner have become a hog than a Christian” (Luther 1962, p. 200). He goes on to encourage a welcoming attitude toward Jews in order to facilitate their conversion. But two decades hence, Luther had seemingly performed a complete about-face. In the more frequently cited and taught4 On the Jews and Their Lies (1543), he advocated burning Jewish synagogues and homes, confiscating Jewish property, forbidding rabbis to preach, and removing travel protections.

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