Jews and Christians in Denmark The Brill Reference Library of Judaism Editors Alan J. Avery-Peck (College of the Holy Cross) William Scott Green (University of Rochester) Editorial Board David Aaron (Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Cincinnati) Herbert Basser (Queen’s University) Bruce D. Chilton (Bard College) José Faur (Netanya College) Neil Gillman (Jewish Theological Seminary of America) Mayer I. Gruber (Ben-Gurion University of the Negev) Ithamar Gruenweld (Tel Aviv University) Maurice-Ruben Hayoun (University of Strasbourg and Hochschule fuer Juedische Studien Heidelberg) Arkady Kovelman (Moscow State University) David Kraemer (Jewish Theological Seminary of America) Baruch A. Levine (New York University) Alan Nadler (Drew University) Jacob Neusner (Bard College) Maren Niehoff (Hebrew University of Jerusalem) Gary G. Porton (University of Illinois) Aviezer Ravitzky (Hebrew University of Jerusalem) Dov Schwartz (Bar Ilan University) Günter Stemberger (University of Vienna) Michael E. Stone (Hebrew University of Jerusalem) Elliot R. Wolfson (University of California, Santa Barbara) VOLUME 48 The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/brlj Jews and Christians in Denmark From the Middle Ages to Recent Times, ca. 1100–1948 By Martin Schwarz Lausten Translated by Margaret Ryan Hellman LEIDEN | BOSTON Cover illustration: The motif is called in Latin, “Ecclesia et Synagoga” (Church and Synagogue), from the church of Spentrup, Denmark (about 1200). The woman to the left represents Judaism. The woman to the right represents the Christian church. In short, the wall-painting wants to show that the Jews killed Jesus but it was a victory for the Christians. Christianity has conquered Judaism. Reprinted with permission from the Danish National Museum. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Lausten, Martin Schwarz, author. Jews and Christians in Denmark : from the Middle Ages to recent times ca. 1100–1948 / by Martin Schwarz Lausten ; translated by Margaret Ryan Hellman. pages cm. — (The Brill reference library of Judaism ; 48) Based on research previously published in the author’s Kirke og synagoge (1992), De fromme og jøderne (2000), Oplysning i kirke og synagoge (2002), Frie jøder? (2005), Folkekirken og jøderne (2007), and Jødesympati og jødehad i folkekirken (2007), supplemented with references to newer literature at various points. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-90-04-30436-9 (hardback : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-90-04-30437-6 (e-book) 1. Judaism— Denmark—History. 2. Jews—Denmark—History. 3. Judaism—Relations—Christianity. 4. Christianity and other religions—Judaism—History. 5. Denmark—Church history. I. Title. BM376.D4L385 2015 261.2’609489—dc23 2015025386 This publication has been typeset in the multilingual ‘Brill’ typeface. With over 5,100 characters covering Latin, ipa, Greek, and Cyrillic, this typeface is especially suitable for use in the humanities. For more information, please see www.brill.com/brill-typeface. issn 1571-5000 isbn 978-90-04-30436-9 (hardback) isbn 978-90-04-30437-6 (e-book) Copyright 2015 by Koninklijke Brill nv, Leiden, The Netherlands. Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Brill Hes & De Graaf, Brill Nijhoff, Brill Rodopi and Hotei Publishing. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher. 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Contents Preface ix Note about This Volume x List of Figures xii 1 Jews in Literature and Art of the Church: The Catholic Middle Ages 1 Writings on the Life of Personal Piety 1 The Crusades 8 Jews in the Hexameron (ca. 1220) 9 The First Danish Anti-Jewish Publication (1516) 11 Judaism and Jews in the Art of the Church 13 2 Martin Luther’s Antipathy toward Jews and the Attitudes of Danish Reformers: The Reformation of the Sixteenth Century 19 Martin Luther and the Jews 19 This Evil People—Hans Tausen and Peder Palladius 25 Jews in Church Prayers and Edifying Writings 30 God’s Own Language—The Study of Hebrew 31 3 Jewish Immigrants, Freedom of Religion, and the Anger of the Bishops: The Orthodoxy of the Seventeenth Century 33 Orthodoxy and Absolute Monarchy 33 Judaism and Jews in Academic and Popular Literature 33 Government Policies on Jews and the Reaction of the Bishops 39 Baptism of Jews 43 The Chief of Police’s Proposal for a Jewish Ghetto (1692) 45 4 Convert or be Lost! Controversy and Mission in the Age of Pietism (1700–1760) 48 The Jewish Community 48 Views of Christian Theologians on Judaism and Jews 57 Problems of Integration 66 Mission to the Jews 75 Conversion of Jews to Christianity 83 vi contents 5 Ordinary Danish Citizens, but with Another Religion: The ‘Christian’ and Jewish Enlightenment (1760–1814) 89 The Jewish Community 89 Enlightenment Movements 96 Conflicts about Jewish Reforms 100 Judaism and Jews in the Writings of Christian Theologians 102 The Conversion of Jews to Christianity 113 The Views of Christian Theologians on the Anti-Jewish Literary Feud 119 ‘The Letter of Freedom’: The Royal Decree of March 29, 1814 122 6 Avowals of Converted Jews 125 7 Freedom for Jews? (1814–1849): The Integration of Jews into Society 127 A Letter of Freedom? 127 Literary Feuds and Street Fights 128 Jews in the Writings of Christian Theologians 131 Conditions within the Jewish Congregation 138 Debate on the Adaptation of Jews to Social and Political Conditions 147 Missionary Work and the Conversion of Jews to Christianity 157 8 The Danish People’s Church and the Jews (1849–ca. 1900) 173 The Independent Jewish Community of Faith 173 Confrontation between Chief Rabbi Abraham Wolff and the ‘Enemies of the Talmud’ 178 Attitudes toward Jews of Different Movements within the Danish People’s Church 183 Religious and Social Problems in the Jewish Community 190 The Danish Mission to the Jews 200 Admittance into the Danish Church and into the Jewish Congregation 214 9 Sympathy for Jews and Hatred of Jews in the Danish People’s Church (ca. 1900–1948) 221 The State of Affairs within the Jewish Community 221 Christian Theologians and Zionism 226 Groupings within the Danish People’s Church and Anti-Semitism (before 1940) 229 Jews and Christians during and after the German Occupation 242 contents vii Renewed Missionary Efforts among the Jews 260 Reaction in the People’s Church on Zionism and the Creation of the State of Israel 262 10 Epilogue 268 Literature and Sources 273 Index of Persons and Places 287 Preface This book presents a concise account of the relationship between Jews and Christians in Denmark from medieval to recent times. It is based on the research that I published in the six books listed on the reverse side of the half title page, and is supplemented with references to newer literature at various points. The book takes a religious and/or a church history perspective and is concerned with the attitudes of the Danish Church toward Judaism and Jews and vice versa. I have highlighted those events, personages and movements, both within Danish Judaism and within the Christian Church, that I believe are most important and best illuminate the topic in each historical period. However, here, as in other representations of history, the especially extra- ordinary cases, scandals, unfortunate events, controversial writings, etc., have had the greatest impact on the source material. Constant attention must be paid to this circumstance in the depiction of each historical period. Up to and into the 1800s, bishops and priests of the Church and theologians of the univer- sity shaped Danish opinion and influenced the government policies enforced upon Jews and also influenced the attitudes adopted by the population. It was not until the beginning of the 19th century that Danish Jews began to react against this one-sided anti-Jewish stance of the leaders of the Church. This is the sequence of events that this book recounts. I have limited notes to brief references to the sources of direct quotations and to the relevant literature, most of which is in the Danish language. I have used ‘priest’ to denote a position in the Lutheran church. I am extremely grateful to the Velux Foundation and Den Hielmstierne- Rosencroneske Stiftelse for their economic support for this publication, and also to the Faculty of Theology of the University of Copenhagen, where, as pro- fessor emeritus, I have been able to continue to conduct my research at the Department of Church History. I am also thankful for the economic support toward the English translation of this book that I received from the founda- tions: Carlsbergfondet, Lillian and Dan Finks Fond, and Consul George Jorck og Hustru Emma Jorcks Fond. Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to Margaret Ryan Hellman for her English translation, help, and advice. Copenhagen, 1. April, 2015 Martin Schwarz Lausten Professor Emeritus, Doctor of Theology Note about This Volume This book is based on the following volumes by the same author: 1 Kirke og synagoge. Holdninger i den danske kirke til jødedom og jøder i mid- delalderen, reformationstiden og den lutherske ortodoksi (ca. 1100–ca. 1700) [Church and synagogue: Attitudes of the Danish Church toward Judaism and Jews in the Middle Ages, the Reformation, and Lutheran orthodoxy (ca. 1100–ca. 1700)], Studies in Church History, published by Department of Church History, University of Copenhagen, series 3, no. 1 (Copenhagen: Akademisk Forlag, 1992), 2nd edition. 2002. 536 pp. 2 De fromme og jøderne.Holdninger til jødedom og jøder i Danmark i pietis- mens tid (1700–1760) [The pious and the Jews: Attitudes toward Judaism and Jews in Denmark during the pietistic period (1700–1760)], Studies in Church History, published by Department of Church History, University of Copenhagen, series 3, no.