Judaism's view of Jesus

If you look up this topic in Wikipedia, it says:

...the total rejection of Jesus as either messiah or deity in Judaism has never been a central issue for Judaism. At the heart of Judaism are the Torah, its commandments, the Tanakh, and ethical monotheism such as in the Shema — all of which predated Jesus.

The New Testament testifies to this statement "... the Torah, its commandments". The Torah is the first 5 books of the Bible, the books of Moses.  Titus 1:14 says "Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth."  The Jews rather overturn the commandments of God with their own commandments.  In Matthew 15, Jesus spoke of the Jews and their commandments.  Matt. 15:6: "...Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition."  Thus we see the "heart of Judaism" is a lie... it is not the commandments of God, but rather their own commandments and traditions.  So Luther's writing of "On The Jews and Their Lies" was (and still is) entirely scriptural.

Then the Wikipedia article says:

Jewish eschatology holds that the coming of the Messiah will be associated with a specific series of events that have not yet occurred, including the return of Jews to their homeland and the rebuilding of The Temple, a Messianic Age of peace[5] and understanding during which "the knowledge of God" fills the earth,[6] and since Judaism holds that none of these events occurred during the lifetime of Jesus (nor have they occurred afterwards), he is not a candidate for messiah.

What is interesting is a denial that the "Pax Romana" or the peace of Roman rule under Caesar Augustus existed.  But this was the peace under which Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem to be taxed (Luke 2:1-5).  You'll find it in Wikipedia under "Pax Romana".  You will also read about the Jewish downfall (the real Holocaust) in Wikipedia under:
  • First Jewish–Roman War

Jewish hatred of Christianity -- Toledot Yeshu (I found it!)

I found it!  It was a mystery as to what Jewish book Luther and Porchetus were referring to in Vom Schem Hamphoras.  Gerhard Falk, the translator/editor/judge of Luther in his book The Jew in Christian Theology, has many explanatory footnotes of Luther's writing but NO explanation (on page 168) of what Jewish book contained the outrageous claims of the Jews about Jesus as published by Porchetus.  Even the Wikipedia article on Vom Schem Hamphoras says nothing about this.  I only stumbled across this information in the writing of Peter von der Osten-Sacken in his book Martin Luther und die Juden written in German on page 162.  That put me on to a great wealth of information regarding Jewish hatred of Christianity!
Look up these articles in Wikipedia for yourself:
• Toledot Yeshu (see also the actual book here, Wayback)
• Johann Christoph Wagenseil

   The Jews will deny and explain away their hatred of Christianity all they want.   "Scholars" will research and publish their findings belittling true Christian warnings against this Jewish hatred.  But it won't work. Jesus said (John 15:18):

If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.

"Conservative, orthodox" Lutherans... against Luther?... sympathetic to Jews?

   I have yet to find a Lutheran (or any Christian) writer today who follows Luther on his anti-Jewish writings.  Even "Conservative" Lutherans disparage Luther saying (page 16):

Unfortunately, Luther late in life appears also to have accepted at face value many false assertions and stereotypes of the Jewish people...

But Luther would stand before this writer today and blast him and all other modern "theologians" who sympathize with the Jews.  Luther's faith only strengthened in his later years as he realized his early years were somewhat naive about popery and the Jews.  Luther meant what he wrote about the Jews in his later years even though he hated doing it.  Luther himself hated using such crude, "vile", harsh language against the Jews but he could see Christians being sympathetic to Jews then (as they are today) and so wrote harshly as a Christian warning.
  Where are the watchmen today like the old German Missouri Synod fathers who followed Luther and warned against Jewish teaching and sympathy for the Jews?  They live on in their writings.  I plan to publish some of Pieper's writings...

Mysteries of the past (Porchetus, Margaritha and other writers against the Jews)

[Dec. 22, 2014 – updated links for Margaritha's book below]
   Although the scholars have translated and researched Luther and his writings against the Jews, they have managed to bury some key writings of Christian men previous to Luther.   Who are these writers?  They were the ones Luther mentioned in his writings.

   What?  You mean there were other Christian writers who wrote vehemently against Judaism?  Yes, true Christian writers, the ones that author Gerhard Falk and other scholars of today scoff at.
   Who were these writers?

Antonius Margaritha  •  Porchetus Salvaticus  •  Victor von Carben  •  Raymond Martini

   Margaritha and von Carben, who were formerly Jews, converted to Christianity.
   Why can't you go to Amazon, Google Books, your local library or any library in this country to get and read their books?  Because Luther is the lightning rod for today's "scholars" and "theologians" to criticize his anti-Judaism writings.  They think that if they can successfully refute Luther and his high standing in theology, they don't need to refute earlier writers.  They don't need to translate and re-publish these old books.  The translation work for Luther's works is enough.
   But these earlier writers are still alive through Luther... thank God!  Luther translated Porchetus' writing from Latin into German (in Von Schem Hamphoras) so his readers could see immediately the silly, contemptible teachings of the Jews against the Christ. Luther stood with previous Christian writers, not against them... especially where they taught the truth.
   I am most interested especially in Margaritha's book The Whole Jewish Faith (Der gantze Jüdische Glaube:... – here or here) ... I even asked one of today's scholars who published research on him if they would translate his work, but it did not seem possible now for his German is very old and the publisher would probably not support it.  But along with Luther I will honor Antonius Margaritha today for he suffered much for his Christian faith -- the contempt of the Jews and little thanks from the world.

Problem with Luther? ... then a problem with the Bible.

The world has a big problem today with Luther in what it calls his so-called "anti-semitism".  As already stated in a previous post, Luther was anti-Judaism, not "anti-Semitic". But his writings against the Jews (who vehemently reject the Christ) are mild compared to the New Testament. Even the editor of the American Edition of Luther's Works says the following (page 134):
"... christological exegesis of the Old Testament that began in the New Testament itself"
So the really big problem for today's world is Scripture itself.  Jesus said in Mark 16:16: "...but he that believeth not shall be damned"
So when Luther says "the damned Jews", he is only speaking according to the Bible. It is the Bible who is calling them (and all unbelievers) "damned".

This is why the Jews and today's world have such a problem with "Passion Plays" where they are true to Scripture.

Luther's writing "Vom Schem Hamphoras" against Jews - and a "straw man" argument

This writing was translated from the German by Dr. Gerhard Falk, a Jew by his writings on www.jbuff.com.  It was published in 1992 under the title The Jew in Christian Theology: Martin Luther's Anti-Jewish Vom Schem Hamphoras.  Dr. Falk published this for the same reason Humanitas International published "On The Jews And Their Lies" on the web (see below), to attempt to show Luther's "anti-Semitism". Dr. Falk is quite truthful when he comments (pg. 163) that it "... must seem difficult if not impossible to understand.".  Why is it so difficult to understand for such a scholar who knows many languages and is a careful translator?  Because he does not believe God at his Word.  Dr. Falk is still busy today with his "straw man" arguments and defense of the Jews while all the time ignoring Luther's real point that the Jews are without a Messiah and lost forever... they hate the true Christian doctrine.

If you can get past the assault on the Christian faith (are you a Christian?) by the editor and translator, you will find that again Luther will bolster your faith.  How?  By dealing directly with the Jewish teaching against Jesus Christ as the Messiah long promised in the Old Testament.  Luther brings out the outrageous and ridiculous teachings of the rabbis and treats them at face value.  Of all the comments by Dr. Falk against Luther (there are many), he does not say that Luther's report of the Jewish teaching was in error.  The Jewish teachers shout "Luther was an Anti-Semite!" but never backpedal on their outrageous teachings against the Christ.  Why do they do this?  It is called a "straw man" argument... they substitute the "anti-Semitism" argument for the real point of Luther's writings.  They raise the subject of Nazism and the "Holocaust" whenever Luther is mentioned.  They would have you believe the Christian faith is somehow a murderous religion.

As I thanked Humanitas International before, so I thank Dr. Falk for publishing the English translation of "Vom Schem Hamphoras"... even though he attempts to discredit Luther.  Thank you! for bolstering my Christian faith through the writing of Martin Luther!

2011-10-19  &  2012-10-07: I notice that Fordham University (Jesuits) had published Luther's tract "On The Jews And Their Lies" here but the link is broken (try this).  Their website says they had to remove it:

... has been removed because of copyright objections. We will attempt to provide a new translation of the German text at some point, but meanwhile welcome a translation any scholar wishes to supply.

Why is this?  It seems odd that Humanitas International can make it public but not the Jesuits?

2012-05-18: I noticed today that Wikisource has translated Luther's Warning Against The Jews (1546). Thanks Wikisource!

2012-07-14: see this later post for my own translation of Vom Schem Hamphoras.

2014-07-27: research shows that "Humanitas International" is off the Internet at the end of 2013, taken over by an Italian casino (ha!).  But this writing of Luther is still available via the Wayback Machine >> here <<.

The Doctrine of Justification - why the Pope is the very Anti-Christ

In the news recently is the report of one of the presidential candidates leaving a Wisconsin Synod church because they teach that the Pope is the Anti-Christ. Much of the reporting shows a backpedaling on this doctrine by both the candidate and the Wisconsin Synod itself.  This leaves one to wonder whether the Wisconsin Synod (or WELS) believes this doctrine of the Lutheran Confessions or not.  The basis for this doctrine is biblical and those who backpedal from it show they are getting confused on the Christian Doctrine of Justification.  True Lutherans believe that we are justified by faith, not works.  Others get confused by thinking the papacy has returned to this foundational doctrine.  But it is not so... the Pope still teaches works for salvation.  Luther's warnings against the papacy are just as true today as they were in his time.
Sola Gratia, Grace Alone! To God be the Glory!

Dr. Franz Pieper's Last Words for the Missouri Synod before he died

(2019-05-31: added hyperlink; April 29, 2014: added highlighting)

Taken from Dr. Ludwig Fuerbringer’s articles in Der Lutheraner, Vol.87, pp. 330-331 (1931; also here).  Translated from the German by an Australian pastor in 1999:

Our last meeting remains especially in my memory. We had again also spoken on one of my visits with him about church and theological matters. I had suggested to him if perhaps he might prepare a last word to the ministers of our Synod in our theological  monthly or in some other way. But he neither promised nor declined to do it, but only said that his Theses (The Brief Statement of 1932, Ed.) on the doctrinal position of the Missouri Synod should be regarded as his bequest (legacy, last will and testament, Ed.). He was especially cordial (warm, friendly, Ed.) during this visit; he accompanied  me from his house  right up to the road, arm in arm and strongly shook my hand. When twice later I wanted to visit him he was resting and I did not want to disturb him. But whatever thoughts moved him  in these weeks he also expressed to others. When at the end of April with President Ullrich from our North Illinois District I went past his house, and encouraged  him (President Ullrich, Ed.) to visit him (Dr.Pieper, Ed.) briefly, he gave the following farewell words to the brethren in Chicago which President Ullrich then took note of: "Tell this to the brethren: First of all and before all things ask the gracious God that He soon may give me a peaceful and blessed end. Tell the brethren that they are to ask this for me. And now this is what I want you especially to take to heart: 'Tell the brethren that they should study the Theses thoroughly in the Concordia Theological Monthly (re: The Brief  Statement, Ed.) in regard to our doctrinal position and discuss them in Conferences.  That would be a good schooling (training, Ed.) for all of them. That is the Missourian doctrinal position founded (based, Ed.) on God’s Word. That and nothing else is the doctrinal position of the Confessors of Augsburg. I fear that some of our adversaries and former (earlier, Ed.) opponents themselves confess these Theses and yet with the heterodox they promote a mixed belief.'" When then President Ullrich said to him as he left that he certainly spoke the mind of all his former students when he expressed his heartfelt thanks for this, since he as their teacher had above all impressed into their hearts the grace of God in Christ so clearly and so gloriously, Dr. Pieper concluded the conversation with the words: "Oh, I, an unworthy sinner, whom God has so greatly blessed that I for so many years was permitted to teach and have proclaimed this inexpressible grace! May the dear Missouri  Synod never forget that it's chief God given calling is to carry into all the world the testimony (let the testimony  resound into all the world, Ed.) of the Sola Gratia (salvation by grace alone)!"

= = = = = = = = = = = = 

All Christianity should read and digest Dr. Pieper's last words. 

St. John Frederick, the Magnanimous -- Modern day Job

John Frederick,
the Magnanimous

(updated October 25, 2014 - added picture, links to Wikipedia)

This is about a man who is not pictured in my masthead above, but perhaps should be.  In April of 1998, I wrote the following.  I present it now as a testimony that remains fresh:

I have been reading a large amount of material on Luther’s life and the time of the Reformation.  But I just ran across something in Henry Eyster Jacob’s book “The Lutheran Movement in England” that caused me to stop and rejoice.  I can hardly continue for some time because of the joy from this man and his testimony.   I quote from page 202:

One great figure, however, stood forth as a beacon light amidst the storm.  One heart rose superior to the crisis.  The clearness of the testimony of the imprisoned Elector, upon whom even sentence of death had been passed, carried with it a moral weight that was felt throughout Christendom.  Summoned before the Emperor in 1548, he was offered the most favorable terms, in case he would desist from his error, and submit to a council.  His answer is worthy of everlasting remembrance:

[Elector John Frederick, the Magnanimous:]

“I stand before your Imperial Majesty a poor prisoner. I do not deny that I have confessed the truth, and for it have lost possessions and property, wife and child, land and people, in short everything that God has given me in the world.  I have nothing left but this imprisoned body, and even this is not within my power, but within that of your Majesty.  By the truth which I have confessed, I will abide, and will suffer, as an example, whatever else God and your Imperial Majesty may impose.” (The Lutheran Movement in England, Henry Eyster Jacobs, Philadelphia, 1916, page 202)

Why do we not hear more of John Frederick in Lutheran history?  Some call Martin Chemnitz the Second Martin for which Lutheran theology was upheld from dying out.  But this testimony of John Frederick the Magnanimous carried the Church easily to the time of Chemnitz.  I must add an “Amen” to the words of Jacobs that this testimony was “felt throughout Christendom” and “worthy of everlasting remembrance”.
Luther called Robert Barnes “St. Robertus” after his martyrdom.  I must call this man “St. John Frederick”.  These words will live throughout time.  May they be remembered at this time of Easter.

= = = = = = = = = =

I was struck now as I reread the quote of John Frederick... for he is the modern day Job.  Job had a faith that did not depend on earthly possessions.  He said (Job 19:25) "For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth".

C.F.W. Walther – The American Luther

   All Lutherans, and particularly those who profess to be Missouri Synod, who would go to Luther, Melancthon, Chemnitz, and other “old” Lutheran theologians bypassing C.F.W. Walther and Franz Pieper are thereby revealing themselves as not of the “old” Missouri.  In reality, they are name-only Lutherans.  It was through C.F.W. Walther that Lutheranism was brought to our time. There were those who recognized it like Herman A. Preus, Jacob Aal Ottesen and U.V. Koren of the Norwegians, and A. Hönecke of Wisconsin. They rejoiced at true doctrine.  But there were many who fought the doctrines they taught...
   Lutherans on most continents and particularly America, Australia, Germany, and Scandinavian countries knew of C.F.W. Walther and his teachings. His writings in Der Lutheraner and Lehre und Wehre received wide publication in these lands or were mentioned by emigrants in America back to their former homelands.  In reality, his doctrine went out to the world.
   Many times various names are advanced: Wilhelm Löhe of Germany, Charles Porterfield Krauth of the General Council, J. Michael Reu of Iowa Synod, R.C.H. Lenski of the Ohio Synod, Hermann Sasse of Germany/Australia, Werner Elert of Germany, not to mention other noted names of today.  Many of these actually fought the doctrine taught by Walther.
   No, it was C.F.W. Walther who carried forward the true Lutheran doctrine of the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries (ie Christian doctrine) to our times. And because he was faithful to this teaching, Franz Pieper, Walther’s successor as President of Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, was at the forefront of those carrying this into the 20th Century.
   The Evangelical Free Church of Germany received its doctrine from C.F.W. Walther. The Synodical Conference received its doctrine from C.F.W. Walther. The Lutheran Church in Australia received its doctrine from C.F.W. Walther.
   As Luther, Melancthon (his early position), Chemnitz, and Gerhard are honored for their doctrine, so the list must be added to now.  C.F.W. Walther and Franz Pieper stand in this line.  To God Be The Glory!

Gravesites for Walther and Pieper

[2019-06-09: corrected date and added link below]
C.F.W. Walther was much revered and honored in his day for the beauty of his Christian teaching.  His watch word was "Back To Luther!".  Here are pictures of his grave site and cemetery which show the high esteem in which he was held:

Now below are pictures for the "Elisha" to Walther, Franz Pieper.  He was not buried in Concordia Cemetery with Walther and others from the old Missouri Synod but in a church cemetery on the north side of St. Louis. Perhaps it was the church where he was pastor, I don't know.

These pictures were taken in 2002.  His grave site is located in what is now a poor section of St. Louis.  His grave stone is leaning.  I was told by the pastor of this church then that "Hundreds of markers were removed several years before my time, after vandals had overturned them."  But Dr. Pieper would not mind the poor condition of this cemetery and his headstone for his main interest was to hold fast to true doctrine and to spread the pure Gospel.

Such is the honor for "The American Luther" and "The Twentieth Century Luther".
= = = = = = = = = =
2019-06-09: corrected date and added link:
Update 1/14/2013:  President Matthew Harrison produced a short video at Pieper's gravesite – see my link to it in a blog post of November 18, 2012.  And today, I ran across a copy of a photo of Pieper's gravestone in the 1931 1932 volume of Der Lutheraner (page 206):

On that same page is a short announcement:

Dr. Pieper is resting next to his daughter preceding his death, not far from the grave of the late Rev. J.F. Buenger, who had developed such a beneficial activity here in St. Louis. The monument cost about $800.  May it remind many of the pure doctrine, the word of the cross, that the fallen asleep proclaimed so faithfully in word and writing!  His memory remains among us in the blessing!

Elijah and Elisha, Walther and Pieper

As Elisha followed Elijah the prophet with a "double portion" of Elijah's spirit (2 Kings 2:9), so Franz Pieper followed C.F.W. Walther, the first leader of the Missouri Synod.  O how the spirit of Walther's true teaching followed beautifully with Dr. Pieper!  O how I pray that God would raise up teachers like Walther and Pieper today!  But we still have their writings.  Many of their doctrinal writings and sermons have been translated into English... a wonderful treasury of doctrinal teaching.  And God has wonderfully provided tools in these last days to unlock the still untranslated German writings of these men and others in the old German Missouri Synod.  I will be sharing some of the unlocked treasures as I can.

Today's Jewish charges against Luther.

[Updated July 27, 2014]
... in general are the same as before: "Anti-Semitism".  The charge is becoming more widespread in today's world.  Volumes could be written about this charge (and it's confusing nature) but the only point that matters is: what is the truth? 
1) Is Jesus really the long promised Messiah or not?
2) Was Luther really against the Jewish people?

Let's start with the second question.  Luther used the following terms in his writings against the Jews:
a) "accursed rabbis"  (pg 176)
b) "their poor youth and of the common man" (pg 176)
c) "... poisoning the minds of their poor youth and the simple Jews against the person of our Lord" (pg 258)
d) "... I advise that their rabbis be forbidden to teach...  holding the poor Jews captive..."

So we see that Luther viewed the Jewish people taught by their rabbis to be poor and showed sympathy for them.  He held their rabbis in utter contempt.  So much for the charge of "Anti-Semitism" which is meant to poison the public about Luther.  Luther was not "Anti-Semitic" (or anti-Jewish people), but anti-Jewish teaching.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

As to the first question about Jesus being the Messiah... it is a good question.  It can only be determined by faith. The most "scholarly" person in the world could prove it (or disprove it) by the Scriptures, but if he does not believe it, it is all for nothing.  Luther believed it.  And he did so by the working of the Holy Spirit through the Word.

BTW, you can read (or print out) Luther's writing "On The Jews And Their Lies" here: (now broken, taken over by an Italian casino)
http://www.humanitas-international.org/showcase/chronography/documents/luther-jews.htm
If Humanitas International decides to pull this off the web, try getting it through the "WayBack Machine".

[2017-12-16: Removed link to original site so that it does not send to a malicious site; July 27, 2014:  As of the end of 2013, Humanitas-International.org is off the Internet -- their website taken over by an Italian casino (ha!).  But this writing of Luther is still available via the Wayback Machine here.]
(Thanks to Humanitas International for this publication of Luther.  Although they are publishing it to "warn" the public about Luther, yet it serves a spiritual purpose they do not intend...  spreading true Christian doctrine.)

Luther's scriptural basis for writings against the Jews.

In the American edition of Luther's Works, vol. 47, the editor points out Luther's four Old Testament scriptural texts concerning the coming of the Messiah on pages 134 and 176.  They are:
1) Gen. 49:10
2) II Samuel 23:5 (last words of David)
3) Haggai 2:6-9
4) Daniel 9:24

The editor calls them the "classic four" and implies they are a re-hash of previous writers. On page 176, he calls the Genesis passage "enigmatic" (perplexing,  mysterious).  He is basically saying these passages are open to interpretation.  But God had a definite message to convey and the editor does not seem to get the message.  This is because of unbelief.  But God demands belief or faith... we are to believe him at his Word!  Jesus said (Luke 24: 25-26):

O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?  And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

Dear reader, memorize these words of Jesus... I have.    The Old Testament speaks of the Messiah... don't be fooled by "scholars" who question this.  And don't be fooled by the Jews of today.

Franz Pieper website

I composed the website www.franzpieper.com many years ago after doing extensive research on Dr. Franz Pieper.  The material there may seem to ramble, but I was on a mission.  It seems Dr. Pieper's reputation had been tarnished by those who followed him at Concordia Seminary and the Missouri Synod.  But after reading his major work of Christian Dogmatics (3 volume set), I knew there was something wrong with those who made charges against him.  This is because his writings only build up true Christian faith and so I could not see how he could cause divisiveness.
I now know that those who charged him with improper advise and conduct relating to church fellowship matters were the ones who led to the downfall of the old Missouri Synod.  Today's "Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod" largely apologizes for Luther.  Not so the old (German) Missouri Synod.

More on Luther's writing "On the Jews and Their Lies"

There are virtually no writers today who follow Luther, especially in this writing.  Why?  Because of Nazi Germany. To various degrees, Luther and Christianity are being blamed for the famed "Holocaust", that is the "genocide of approximately six million European Jews during World War II... by Nazi Germany". (Wikipedia).

But the St. Louis Edition (volume 20, intro page 63, Google Books here) of Luther's writing (in German) had this comment about Luther's harsh proposals for the Jews (my own best translation):

Here Luther goes, though as we see from paragraph 315 of this writing that this advice is only given to the government, in his eagerness for God's glory advises to interfere too far in matters of religion with the fist. But we suspect that this was just a blank shot, to defend against the great audacity of the Jews; because we do not hear that such had been carried out, at least in Luther's day, what certainly would have happened if Luther had insisted on it with all earnestness.

So we see true followers of Luther (the old German Missouri Synod) saw his harsh proposal in a spiritual light...  "a blank firing, to defend against the great audacity of the Jews".

- - - - - - - - Note (1) of St. Louis Edition introduction to volume 20, page 63 - in German. - - - - -

(1) Hier geht Luther, wiewohl es, wie wir aus § 315 (Bande 20, Seite 1994) dieser Schrift sehen, nur die Obrigkeit ist, der dieser Rath ertheilt wird, in seinem Eifer für GOttes Ehre darin zu weit, dass er räth, in Sachen der Religion mit der Faust einzugreifen. Doch vermuthen wir, dass dies nur ein Schreckschuss gewesen ist, im der grossen Frechheit der Juden zu wehren; denn wir hören nicht, dass solches, wenigstens zu Luthers Zeiten, ausgeführt worden sei, was sicherlich geschehen wäre, wenn Luther mit ganzem Ernst darauf bestanden hätte.

Modern "theological" words...

The below are probably the words of Franklin Sherman, editor for Fortress Press for Luther's Works volume 47, "On the Jews and Their Lies". They show the editor judging Luther, but Luther shows scriptural bases for the Christian faith in this writing of his. The editor called himself a "Lutheran" but rejects this whole writing of Luther because it contains what most consider harsh means of dealing with the Jews by the government.

Page 123: exposure... of his writings to modern critical judgment is an inherent purpose of this American edition.

forced them into usury (by "Christian society", p 125)

medieval prejudices (p. 127)

genre

motifs (p. 126)

"christological"

the great Jewish scholar

the great Jewish leader

the classic four (scriptural texts)

psychological analysis (p. 131)

"reputed calumnies against the persons of Jesus and of Mary" (page 134)

"...obscured the human countenance of the opponent." (page 132)

Luther's anti-Semitism (p. 131)

"insulting" Christianity (Jews don't insult Christianity, p. 129)

crudity of its language... inhumanity of its proposals concerning treatment of the Jews (p. x)