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Luther's Tragic Mistake: Commentary on Parts 6-11

© John L. Hoh, Jr.

In this week's selections Luther continues on the subject of circumcision. According to Luther, the act of circumcision practiced by Jews, at least in his day (if Luther is to be believed) went above and beyond what was commanded. A simple command wasn't enough; the rite had to add an extra, seemingly painful element (with the stipulation the circumcision take place on the eighth day a blessing that the child won't remember the pain). Not that adding to God's commands was something new. Eve added to the "Do not eat from the tree command" the additional, "And neither shall we touch it." And the way Luther describes what circumcision had become reminds me of Paul's words in Galatians 5:12.

Luther also reports Moses words about the nature of circumcision. Moses commanded the Israelites to "circumcise their hearts." Can you sense the sarcasm in Luther's voice and pen in his words as he says, "Dear Moses, what do you mean? Does it not suffice that they are circumcised physically? They are set apart from all other nations by this holy circumcision and made a holy people of God. And you rebuke them for stubbornness against God? You belittle their holy circumcision? You revile the holy, circumcised people of God? You should venture to talk like that today in their synagogues! If there were not stones conveniently near, they would resort to mud and dirt to drive you from their midst, even if you were worth ten Moseses."

Luther also quotes Jeremiah's words about being circumcised yet uncircumcised. Again, note the sarcasm: "Jeremiah, you wretched heretic, you seducer and false prophet, how dare you tell that holy, circumcised people of God to circumcise themselves to the Lord? Do you mean to imply that they were hitherto circumcised physically to the devil, as if God did not esteem their holy, physical circumcision? And are you furthermore threatening them with God's wrath, as an eternal fire, if they do not circumcise their hearts?"

Luther also points out that many Goyim came to faith in the Old Testament-but very few were required to be circumcised. (Luther fails to point out that one instance circumcision was commanded the circumcised were killed-Genesis 34.)

But Luther does not fail to record for us the essence of the book of Esther and takes an incident of self-defense and preservation and perverts it into some type of Jewish bloodlust that is celebrated every year on Purim. Note the venom as Luther writes:

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