The Aryan Jesus: Christian Theologians and the Bible in Nazi Germany (review)

A review of Susannah Heschel's The Aryan Jesus reveals the entanglement of anti-Judaism and antisemitism within Nazi Germany, particularly through the Institute for the Study and Eradication of Jewish Influence on German Church Life. Established in 1939 at Wartburg Castle—a site significant to Martin Luther—this institute sought to purge Judaism from Christian doctrine, portraying Jesus as a Gentile and St. Paul as a misrepresentative Jew. It published sanitized biblical texts and hymnals, aligning with Nazi ideological goals. The review highlights key figures like Walter Grundmann, a theologian whose career exemplified the fusion of academic scholarship and Nazi propaganda, later becoming influential in postwar German Protestant circles.

(Ed.). (2010). The Aryan Jesus: Christian Theologians and the Bible in Nazi Germany (review). Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies, 28(2), 184–186. https://doi.org/10.1353/sho.0.0526