The American Jewish world. [volume] (Minneapolis ;) 1915-current, 1920-03-19

humored the Jews by adopting some
of their customs, rites, and institu-
tions, as for instance, the set forms
and times of daily prayer, the more
important of the dietary laws, fast
day patterned after the Day Of Atone
ment, the Kiblat turning toward
Jerusalem in prayer). But when he
found that the Jews were unwilling
to recognize his prophetic mission,
and at times even ridiculed his pre-
tensions to supernatural wisdom and
revelation, he turned in wrath against
them. The Korean is full of abuse,
vituperation, and threats against
Jews and Christians (for Christians
had given him an equally cold recep-
tion). He levels all kinds Of base
less accusations against them, such
as the Justification of their own scrip
lures, and threatens dire punish
ment here and in the hereafter. And
as he gained in power and influence
he was not slow in carrying his
threats into execution. Whole Jewish
tribes in Arabia were either extermi-
mated or exiled by him, and he left
heritage of fanatic zeal and hate
against all dissenters, including Jews,
to his millions Of followers.
Luther's attitude and relation to-
ward the Jews has been very much
the same. At first Luther thought
well of them, and felt kindly toward
them, plying them in their suffering
and misery. To him the sufferings
of the Jews were due to the iniquity
and corruption of Rome, to him a
veritable sink Of depravity. He could
readily see why the Church of Rome
failed to convert the Jews, in spite of
allie Establishments and all tortures.
Our fools, the popes, bishops,
sophists, and monks" says he, "these
coarse blockheads dealt with the Jews
in such manner that any Christian
would have preferred to be a Jew.
Indeed, had l been Jew, and had
Isseen such idiots and thunderheads
expound Christianity I should rather
have become a hog than Christian"
and again: eff I were good Jew,
the pope could never persuade me to
accept his idolatry. would rather
ten times be racked and f1ayed." He
repeats the anecdote, derived from
Bocaccio, of Jew, who desired to
embrace Christianity, but wished first
to see the pope. When the Jew re-
turned from Rome he asked the
priest to baptize him, "for the God of
the Christians must indeed be God
who forgives all iniquity if he suffers
all the rogueries of Rome" In an
other passage he says: eff the
apostles has dealt with the heather
as the Christians deal with the Jews,
none ever would have been converted
to Christianity" all this is contained
in pamphlet of his entitled "Dass
Jesus Elm Geborener Jude Sci" Jesus,
a Born Jew. He closes it with the
following appeal: II would advise
and beg everybody to deal kindly with
the Jews and to instruct them in the
Scripture (sic); in such a case we
could expect them to come over to
us. If, however, we use brute force
and SANDER them, saying that they
need the blood of Christians to get rid
of their stencil, and other nonsense
of that kind and treat them like dogs,
what good can we expect of them?
Finally, how can we expect them to
improve, if we prohibit them to work
among us, and to have social inter-
course with us, and so force them into
usury? If we wish to make them bet
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