On the Jews and Their Lies by Martin Luther - A New Translation and Biblical Commentary on Supersessionism (eBook)

Martin Luther treatise and antisemitism work called On the Jews and Their Lies finally meet in one fully annotated and Biblical commentary edition with new translation on Von den Juden und ihren Lügen.

On the Jews and Their Lies

In 1543, Martin Luther published a treatise against the Jewish people that changed the course of European history. Luther was already the most influential Protestant voice in the world. His entire reform movement rested on the great principle of sola scriptura, Scripture alone as the only authority for the Christian church. And in 1543, that same man wrote proposals to burn synagogues, demolish Jewish homes, confiscate prayer books, ban rabbinical teaching, and reduce an entire community to forced labor.

New translation

This translation edition publishes his complete text in modern English for the first time in a fully annotated scholarly format. Then it answers him, using the Bible he claimed to follow.

Here is what this edition does that no other version has done. Luther's original 1543 text had no chapters, no sections, no divisions of any kind. It was one continuous stream of argument, dense and difficult to navigate. This new translation reorganizes the entire work into five thematic parts and fifteen chapters, making the structure of Luther's argument visible for the first time. The translation is arranged into 410 numbered paragraphs across over 49,000 words of translated text, so readers can follow the progression of Luther's reasoning, locate any argument instantly, and see how one claim builds on another across the whole treatise.

The translated language is clear and natural. Luther wrote in the German of the sixteenth century, sharp and often coarse. This translation keeps every argument intact without softening a single claim, while making every sentence readable for a modern audience whether you are a pastor, a seminary student, a historian, or simply a serious reader.

What follows the translation is a scholarly apparatus built for real use. Every chapter includes annotated footnotes in five categories covering theological definitions, biblical references placed in their full context, historical background notes, translation notes from the original German, and cross-references that connect recurring themes across the whole book. Each chapter ends with a theological commentary that locates Luther's argument within the history of replacement theology, evaluates where his reasoning breaks down against his own source texts, and names the biblical passages he suppressed.

Supersessionism / Replacement Theology

Paul wrote in Romans 11:1, "Hath God cast away his people? God forbid." He wrote in Romans 11:29 that "the gifts and calling of God are without repentance." Luther quotes from Romans 11 throughout this treatise. He never quotes those verses.

A plain word about what this book contains. Luther's original text is one of the most historically significant antisemitic documents ever produced by a figure of the Christian tradition. This edition is published strictly as a critical scholarly commentary. The translator and editor expressly and without reservation reject every antisemitic accusation in Luther's original text. The purpose of publishing the full translation is not to spread those accusations but to make them visible, examine them by the standard of the Scripture Luther claimed to follow, and equip believers to recognize replacement theology wherever it appears in Christian preaching and teaching today.

Read what happened. Let the Bible speak.