"Can one still read Luther's translation today?" I am often asked this when people learn how anti-Semitic Luther was. They fear that Luther's hatred of Jews might have influenced his translation, and that is certainly conceivable.
By Dr. Tobias Krämer
But there's no need to worry about Luther. His translation is not only good, but in some places it demonstrates a remarkable sensitivity to language. Furthermore, it was revised again in 2017. This has done it a world of good, and I personally enjoy reading it very much.
On the other hand, one wishes that most translations would show more sensitivity regarding the topic of Israel/Judaism. Given our church's history of hostility towards Jews, this would be appropriate. The Bible in Just Language explicitly strives for this – though it isn't for everyone – and to some extent, so does the Standard Translation. The other, classic translations tend to be more precise than sensitive (although precision is certainly a high value), and the modern translations are sometimes too free. Those who want a translation very close to the original text (but at the cost of stylistic dryness) are still well-advised to choose the Elberfeld Bible.
Some things simply haven't sunk in yet. Jesus' discourse on purity and impurity (Mark 7) is still interpreted by many Bible translations as meaning that Jesus abolished the dietary laws (v. 19). This is incorrect, because then everyone in Israel would have known that Jesus could be anything but the Messiah. Here, later developments of the Council of Jerusalem, which decided not to extend the dietary laws to Gentile Christians, are being projected back onto Jesus and the internal Jewish situation of his time.
The lens of general suspicion
For New Testament scholars today, it is clear: Jesus was not yet a member of the New Covenant. He was a devout Jew of his time and lived faithfully to the Torah, like all devout Jews in Israel. The discussions Jesus had took place within the context of Judaism in his time. They were about correctly interpreting and applying the Torah, not about challenging it. There is no longer any serious doubt about this. Therefore, we are grateful for the translations by Menge and Schlachter, which render Mark 7:19 differently and preserve Jesus' Jewish identity. In cases of doubt, comparing translations is the best approach. This can easily be done at www.bibleserver.com.
Let's return to Luther. It's so important not to fall into the trap of viewing things through the lens of general suspicion. Because that's how distortions arise. If one recognizes that Luther was anti-Semite, one could see traces of anti-Semitism everywhere in his translations – even where none exist. We know this effect from Israel. Large parts of the world view Israel through the lens of general suspicion. This leads to fatally false judgments such as "genocide in Gaza.".
We see this in everyday life, too. To deliberately play on some clichés: If a woman suspects her husband of never helping in the kitchen, he can do whatever he wants—that's how she sees it. And conversely, if a man sees his wife as being too careless with money, she can be as frugal as she likes—he'll always find counterexamples. In politics today, this kind of general suspicion is used as a tool to discredit political opponents. People abandon the issue at hand, resort to personal attacks, and attack character, and this is how good politicians can be brought down. This is extremely damaging to our democracy.
"Test everything and keep what is good."
We must stick to the truth and the facts as best we can. In Luther's case, the situation is clear: Luther was an anti-Semite, and he produced a good Bible translation. Neither of these should be denied or played off against each other. Luther's translation is not bad because he was an anti-Semite, and his anti-Semitism is not excusable because he was a great translator and reformer. Luther was both – that's the point.
We should distance ourselves from his anti-Semitism, but we can read his translation with an open heart and benefit from it. In this way, we put into practice what Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:21: “Test everything; hold fast to what is good.” We should hold on to what is good; it shouldn't be lost. We can calmly set aside what is bad. If we do this, we are well-positioned.
This article first appeared in our newspaper "Israelaktuell," issue 145. You can order the newspaper here . We would also be happy to send you several copies for distribution.
