Protestant pilgrims to Rome

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Protestant pilgrims to Rome. The betrayal of Luther and the "Myth of the 20th Century" is a 1937 published pamphlet of the NSDAP -Politikers Alfred Rosenberg and a diatribe against the Protestant critics of his book The Myth of the 20th century (1930), most of the Confessing Church belonged.

In the Rome pilgrimage script, Rosenberg calls for the Germans to be detached from Christianity and describes the Christian doctrine of sin and grace as the “doctrine of inferiority ”.

publication

The book was published by Hoheneichen-Verlag , Munich, in August 1937 in an 86-page version and in the same year saw several editions of several hundred thousand copies. After the publication of his book To the Dark Men of Our Time. In response to the attacks on the “Myth of the 20th Century” , in which he had turned against his Catholic critics in 1935, Rosenberg presented the completed Rompilger -schrift - his second supplement to the myth of the 20th century - at Hitler's request back. Although the ban on book criticism ordered by Goebbels came into force on July 1, 1937, several critical statements were issued by the end of 1937.

Reactions of the Evangelical Church

The writing triggered a storm of indignation in the German Evangelical Church , the Evangelical Lutheran Church , the Reichsbruderrat , the Silesian Confession Synod ( Naumburg Synod ), the Martin Luther Bund and other churches associated with them. A public reply from the Protestant church leaders, signed by Otto Zänker , appeared under the title The Declaration of the 96 Protestant Church Leaders Against Alfred Rosenberg .

In the summer of 1937 Theodor Dipper gave lectures in which he dealt critically with Rosenberg. On December 16, 1937, Theodor Dipper was banned from speaking. “With your decree you forbade the preaching of the word of God. As a preacher of the word of God, however, this proclamation is commanded to me, ”he is quoted as saying.

Walter Künneth published, among other things, Against the Falsification of Protestantism. Evangelical response to Alfred Rosenberg's work 'Protestant Pilgrims to Rome' and his reply Dying Protestantism? The evangelical truth , which was circulated in 112,000 copies. His third counterpart, Against the Falsification of Protestantism , was confiscated in October 1937 before going to press. At the end of 1937 , the Reich Main Security Office pronounced a "ban on speaking and writing 'for reasons of state policy'" against Künneth . The University of Berlin withdrew his teaching license. The Gestapo closed the Apologetic Central in Berlin-Spandau, which was part of the Inner Mission and was headed by Künneth.

Rosenberg's pilgrims to Rome also experienced skepticism and occasional criticism from among the ranks of the National Socialist German Christians . In contrast to the Confessing Church, however, they did not interpret Rosenberg as reaching through to theology, but made "the denying both-and-also the determining principle": The National Socialist worldview could coexist with the Christian religion. Siegfried Scharfe declared the German Christians to be a “Volkskirche” and “ready to 'join the great front of the national marchers', but want to 'remain completely true to their spiritual destiny'."

consequences

Rosenberg continued his campaign for the right to life of the churches in the National Socialist state, which was connected with the church struggle, and also came into conflict with party members. Dietrich Müller describes the decline of Rosenberg's strictly anti-church position in the years 1938–1940:

“The rejection of his three 'Mythus' writings did not let Rosenberg rest. In 1939 he wrote a fourth text to clarify the National Socialist terms 'Weltanschauung and religion' as catechism-like theses. The Fuehrer's deputy, Martin Bormann , suggested to Rosenberg - even he no longer had access to Hitler - to distribute it as a brochure within the party so that RMK Kerrl could use his 'foolish assertions' that religion should not be allowed as politics and politics not as religion Be 'abused', the public could not worry. Rosenberg did not allow himself to be dissuaded from his visions, even if, as he admitted, the two churches could not yet be banned as hostile to the state. The publications planned by Rosenberg and Kerrl were postponed by the Führer in 1940 as out of date [.] "

Hitler postponed this dispute until after the " final victory ".

output

Replies

  • Otto Dibelius : Three marginal notes on a chapter Rosenberg [sc. Protestant pilgrims to Rome ], Berlin: Ev. Auxiliary service n.d. [1937]
  • Protestant pilgrims to Rome. Flyer of the Protestant dean Kornacker . Kempten 1937.
  • Walter Künneth: Evangelical truth! A word about Alfred Rosenberg's work “Protestant Pilgrims in Rome” . Wichern-Verlag, Berlin 1937 (30 pages).
  • Ulrich Nielsen (Ed.): A word about Alfred Rosenberg's Protestant Rome pilgrims: Rome pilgrims or Protestants? Schriften-Verlag, Basel [approx. 1937] (12 pages; Evangelical writings , booklet 8).
  • Siegfried Scharfe: betrayal of Luther? Reply to Alfred Rosenberg's “Protestant Pilgrims to Rome” . German Biblical Day, Halle 1937 (31 pages).
  • August Marahrens , Friedrich Müller , Thomas Breit : Declaration against Rosenberg (October 31, 1937) , in: Joachim Beckmann (Ed.): Kirchliches Jahrbuch for the Evangelical Church in Germany 1933–1944 , Gütersloh: Gerd Mohn 2nd edition 1976, p . 211–213 (online at geschichte-bk-sh.de) . Under the title The declaration of the 96 Protestant church leaders against Alfred Rosenberg first printed in: Friedrich Siegmund-Schultze (Hrsg.): Ökumenisches Jahrbuch 1936–1937 , Zurich and Leipzig: Max Niehans 1939, pp. 240–247.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Dietrich Müller: Book review in the political context of National Socialism. Lines of development in reviews in Germany before and after 1933 . Dissertation, University of Mainz 2008 (online: urn : nbn: de: hebis: 77-19345 , PDF, 4.3 MB), pp. 155–158. For a list of book reviews and other journalistic statements see ibid, pp. 215–220.
  2. ^ Dietrich Müller: Book review in the political context of National Socialism. Lines of development in reviews in Germany before and after 1933 . Dissertation, University of Mainz 2008 (online: urn : nbn: de: hebis: 77-19345 , PDF, 4.3 MB), p. 156.
  3. ^ Dietrich Müller: Book review in the political context of National Socialism. Lines of development in reviews in Germany before and after 1933 . Dissertation, University of Mainz 2008 (online: urn : nbn: de: hebis: 77-19345 , PDF, 4.3 MB), p. 156f.
  4. ^ Dietrich Müller: Book review in the political context of National Socialism. Lines of development in reviews in Germany before and after 1933 . Dissertation, University of Mainz 2008 (online: urn : nbn: de: hebis: 77-19345 , PDF, 4.3 MB), p. 159.
  5. ^ Dietrich Müller: Book review in the political context of National Socialism. Lines of development in reviews in Germany before and after 1933 . Dissertation, University of Mainz 2008 (online: urn : nbn: de: hebis: 77-19345 , PDF, 4.3 MB), p. 158f.
  6. ^ Siegfried Scharfe: Betrayal of Luther? Reply to Alfred Rosenberg's “Protestant Pilgrims to Rome” . Deutscher Bibeltag, Halle 1937, pp. 28–31; quoted from Dietrich Müller: Book review in the political context of National Socialism. Lines of development in reviews in Germany before and after 1933 . Dissertation, University of Mainz 2008 (online: urn : nbn: de: hebis: 77-19345 , PDF, 4.3 MB), p. 159.
  7. ^ Dietrich Müller: Book review in the political context of National Socialism. Lines of development in reviews in Germany before and after 1933 . Dissertation, University of Mainz 2008 (online: urn : nbn: de: hebis: 77-19345 , PDF, 4.3 MB), p. 160. Cf. Raimund Baumgärtner: Weltanschauungskampf in the Third Reich. The clashes between the churches and Alfred Rosenberg . Grünewald, Mainz 1977, pp. 75–81, and Martin Broszat: Der Staat Hitler. Foundation and development of his inner constitution . 5th edition, dtv, Munich 1969, pp. 298-300.