Walter Grundmann

Walter Grundmann (* 21st October 1906 in Chemnitz , † the 30th August 1976 in Eisenach ) was a German Protestant theologian in the era of National Socialism and in the GDR .

Since 1930 a member of the NSDAP and since 1933 an active member of the German Christians , whose guidelines that apply throughout the German Reich he wrote, Grundmann was appointed academic director of the newly founded Institute for Researching Jewish Influence on German Church Life in Eisenach in 1939 of state anti-Semitism carried out the "de-Judaization" of the Bible and theological training. Regardless of this active Nazi past, Grundmann regained a certain reputation as a theologian in the GDR; his commentaries on the Gospel, which appeared in 1959, were in demand standard literature until the 1980s. He also worked for the Ministry of State Security , under the code name GI Berg .

Education and theological development until 1939

Grundmann's father was a railway inspector. As a teenager he was in Christian clubs. According to his own statement, he decided to study theology after reading Johannes Müller's then popular book The Sermon on the Mount . In it the author did not want to portray Jesus of Nazareth as a Jew , but as a "German figure". Grundmann visited him once at his Elmau Castle .

From 1926 to 1930 Grundmann studied in Leipzig , Rostock and Tübingen with prominent Protestant theologians such as Albrecht Alt , Adolf Schlatter , Karl Heim , Johannes Leipoldt and Paul Tillich . After his first theological exam, from October 1930 to March 1932 he was assistant to Gerhard Kittel , for whose theological dictionary on the New Testament he wrote 20 articles. At Kittel he also wrote his dissertation on the concept of power in the New Testament world of thought , which was published as a book in 1932.

Parallel to his studies, he was interested in politics and became a member of the NSDAP on December 1, 1930, and since 1934 a supporting member of the SS . On May 1, 1932, he took over a pastor's position as an assistant pastor in Oberlichtenau near Kamenz and at the same time headed the Nazi pastors' association in Saxony . He welcomed the “ seizure of power ” by Adolf Hitler in January 1933 with his text Total Church in Total State . It said: "The message of Christ does not make us un-German, but completes our Germanness." The question of the race of Jesus Christ is unimportant: He is only to be understood as a "miraculous creation of God beyond all racial contexts".

In the spring of 1933 he joined the Faith Movement German Christians (DC) and founded a subgroup in Saxony for them. The also belonging Saxon regional bishop Friedrich Coch made him his assistant in the rank of senior church councilor in November . As such, Grundmann published the monthly journal Christenkreuz und Hakenkreuz . He wrote 28 theses that were accepted as binding guidelines by the DC and the regional churches led by them - in addition to Saxony, Braunschweig , Mecklenburg , Oldenburg and Schleswig-Holstein .

In it, Grundmann again explained the question of whether Jesus was an Aryan or a Jew as irrelevant to its significance. In any case, he represents an image of God that is fundamentally different from Judaism . The Old Testament (OT) is an inferior religious-historical document compared to the New Testament (NT) , which illustrates the decline of Judaism through its separation from the true God . His “Jewish folk morality and folk religion” has been overcome and outdated; the curse of God weighed on this people to this day. For the sake of this knowledge the people's church can not give up the Old Testament. Grundmann later withdrew from this retention of the OT for the same reason - the alleged corruption and cursedness of Judaism.

After Reinhold Krause's highly acclaimed speech in the Berlin Sports Palace on November 13, 1933, some DC church leaderships, including those of Saxony, were ousted. For this reason, Grundmann was temporarily given leave of absence as senior church councilor in 1935. However, he remained active with the now fragmented DC and in 1936 brought together two of their subgroups, the People's Missionary Movement in Saxony and the Church Movement German Christians in Thuringia.

In the winter semester of 1936, Grundmann received the professorship of the New Testament scholar Erich Fascher at the University of Jena, initially on a trial basis. The University of Jena was to become a nationwide university of National Socialism . In 1938, the rector Wolf Meyer-Erlach appointed Grundmann a full professor of New Testament and Völkisch theology without habilitation , professional performance records and the approval of the dean of the theological faculty and recommended him as a role model for all faculties: his academic work would be “groundbreaking for a National Socialist one Attitude in the field of theology ”. Hitler's handwritten signature bore his certificate of appointment.

On February 11, 1939, Grundmann gave his inaugural lecture on the question of the oldest figure and the original meaning of the mountain speech of Jesus . In it he claimed that the oldest version of the Bergrede (Lk 6.20-49) did not contain any Jewish or Old Testament motifs; this was first brought in by the evangelist Matthew . Jesus' concern was the fight against Judaism. He had rejected the rabbinical interpretation of the Old Testament commandments in the Halacha (oral tradition of interpretation of the Torah ) and contrasted the “Jewish idea of ​​retribution ” with a personal “ Abba God ” of individual forgiveness and interpersonal love without ties to the Jewish people. That is why the Jewish leaders of Palestine practiced his crucifixion .

Academic Director of the Institute for the “De-Judgment” of Church and Theology (1939–1945)

Walter Grundmann: The de-Jewification of religious life as a task of German theology and the church

From the beginning of 1938, German Christian church leaders pushed through the implementation of their guidelines and founded an academic association for German Christianity at the Wartburg in February . The establishment of an anti-Semitic institute for “de-Judging the Church” was also discussed. The suggestion for this came from the Thuringian state superintendent Hugo Pich . His demands were passed on to all regional bishops on November 15, 1938 - one week after the November pogroms ; on November 21, Grundmann responded with the concrete planning of a “central department for the de-Jewification of religious and ecclesiastical life”. Because the “ Jewish question ” has now entered its “most acute stage”; the churches must now consistently separate everything that is Jewish in all their areas of activity. The central department should therefore cover three areas:

• a research institute in Jena that was supposed to publish a scientific journal
• a Bible society that should prepare and publish a "de-Judged people's Bible"
• a school for further training for pastors, teachers and church representatives, which should give them the latest knowledge of the other two departments.

The Evangelical Church should this institute in constant close cooperation with the Reich Propaganda Ministry , the Reich Church Ministry , the Reich Ministry of Education , the national leadership of the Nazi Party and the Gauleiter Julius Streicher set up.

After further consultations and with the support of most of the regional churches, the institute was founded on May 6, 1939 on the Wartburg. The head was the Oberregierungsrat Siegfried Leffler ; Grundmann was appointed academic director. In his opening speech, he compared the task with the Reformation : Just as Martin Luther had to overcome internationalist Catholicism , Protestantism must overcome Judaism today in order to understand Jesus' true message. Its spiritual elements blocked the Germans from accessing the Bible. Just as Hitler wanted a “Jewish-pure” Germany, one wanted to support him with a “Jewish-pure” Christianity.

Contrary to Grundmann's plan, the institute was not established at the University of Jena, but in Eisenach . The sponsor was the National Church Unification of German Christians , which financed 11 out of 16 Protestant regional churches.

The institute was closely related to other academic institutions devoted to research on the opponents of racist Nazi politics, such as the Reich Institute for the History of New Germany with a department for Jewish research, in which the Tübingen New Testament scholar Gerhard Kittel and the later Heidelberg New Testament scholar and Qumran researcher Karl Georg Kuhn were anti-Semitic, and the Institute for Research on the Jewish Question in Frankfurt. Grundmann's institute saw itself as part of this scientific commitment (“fight”) on an explicitly racist-biological basis (influence from Hans FK Günther ). This is how Grundmann put it in his theological program, printed under the title Völkische Theologie :

“ Völkisch theology differs from previous theology in that it cannot and does not want to think otherwise than from the basis of a Volkisch-political anthropology. ... Völkisch-political anthropology, however, sees the human being as an organically structured unity, an organic unity of body and soul, determined by his race; structured as classified in the overarching unity of the people. "

Grundmann personally prepared reports for the Reich Security Main Office (RSHA), which planned and directed the “ final solution to the Jewish question ”. Grundmann expressly shared the goals of the named scientific institutions: the "elimination of Judaism" and the "final solution to the Jewish question". To what extent he was informed about the indiscriminate and massive murder of Jewish children, women and men cannot be determined with certainty. His teacher Kittel, at least, had already considered the “extermination of Judaism” and the “killing” of Jews in 1933, but rejected it because of the ethical consequences for Germans. Anyway Grundmann was like all employees of these institutions over the information service of the Reich Security Main Office, which is the basis for the corresponding announcements in the magazine world fight was (from 1941 "Scientific quarterly by the Institute for the Study of the Jewish Question"), detailed information on the deprivation of rights, ghettoization and " Resettlement ”of European Jewry. He himself wrote in the foreword to Volume 3 of the Institute's publications on March 25, 1943:

“The decisive struggle for freedom and the life of our people reveals itself more and more clearly as a struggle against the corrosive and destructive forces in all areas of life. The Jew is visible everywhere behind these corrosive powers. "

Grundmann's fundamental anti-Semitism and the importance he attached to scientific work in the fight against Judaism became particularly clear in his work The Religious Face of Judaism (publications by the Institute for Research into Jewish Influence on German Church Life, 1942):

“But the one fact will remain immovable through all time: a healthy people must and will reject Judaism in every form. ... Germany nevertheless has the historical justification and the historical justification to fight against Judaism on its side. To prove this proposition is the special concern of this book; and later research will not be able to change anything about this proposition! So this work serves the great fate of the German nation for its political and economic, intellectual and cultural and also for its religious freedom. "

At the end of his contribution, Grundmann stated:

“The Jew must be viewed as a hostile and harmful alien and be excluded from any influence. In this necessary process, German humanities have the task of clearly recognizing the spiritual and religious face of Judaism ... "

A scientific paper on him comes to the conclusion: "Grundmann was also one of those university theologians who can be assumed to have sufficient knowledge of the consequences of their theological and church-political actions."

From today's point of view, the more practical theological works appear to be comparatively harmless, even if they are to be assessed as particularly fatal from a theological point of view ( Hermann Sasse called Grundmann the “gravedigger of our church in Thuringia” as early as 1944). This includes the compilation, reformulation and “rewording” of an “un-Jewish” New Testament in the sense of Alfred Rosenberg's demand for a “Fifth Gospel”, which he set up in his book The Myth of the 20th Century, which was enthusiastically welcomed by many DC . Many confessional Christians also endorsed this work of the institute in the hope that a poetic popularization of biblical content could counteract the movement of leaving the church from 1937 to 1940 and encourage people to remain in the churches.

In 1940 the “ People's Testament ” appeared together with a catechism . It took up the anti- Judaistic criticism of the Bible that had become common since the 19th century , for example by rejecting the Pauline doctrine of justification as a Jewish “wage-punishment morality” and thus separating it from the Torah of the God of Israel YHWH . It now proclaimed an " Aryan Jesus" who did not come from Judaism and who had set his image of God against it. The poetic text version came from the well-known ballad poet and owner of the Eugen Diederichs publishing house, Lulu von Strauss and Torney . However, the people's will, which was promoted by the Protestant regional churches of the time, did not meet with the hoped-for approval among German Protestants.

In the spring of 1943 Grundmann was drafted into the military and therefore initially temporarily handed over the management of the institute to Heinz Erich Eisenhuth , who was then drafted into the Wehrmacht himself in autumn 1943. Georg Bertram took over the management of the institute .

Activity after the Second World War

In 1945, Grundmann was taken prisoner by the Soviets , from which he was released in autumn that year. His request to transfer a pastor's position in the Saxon regional church was rejected by the provisional church leadership because of his leading position among German Christians. Because of his membership in the NSDAP, he initially lost his professorship. The Allied authorities had his works removed from the public libraries.

In 1947 Grundmann succeeded in getting a job with the Inner Mission in Waltershausen . There he was hired as a pastor in 1950. The Catechetical Oberseminar Naumburg (Saale) gave him a teaching position in 1954; another was added at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Leipzig . In 1954 he became rector of the Eisenach catechetical seminar , where he also worked as a lecturer in the Bible. With that he was again responsible for the theological training of pastors in the Thuringian regional church. In addition, it also shaped the education of students at the Eisenach church music school.

An appointment by Grundmann was considered at the universities of Leipzig, Jena and Greifswald, but was rejected with reference to his work during the Nazi era. In the 1960s, the Evangelical Church in the GDR also appointed him to be a consultant at the Evangelical Publishing House in Berlin. The latter published his commentaries on the Gospel, which were often sold in East and West Germany, which, in their revision by Wolfgang Wiefel, are still listed today as standard literature in biblical studies. In the meantime, his anti-Semitic writings from the time before 1945 are being reprinted in right-wing extremist circles.

In the GDR , Grundmann was regarded as a respected theological teacher until his retirement in 1975, despite his Nazi past. A year earlier, the church government again awarded him the title of "church council" to recognize his work and to increase his pension. He also kept his connections to the recognized Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas , to which he had been appointed in 1938 through the mediation of Gerhard Kittel . After the fall of the Wall in the GDR (1989), investigations into the files of the State Security showed that Grundmann had been listed as an unofficial employee there. His work for the Ministry for State Security (MfS) under the code name "GI (IM) Berg" was done out of conviction and extended over the period from 1956 to 1969. Grundmann was of the opinion that every state had the right to the full loyalty of its To demand citizens. He worked conspiratorially with the MfS, took on orders, drafted memoranda, handed over internal church materials, gave access to private letters and accepted money. The MfS wanted to use its aversion to members of the former Confessing Church. Grundmann provided covert information about bishops in the highest ranks in both West and East Germany and "stock analyzes on church matters of the broadest kind".

bibliography

1 Independent Publications

1.1 National Socialist

• In the fight for God. A word about the wicked movement . Chemnitz 1931; 32 pp.
• The concept of power in the New Testament world of thought . As: Contributions to the science of the Old and New Testament, Volume 60. Kohlhammer, Berlin 1932.
• God and Nation. An evangelical word on the will of National Socialism and Rosenberg's interpretation of the meaning . As: Voices from the German Christian student movement, booklet 81. Furche, Berlin 1933.
• God and Nation. An evangelical word on the will of National Socialism and Rosenberg's interpretation of the meaning . 2., ext. Edition series voices from the German Christian student movement, booklet 81. Furche, Berlin 1933; 124 pp.
• Religion and race. A contribution to the question of “national awakening” and “living faith in Christ” . Series of publications of the National Socialist Pastors' Working Group, No. 3. Meister, Werdau 1933; 24 pp.
• Total church in total state . With a foreword by Friedrich Carl Coch. As: Church in the Third Reich . o. B, Günther, Dresden 1934; 80 pp.
• The 28 theses of the German Christians . Imperial Edition. Explained by Walter Grundmann. German-Christian publishing house, Dresden 1934; 64 pp.
• The way of the German Christians to German Christianity. Sermon for the morning service and lectures at the state training conference of German Christians in Dresden on June 24, 1934 . As: Writings of the German Christians, No. 6. Deutsch-Christian Verlag, Dresden 1934; 48 pp.
• The solution. The further path of the German Christians . German-Christian publishing house, Dresden 1935; 30 pp.
• German Christianity or confessionalism . Verlag Deutsche Christen, Weimar 1936; 16 pp.
• The God of Jesus Christ . Verlag Deutsche Christen, Dresden 1936; 68 pp.
• The Passion of the Savior, proclaimed the German present. A homiletic study of the proclamation of the passion . Series of publications of the Working Group of National Socialist Pastors and Teachers, Issue 13. Welzel, Dresden 1936; 44 pp.
• Volkish theology . Series of writings on the National Church, issue 1. Verlag Deutsche Christen, Weimar 1937; 24 pp.
• Childhood of God in the history of Jesus and its preconditions for the history of religion . Series of studies on German theology and piety, volume 1. Verlag Deutsche Christen, Weimar 1938; 168 pp.
• The de-Jewification of religious life as a task of German theology and the Church . Writings on the National Church, Volume 11. Verlag Deutsche Christen, Weimar 1939; 22 pp.
• The question of the oldest form and the original meaning of Jesus' mountain speech . Writings on the National Church, Volume 10. Verlag Deutsche Christen, Weimar 1939; 20 pp.
• Jesus the Galilean and Judaism . Series of publications by the Institute for Research into the Jewish Influence on German Church Life, undated, Wigand, Leipzig 1940; 246 pp.
• Who is Jesus of Nazareth? Verlag Deutsche Christen, Weimar 1940; 72 pp.
• Acceptance and interpretation of the message of Jesus in early Christianity . As: Studies on German Theology and Piety, Volume 3. Verlag Deutsche Christen, Weimar 1941; 200 pp.
• with Karl Friedrich Euler: The religious face of Judaism. Origin and Art . As: Germanism, Christianity and Judaism, supplements, booklet 2. Wigand, Leipzig 1942; 176 pp.
• The empire of the Germans . Series of publications on troop support, issue 52. o. O. 1944; 104 pp.

1.2 The transitional work

• Paul Gerhardt “ Now let's go and kick ” . As: Das Lied der Kirche , issue 1. Wartburg-Verlag. Jena 1953; 8 p.
• Paul Eber “When we are in dire straits” . As: The song of the church , booklet 2. Wartburg-Verlag. Jena 1953; 8 p.
• Paul Speratus “It is salvation and we come here” . As: Das Lied der Kirche , Issue 3. Wartburg-Verlag. Jena 1953; 8 p.
• Nikolaus Selneker "Let me be yours and stay" . As: Das Lied der Kirche , No. 4. Wartburg-Verlag, Jena 1953; 8 p.
• Philipp Nikolai “ How beautifully the morning star shines for us ” . As: Das Lied der Kirche , No. 5. Wartburg-Verlag, Jena 1953; 8 p.
• Johann Heermann "O God, you pious God" . As: The Song of the Church , No. 6/7. Wartburg-Verlag, Jena 1953; 16 pp.
• Georg Neumark " Who only lets God rule " . As: The Song of the Church , issue 8/9. Wartburg-Verlag, Jena 1951; 16 pp.
• Martin Rinkart " Now everyone thanks God " . As: The Song of the Church . Issue 10. Wartburg-Verlag, Jena 1951; 8 p.
• Martin Luther " Now rejoice, dear Christians, g'mein " . As: The Song of the Church , No. 11. Wartburg-Verlag, Jena 1951; 8 p.
• Martin Luther " A strong castle is our God " . As: Das Lied der Kirche , No. 12. Wartburg-Verlag, Jena 1951; 8 p.
• Martin Luther “ From heaven high, there I come from ” . As: The Song of the Church . Issue 13. Wartburg-Verlag, Jena 1954; 8 p.
• Michael Altenburg "Do not despair, you little bunch" . As: The Song of the Church . Issue 14. Wartburg-Verlag, Jena 1954; 8 p.
• Valerius Herberger “ I want to give you valet ” . As: The Song of the Church . Issue 15. Wartburg-Verlag, Jena 1954; 8 p.
• Josua Stegmann “ Oh stay with your grace ” . As: The Song of the Church . Issue 16. Wartburg-Verlag, Jena 1954; 8 p.
• Paul Fleming “In all my deeds” . As: The Song of the Church . Issue 17. Wartburg-Verlag, Jena 1954; 8 p.
• The Erfurt regulator altar. A picture book . With photographs by Alix Krahmer. As: Treasures from Thuringian churches . [Volume 1] Evangelische Verlags-Anstalt, Berlin 1957; 24, 40 pp.
• Carved altars around the Hexengrund . With photographs by Günter Ziegler. As: Treasures from Thuringian churches . Volume 2, Evangelische Verlags-Anstalt, Berlin 1957; 16, 48 pp.

1.3 The factory from 1956

• The story of Jesus Christ . Evangelische Verlags-Anstalt, Berlin 1956.
• The Gospel according to Mark . 2nd edition of the New Theological Hand Commentary on the New Testament . Edited by Erich Fascher. Volume 2. Evangelische Verlags-Anstalt, Berlin 1959.
• The gospel according to Luke . 2nd edition of the New Theological Hand Commentary on the New Testament . Edited by Erich Fascher, Volume 3. Evangelische Verlags-Anstalt, Berlin 1961.
• Testimony and form of the Gospel of John. A study of the intellectual and creative achievement of the fourth evangelist . As: essays and lectures on theology and religious studies . Volume 19. Evangelische Verlags-Anstalt, Berlin 1961.
• The Epistle to the Romans of the Apostle Paul and its interpretation by Martin Luther . Böhlau, Weimar 1964.
• Reconnected to the origin. Information of faith for the questioning person of the present . Evangelische Verlags-Anstalt, Berlin 1965.
• The language of the altar. On the statement of faith in the German winged and shrine altar . Evangelische Verlags-Anstalt, Berlin 1966; 166 pp.
• The gospel according to Matthew . As: Theological hand commentary on the New Testament . Edited by Erich Fascher. Volume 1. Evangelische Verlags-Anstalt, Berlin 1968; XX, 580 pp.
• The decision of Jesus. On the historical significance of the figure of Jesus of Nazareth . Evangelische Verlags-Anstalt, Berlin 1972; 66 pp.
• Early Christianity and its Scriptures . Evangelical Main Bible Society, Altenburg 1973; 152 pp.
• The letter of Judas and the second letter of Peter . As: Theological hand commentary on the New Testament . Edited by Erich Fascher. Volume 15. Evangelische Verlags-Anstalt, Berlin 1974; XIV, 126 pp.
• Jesus of Nazareth. Guarantee between God and man . As: personality and history . Volume 83. Verlag Musterschmidt, Göttingen 1975. 112 pp.
• The master H. W. The work of Hans Witten , with photos by Klaus G. Beyer. Evangelische Verlags-Anstalt, Berlin 1976; 70 pp.
• Changes in the understanding of salvation. Three abandoned essays on New Testament theology . As: essays and lectures on theology and religious studies . Volume 65. Evangelische Verlags-Anstalt, Berlin 1980; 58 pp.
• Early Christianity and its Scriptures. Environment, origin and character of the New Testament books . Edited and provided with a foreword by Klaus Haacker. Calwer publishing house, Stuttgart 1983; 142 pp.
• The witness of the truth. Fundamentals of the Christology of the Gospel of John . Edited and provided with an introduction by Wolfgang Wiefel. Evangelische Verlags-Anstalt, Berlin 1985.
• Wisdom in the horizon of the kingdom of God. Considerations on the message of Christ and the understanding of Christ in the light of wisdom in Israel . Stuttgart 1988.

2 dependent publications (selection)

• The national movement under the word of God. In: Pastoral Papers. 75th year. 6th issue. Publishing house C. Ludwig Unartikel, Dresden 1933.
• The word of Jesus' friends (Joh. XV, 13-16) and the Lord's Supper . In: Jan Willem Doeve, Willem Cornelis van Unnik (eds.): Novum Testamentum. An international quarterly for New Testament and related studies . Volume 3. Verlag E. J. Brill, Leiden (The Netherlands) 1959, pp. 62-69.
• ´ Annunciation and history in the account of the entrance of the story of Jesus in the Gospel of John . In: Helmut Ristow, Karl Matthiae (ed.): The historical Jesus and the kerygmatic Christ. Contributions to understanding Christ in research and preaching . Evangelische Verlagsanstalt Berlin, Berlin 1960, pp. 289–309; 710 pp.
• Understanding and movement of faith in the Gospel of John . In: Gerhard Gloege, Regin Prenter, Edmund Schlink (eds.): Kerygma and Dogma. Journal for theological research and church teaching. Volume 6. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht , Göttingen 1960, pp. 131–154.
• On the speech of Jesus about the Father in the Gospel of John. An editorial and confessional study of John 20:17 and his preparation. In: Walther Eltester (Ed.): Journal for New Testament Science and the News of the Older Church, 52. Alfred Töpelmann, Berlin 1961, pp. 213-230.
• Review by Friedrich Büchsel , Jesus the Galileans and Judaism , Leipzig 1940. In: Theologische Literaturzeitung , 1940 Vol. 65.
• Review by Friedrich Büchsel, Who is Jesus of Nazareth? Weimar 1940. In: Theologische Literaturzeitung, Vol. 67, 1942, pp. 91-94.

Literature about Grundmann

1. Independent publications

• Oliver Arnhold: "Dejudification" - Church in the Abyss. Volume 1: The Thuringian Church Movement German Christians 1928–1939, Volume II: The "Institute for Research and Elimination of the Jewish Influence on German Church Life" 1939–1945. Berlin 2010.
• Oliver Arnhold: Walter Grundmann and the "Institute for Research and Elimination of the Jewish Influence on German Church Life". In: Manfred Gailus, Clemens Vollnhals: For a species-appropriate Christianity indeed. Volkish theologians in the “Third Reich”. Göttingen 2016, pp. 203–217.
• Dirk Schuster: The doctrine of "Aryan" Christianity. The scientific self-image in the Eisenach »Entjudungsinstitut« . V&R Academic, Göttingen 2017, ISBN 978-3-8471-0716-3 .
• Roland yours u. a. (Ed.): Walter Grundmann: A New Testament scholar in the Third Reich (work on church and theological history, vol. 21). Leipzig 2007
  • Review: online, by Gernot Facius , in Die Welt , November 8, 2007
• Hans-Joachim Döring, Michael Haspel (eds.): Lothar Kreyssig and Walter Grundmann. Two ecclesiastical political protagonists of the 20th century in Central Germany (scripturae 4). Weimar 2014.
• Susannah Heschel : The Aryan Jesus. Christian Theologians and the Bible in Nazi Germany. Princeton University Press, 2008, ISBN 978-0-691-12531-2 ( online information ).

2. Dependent publications

• Erich Stockhorst: 5000 people. Who was what in the Third Reich . Arndt , Velbert 1967.
• New Testament Theological Dictionary . Lim. Gerhard Kittel, ed. Gerhard Friedrich . Volume 10.1: Register. Kohlhammer Verlag , Stuttgart 1978; 944 pp. 94.
• Klaus-Peter Adam: Walter Grundmann's theological career up to the publication of the 28 theses of the Saxon Volkskirche on the internal structure of the German Evangelical Church at the end of 1933 . In: Christian anti-Judaism and anti-Semitism. Theological and church programs of German Christians . Edited by Leonore Siegele-Wenschkewitz . Arnoldshainer Texte, Volume 85. Haag & Herchen, Frankfurt 1994, pp. 171-190
• Susannah Heschel : Theologians for Hitler . In: Christian anti-Judaism and anti-Semitism. Theological and church programs of German Christians . Edited by Leonore Siegele-Wenschkewitz. Arnoldshainer texts. Writings from the work of the Evangelical Academy Arnoldshain, Volume 85. Haag & Herchen, Frankfurt 1994, pp. 125–170.
• Susannah Heschel: The Nazification of Christian Theology. Walter Grundmann and the Institute for Research into and Elimination of the Jewish Influence on German Church Life . In: Texts and Contexts, Volume 19, 1996, pp. 33–52.
• Kurt Meier: The theological faculties in the Third Reich . de Gruyter study book. o. B., Walter de Gruyter, Berlin 1996.
• "Elimination of Jewish Influence". Anti-Semitic Research, Elites, and Careers under National Socialism . Edited by Andreas Hofmann. Yearbook of the Fritz Bauer Institute on the History and Effects of the Holocaust, 1998/1999. Campus, Frankfurt 1999.
• Leonore Siegele-Wenschkewitz : “My Defense” by Gerhard Kittel and a memorandum by Walter Grundmann . In: Personality and Effectiveness . Edited by Hermann Düringer and Karin Weintz. Arnoldshainer texts. Writings from the work of the Evangelical Academy, 112. Haag & Herchen, Frankfurt 2000, pp. 135–183.
• Wolfgang Schenk : The Jena Jesus. On the work of the national theologian Walter Grundmann and his colleagues . In: The Abused Gospel. Studies on theology and practice of the Thuringian German Christians . Edited by Peter von der Osten-Sacken. Studies on Church and Israel, Volume 20. Berlin 2002, pp. 167–279.
• Peter von der Osten-Sacken: Walter Grundmann. National Socialist, cleric and theologian . In: The Abused Gospel. Studies on theology and practice of the Thuringian German Christians . Edited by Peter von der Osten-Sacken. Studies on Church and Israel, Volume 20. Berlin 2002; 432 pp. 280-312.
• Michael Grüttner : Biographical Lexicon on National Socialist Science Policy (= Studies on Science and University History. Volume 6). Synchron, Heidelberg 2004, ISBN 3-935025-68-8 , pp. 65-66.
• Ernst Klee : The dictionary of persons on the Third Reich . Who was what before and after 1945 (= The time of National Socialism. Bd. 16048). Updated edition. Fischer-Taschenbuch-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 2005, ISBN 3-596-16048-0 .
• Ernst Klee: The cultural lexicon for the Third Reich. Who was what before and after 1945 (= The time of National Socialism. Vol. 17153). Completely revised edition. Fischer-Taschenbuch-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 2009, ISBN 978-3-596-17153-8 .
• Christoph Schmitt:  Walter Grundmann. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 26, Bautz, Nordhausen 2006, ISBN 3-88309-354-8 , Sp. 536-544.
• Lukas Bormann : Walter Grundmann and the Ministry for State Security. Chronicle of a collaboration based on conviction. 1956-1969 . In: Kirchliche Zeitgeschichte, Volume 22. Göttingen 2009, pp. 595–632.
• Jochen Eber: The people's testament of the Germans. The message of God - a German-Christian New Testament in the Third Reich . In: European Journal of Theology 18 (2009), pp. 29-46.
• Oliver Arnhold: “De-Judgment”: Church in the Abyss . Studies on Church and Israel, 25th Institute Church and Judaism at the Humboldt University , Berlin 2010.
  • Vol. I: The Thuringian "Church Movement German Christians" 1928–1939. ISBN 978-3-938435-00-7 .
  • Vol. II: The "Institute for Research and Elimination of the Jewish Influence on German Church Life" 1939–1945 . ISBN 978-3-938435-01-4 .
• Susannah Heschel : The two careers of the theologian Walter Grundmann. The New Testament scholar as a Nazi propagandist and Stasi informant . In: Manfred Gailus : perpetrators and accomplices in theology and churches 1933–1945 . Wallstein, Göttingen 2015, ISBN 978-3-8353-1649-2 , pp. 171–196.

Web links

• Literature by and about Walter Grundmann in the catalog of the German National Library
• Blanka Weber: The forgotten story. The Eisenach Entjudungsinstitut Deutschlandradio Kultur, March 22, 2013
• Carsten Dippel: Theologians of hatred of Jews. The Protestant Church and the dark legacy of anti-Judaism Deutschlandfunk, January 27, 2016

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1. ↑ ^{a b} "Grundmann had no reservations to report, had agreed and then everything went his normal IM way, so to speak: assignments, fulfillments, accounts and so on (...) His level, which is rated as quite high can before 1945 and afterwards, he has also shown here. He did not need very many pages to report, but basically after 3 pages he was finished with extensive analyzes of church matters of the broadest kind. ”( Reinhardt Buthmann ) See also his anti-Semitic inaugural lecture on the question of the oldest form and the original meaning of the Bergrede Jesu as Professor of New Testament and Ethnic Theology at the University of Jena in 1939. Head of the “Entjudungsinstitut” and Stasi-IM - exhibition in the Thuringian state parliament commemorates Walter Grundmann , Deutschlandradio. February 2, 2013. Accessed November 17, 2014. 
2. ^ Grundmann, Walter: Völkische Theologie, Weimar 1937, p. 5 f.
3. ↑ Michael Wildt : Generation of the Unconditional. The Leadership Corps of the Reich Security Main Office, Hamburg 2002, p. 376.
4. ↑ Gerhard Kittel: Die Judenfrage, 2nd ed. 1934, p. 13 f .: "The question of what to do with Judaism can be answered in four ways: 1. One can try to exterminate the Jews (pogroms)" ; P. 14: “The violent extermination of Judaism is out of the question for serious consideration: if the systems of the Spanish Inquisition or the Russian pogroms do not succeed, it will certainly not be possible for the 20th century. ... Killing all Jews does not mean mastering the task. "
5. ↑ Walter Grundmann (Ed.): Germanentum, Christianentum und Judentum  3, Leipzig 1943, foreword.
6. ↑ The Religious Face of Judaism: Origin and Art . Publications of the Institute for Research into the Jewish Influence on German Church Life, 1942, foreword.
7. ↑ The Religious Face of Judaism - Origin and Art . Publications by the Institute for Research into the Jewish Influence on German Church Life, 1942, p. 161.
8. ↑ Birgit Gregor: On Protestant anti-Semitism. Protestant churches and theologians in the time of National Socialism . Fritz Bauer Institute , Yearbook on the History and Effects of the Holocaust 1998/99, Darmstadt 1999, pp. 171–200, especially p. 191
9. ↑ Eberhard Röhn, Jörg Thierfelder: Jews - Christians - Germans, Volume 4 / II 1941–1945; Calwer, Stuttgart 2007, p. 353.
10. ↑ Jochen Birkenmeier, Michael Weise: Research and elimination. The church “Entjudungsinstitut” 1939–1945. Accompanying volume for the exhibition. Lutherhaus Eisenach Foundation, Eisenach 2019, pp. 58, 62.
11. ↑ Markus Hein: The Saxon regional church after the end of the Second World War. Leipzig 2002, pp. 173-176.
12. ↑ Friedemann Stengel: The theological faculties in the GDR as a problem of church and university policy of the SED state up to their conversion into sections 1970/71, works on the history of the church and theology, vol. 3, Leipzig 1998, p. 431.
13. ^ Karl Friedrich Euler and Walter Grundmann: The religious face of Judaism. A publication from the founded in 1939 and dissolved in 1945, u. a. Institute for research into the Jewish influence on German ecclesiastical life, sponsored by eleven Protestant regional churches, Facs. [the edition] Verl. Border and Abroad, 1940, 3rd edition of materials on historical research, volume 18, publishing house for holistic research and culture ( Verlag der Ludendorffer ), Viöl 1997. According to the 1998 Federal Constitutional Protection Report, he is part of "right-wing extremist efforts" and has "specialized in the reprint of ethnic and National Socialist literature from the period between 1918 and 1945: page 75 ( Memento des Originals from 27 January 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 729 kB) 
14. ↑ Lukas Bormann: Walter Grundmann and the Ministry for State Security. Chronicle of a collaboration based on conviction (1956 to 1969) . In: Kirchliche Zeitgeschichte 22 (2009), pp. 595–632.
15. ↑ Clemens Vollnhals (Ed.): The Church Policy of the SED and State Security. An interim balance. Berlin 1996, pp. 215-217, 266.