Täter und Komplizen in Theologie und Kirchen 1933-1945

Abstract

Manfred Gailus’ latest work on the responses of the German churches to National Socialism and the Holocaust is an impressive and beneficial compendium of historical scholarship. This succinct but wide-ranging compilation of focused essays, which originated from a public lecture series that took place at the Topography of Terror in Berlin from 2013 to 2014, is particularly useful for its insightful examination of Christian complicity with, and even perpetration of, some of the nefarious deeds of the Nazi regime. Given the nature of the work, not much substantial new ground is broken in this area of scholarship. Yet, taken together, the collection provides a valuable and well-rounded examination of the syncretized political theology of many Christian (especially Protestant) theologians, clergy and church leaders during the Third Reich. The book comprises a total of eleven chapters, including an introductory chapter by Gailus and a theological afterword by theologian and Berlin Professor of Ancient Christianity, Christoph Markschies. Following Gailus’ introduction, three topical chapters follow, each of which examine happenings in the consequential year in which Hitler and the Nazi regime came to power. These topical essays are followed by six case studies, most of which examine Protestant theologians and church leaders who, through their theology, and in varying degrees, supported Nazi anti-Jewish policy.