D'autres articles de cet numéro | En anglais | En français

The Jews and catechisms in Germany
M.K. - Rome

In considering on the one hand the horrors of the Hitler era, and on the other the tremendous efforts at material renewal in contemporary Germany, - the great theological and pastoral work which has been accomplished since the war, one would expect an equal advance in the presentation of the Jews in Christian catechesis. This, unfortunately, is not the case, despite the recent efforts of several groups active in the field of catechetios.

Beginning with the national catechism "Katholischer Katechismus des Bistilmer Deutschlands", and its accompanying guidebook "Katechetisches Handbuch zum Tf,-.tholischen Katechismus", by A. BARTH, most Catholic religious textbooks continue to transmit to children of all ages the seeds of a "Christian" type of anti-semitism.

The national catechism, at the time of its publication, was hailed everywhere as representing a striking advance from a pedagogical point of view and was, therefore, translated and distributed outside Germany. (See the following article). It is true that in the account of the Passion of Christ, "the Jews" has been replaced by "the enemies of Jesus", but the general impression gained from reading the preceedin and following chapters is that these enemies are precisely the Pharisees (as a whole), the Scribes and the totality of the Jewish people. Consequently, the Jews (in company with infidels, heretics and schismatics) are excluded from the communion of saints, without distinguishing those who serve the Lord according to their conscience and those who do not.

The guidebook serves to reinforce this teaching: Jerusalem is "the capital of His enemies"; the Jews are authorised to hate their enemies and to love only their co-religionists and those whose interests they share (23rd Lesson). "The Pharisees and the Doctors of the Law thought only of themselves; they did not care for the sick, nor for the poor..." Any other people would have believed in Christ: only Israel was capable of refusing to believe. For having rejected Christ, the Jews, in their turn, have been rejected; the destruction of Jerusalem and the sufferings endured since that time are their just punishment (Ch. 29). The triumph of Titus, described in detail, was that of Christ over His enemies and all the booty belonged to him by right. All examples cannot be included here, these few should suffice to give the idea. In the research carried out by Prof. Th. FILTHAUT (1) on the catechisms and guidebooks used in Germany, it can be seen that most are written in the same ambiguous fashion; a few are much worse. As was pointed out by Prof. Dr. Hans JOCHEN GAMM (Das Gespaltene_ Gottesvolk: Deutsche Evangelische Kirchentag, Köln, 1965) : "Children are not born antisemites, it is their environment which makes them so".

In the same article we read: "School textbooks being used in the Federal Republic, particularly for religious instruction and history, contain (as research proves) strong anti-semitic tendencies of which their authors are often not conscious". This fact is equally true of Protestant and Catholic manuals.

What can we hope for in the future?

A new post-conciliar national catechism is being prepared. What tendencies will it reflect? From the Catholic as well as from the Protestant side, theologians have focussed attention on the problem, and suggested certain much needed changes. In the collection of essays edited by Prof. Dr. We. ECKERT, 0.P., and Dr. EHRLICH of the B'nai B'rith, "Judenhass_- Schuld der Christen"? (Hatred of the Jews, the fault of Christians?) - Hans Driemer Verlag, Essen, 1964, - and Rev. J. SOLZBACHER and Clemens THOMA (Austria) in their articles propose several changes which should be made in the present catechisms. The latter also includs a long chapter on this question in his work "Judentum and Christlicher Glaube" (Judaism and Christian belief) of Klosterneuberg, 1965. His suggestions are excellent, but it is evident that the author himself still harbours some prejudice against the Pharisees as a whole. (cf. p.203)

On the Protestant side, two volumes of the reports of Kirchentage (assemblies of the Evangelical Lutheran Church) of 1961, 1963 and 1965

"Der Ungektindigte Bund", (The Unbroken Covenant) and "Das Gespaltene_Gottesvolk" (The People of God divided) 1966, Kreuz Verlag, Stuttgart, Berlin) show that the question was seriously considered by this Church, but that a great part of the work remains to be done.

Prof. Th. FILTHAUT has been commissioned by the Catholic Bishops to see that the new German catechisms, beginning with the new national catechism, are cleansed of all the anti-semitic references with which the former ones are filled, and that, on the contrary, they present the Jews in their rightful place, as seen in the light of Holy Scripture and the ecumenical spirit. However, we refer you to the remarks made above concerning his work "Israel in der Christlichen Unterweisune, (Israel in Christian Instruction) (Ndnchen, 1963). Furthermore, even after textbooks have been revised, it will take a long time to re-educate catechists in a true ecumenical spirit and to eliminate age-old prejudices; in the meantime a recurrence of mass anti-semitism is still possible.