Martin Luther — "They must be driven from our country."
They must be driven from our country.
Get This Quote & Author's Image Illustrated On:
Click any product to generate a realistic preview. Up to 3 at a time.
* Initial load can take up to 90 seconds — revising the preview in another color is nearly instant.
Kitchen
Apparel
Other
More from Martin Luther
"To kill a peasant is not murder; it is helping to extinguish the conflagration. Let there be no half measures! Crush them! Cut their throats! Transfix them!"
"If the earth is fit for laughter, then surely heaven is filled with it. Heaven is the birthplace of laughter."
"Whoever sticks his nose in every corner will get it stuck."
"I am a man of contention, and I thank God for it."
"My conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand, I can do no other. God help me. Amen."
About Martin Luther (1483-1546)
German theologian whose 95 Theses (1517) launched the Protestant Reformation and broke the Catholic Church's monopoly on Western Christianity. Closely associated with Philipp Melanchthon (Lutheran systematizer) and John Calvin (later Reformer who built on Luther's break). For an intellectual contrast, see Pope Leo X, Renaissance pope (1513-1521) — Leo X's indulgence sales triggered Luther's break and Leo excommunicated him in 1521 — Luther's entire Reformation is structured as a direct answer to the indulgence-funded Vatican Leo represented.
Verification
Unverifiable
Found in 1 providers: gemini
1 source checked
Understanding this quote
What it means
This statement calls for the expulsion of a specific group of people from a nation. It frames removal as a necessity rather than a choice, treating certain inhabitants as threats who cannot be tolerated within the community. The language is blunt and absolute, leaving no room for coexistence, negotiation, or reform. It expresses a hardened stance where physical separation is viewed as the only acceptable solution to perceived social, religious, or political problems.
Relevance to Martin Luther
Luther wrote this in his 1543 treatise On the Jews and Their Lies, urging German princes to expel Jewish communities, burn synagogues, and destroy homes. Though celebrated for challenging papal authority and translating the Bible into German, his late writings reveal a darker side of his character. His theological convictions hardened into virulent antisemitism when Jews refused to convert to his reformed Christianity, producing rhetoric later cited approvingly by Nazi propagandists.
The era
The early modern period saw Jews across Europe confined to ghettos, expelled from Spain (1492) and numerous German territories, and subjected to blood libel accusations. Reformation upheaval intensified religious polarization, as Protestants and Catholics each sought doctrinal purity within their territories. The 1555 Peace of Augsburg's principle of cuius regio, eius religio reinforced the idea that rulers should enforce uniform faith, making minority communities vulnerable to state-sanctioned expulsion throughout Luther's era.
AI-generated insights based on extensive research and information for context. Factual errors? Email [email protected].