Over the years I have had a close interest in the history of Christianity in Germany over the past two centuries. From the Enlightenment onward some of the most impressive and durable progress in several areas of intellectual scholarship was made in German universities. In areas of philosophy, theology and biblical studies, Germany led the field in critical scholarship, giving us some of the greatest names within these disciplines.
The first half of the 20th century has a star studded cast of names such as Harnack, Bultmann, Dibelius, Bonhoeffer, names now pervasively present in theological and biblical scholarship a century and more later. One name almost entirely obscured by history is Ernst Lohmeyer. I have just bought the new theological biography of Lohmeyer, who for some time has been one of my heroes of whom I knew too little.
Along with other brave souls, Lohmeyer risked his life as a vocal and persistent critic of Nazi ideology, in particular the attempts to validate anti-semitism from the Bible. Removed from his post, banned from teaching, called up to the German army in 1943, and following the fall of Germany, taken as a prisoner of war by Russia, Lohmeyer virtually disappears. For long years no one knew if he was alive or dead. Until 1995. We now know he was executed by the Russians, but the full story has never been researched and told, until now.
Once I've read J R Edwards' account of Lohmeyers life and fate, I'll post a review here. Meantime there is a brief introduction by Edwards which you can read in Christianity Today here.
By the way, the title of this article is, I think, misleading and does justice to neither Lohmeyer nor Bonhoeffer. Bonhoeffer was a scholarly pastor whose story is now firmly embedded in post-war theology and German consciousness. Bonhoeffer's role in underground theological education, aiding the resistance, and his martyrdom in April 1945 has created an entire industry of scholarship, produced an ongoing theological ferment, and has left a legacy of division between those who see him as martyr, as theological revolutionary, and as one whose actions and involvement in an assassination attempt on Hitler goes against the very core of his own teaching in his seminal books, Discipleship and Ethics.
Lohmeyer, on the other hand was a major voice in the academy as an already established scholar of international stature, whose silencing and subsequent murder have remained obscure and politically awkward, and therefore his name, let alone his writings, have gone largely unpublicised. I look forward to having many of my own questions answered, and discovering much more of the truth about a man whose courage and integrity should not be forgotten. Lohmeyer was a German citizen, academic and soldier whose story, "like many who resisted Nazi and Communist repression, points toward Christ."
Is there evidence of why Lohmeyer was executed by the Soviets?
It seems odd that someone who stood against the hated enemies of the Communists should be treated that way.
Posted by: Anthony Mercer | July 22, 2019 at 10:03 PM
Hello Anthony - Thank you for your comment on the review of Lohmeyer. Edwards explains fully the reasons for Lohmeyer's execution, only clarified with the release of state documents following the collapse of the Eastern Bloc. Lohmeyer resisted the demands of the new communist power that University appointments and course content be controlled by the state. This was an attack on intellectual freedom and on the ability of universities to speak freely - one of the key components of the Nazi machine, and as it turned out, of the Communist regimes. Lohmeyer had just been appointed President of the University of Greifswald which was within the Russian zone in 1945/6., and subsequently in East Germany. Ultimately he was executed as an enemy of the State, one who resisted the goals of the Government and therefore was a threat to the 'will of the people'. The book is well worth reading Anthony - it is a story that resonates with the political times and tides today.
Posted by: Jim Gordon | July 23, 2019 at 09:03 AM