THE TURKS AND ISLAM IN REFORMATION
GERMANY
By Gregory J. Miller
Routledge. 268 pages. £72.90
ISBN 978 1 138 300 231
When people think of the Reformation, the religious spheres usually consist of Roman Catholicism and Protestantism – for obvious reasons. In terms of politics, they may consider the Elector of Saxony, the Holy Roman Emperor, or Henry VIII. Only marginally – if at all – do they think of Islam. This book, however, shows that Germans during the Reformation period were greatly concerned with Islam and the Ottoman threat.
Two points need to be borne in mind. Firstly, the word ‘Turk’ was mainly used as a synonym for ‘Muslim’, rather than in an ethnic sense. The Ottoman Empire was the State of Islam. Secondly, interest in Islam was informed by ‘A series of European campaigns… including the siege of Vienna (1529) and the direct annexation of most of Hungary (1541), brought the Muslims to the very door of Central Europe’ (p.29). Also, there were ‘Captivity Narratives’, written by former Western slaves in the Ottoman domains: ‘These ex-slaves wrote with authority … They had spent long years inside Turkey…’ (p.1). So the European experience of Islam at the time of the Reformation was of an aggressive power that captured and enslaved non-Muslims – a cross between the USSR and the recent Islamic State.
Luther sought to provide an apologetic for Reformation Christianity against Islam (p.49). The Lutheran emphasis was on soteriology – ‘For Luther, Islam is so strongly stamped by Werkerei that every works-righteousness within or without Christianity could be characterized as Turcae.’ That is, Islam, like Romanism, was characterised by works-righteousness – the central Reformation issue, justification by faith. This was a general position of the Reformers: ‘Many Protestant writers drew parallels between Catholic and Turkish doctrine and morality and used pamphlets to attack not only Turks but also their Catholic opponents’ (p.61). Thus, Reformation opposition to Islam was partly influenced by the struggle with Rome.
The Reformers addressed Islam’s scripture: ‘… Protestants demonstrated considerable interest in the Qur’an.’ (p.53). Too often, ordinary Evangelicals take their knowledge of Islam from the media, where the emphasis is usually on matters relating to jihad, rather than Islamic Christology or soteriology, and consequently are vulnerable facing dawah – Islamic mission. Theodor Bibliander completed a translation of the Qur’an by 1542. Luther saw the Qur’an as a ‘foul, shameful book’ and ‘supported the publication of the Qur’an in Latin because he considered public knowledge of its hideousness to be the greatest weapon against Islam. This would help preachers to better preach the gruesomeness of the Turks and help people to have courage to fight’ (p.54).
The Reformer rejected Crusading ideology. Jihad was simultaneously a religious and political act, and the same was true of the Crusades. The Papacy made a call to arms, and secular authorities responded. Luther held that secular authorities, in defence of their subjects, had a responsibility to fight the Ottoman invaders, but that was not a religious act (p.126). Bibliander held that the appropriate response to Islam was evangelism, and had to be dissuaded by his Zürich colleague Heinrich Bullinger from going to Egypt as a missionary (p.124). For Luther, even captives could perform missionary work: ‘if the [captive] Christians are a true, obedient, pious, humble, diligent people, this will shame the Turkish faith and perhaps convert many.’
There was also a call to spiritual warfare: ‘Admonitions for prayer, repentance, and moral improvement were nearly universal…’ (p.127). This could include prayer for the forces battling the Ottomans: ‘In response to governmental requests in 1532 and 1541, Lutheran pastors did admonish their congregations to prayer against the Turks during Imperial military campaigns’ (p.128). However, the emphasis was on prayer against the supernatural foe whom the Reformers held to be behind Islam and the Ottomans: ‘Pastors and preachers were to call the people to earnest repentance and prayer... Luther denounced processions, masses, and the long insincere prayers of the monks … The truly powerful prayers are frequent and short sighs with one or two words … Psalms of lament were frequently adapted for private and public use against the Turks…’ (p.129).
As Christians around the globe continue to face Islamic State attacks, we can learn from these important examples by our Reformation forefathers. And this excellent book by Miller (on a subject about which most Christians have little or no knowledge) is a spur to imbibing such lessons – to look to the Triune God to defend our brothers and sisters (and indeed, ourselves), and further, to pray for the conversion of those attacking us, in the hope that there will be many Damascus Road conversions among our foes.
