Luther's effect on Christian Jewish Relations

<Tab/>In observing Jewish life before and during the middle ages, there appears to be a subtle and gradual shift in attitudes causing an improvement in Christian-Jewish relations. One might argue that Martin Luther and the Reformation had the most significant impact but there other factors to take into account. Before the onset of the Reformation, in the early medieval period, the Jews suffered immense religious intolerance, with accusations of ritual …

…for the changes. With each passing century, there seems to have been improvements, in addition to setbacks such as the Holocaust. Humanism seems to be the first noticeable opportunity for Jews to improve their status in Christian society, and the Reformation seems to have had a tremendous influence as well, but some believe that Luther might possibly have hurt the relations between Christians and Jews through his writings, perhaps even indirectly inspiring the Nazi Germany.