The Shem Hamphoras and the Origin of Christ ( German: Vom Schem Hamphoras und vom Geschlecht Christi ) is the anti-Jewish pamphlet by Martin Luther , published in 1543. In the preface, Luther addresses the Germans and warns them against attempts at religious conversations with the Jews, because they are unshakable in their faith - “their hearts are solid like wood, like stone, like iron” [1] - however, the source of this hardness is not from God, but from the devil. God sent the prophets and Christ himself to them, but they were adamant in their God-fighting position. Therefore, they suffer hardships for 1,500 years. Luther calls them the children of the devil, because they called Christ himself Beelzebub ( Luke 11:15 ). The Son of God was rejected and sworn to the false messiah of bar Kokhbe . Luther's particular criticism is the “origin of Christ” set forth in the Jewish treatise Toledot Yeshu .
In the title of the book, the term Shemhamforfash means in Judaism the secret name of God. Luther criticizes this position, since the Hebrew Bible tells many names of God: Adonai , Sabaoth , Elohim , etc. But the devil and the Jews invent a secret name that turns into an idol.
It is known that the Swiss reformates were surprised by the harshness of Luther's statements in relation to the Jews. [2]