Renaissance Racism: Johannes Reuchlin (1455–1522) as an Exception
Renaissance Racism: Johannes Reuchlin (1455–1522) as an Exception

Summary/Abstract: This paper argues that Reuchlin’s success in saving the Jewish books from destruction was even more significant than is usually accredited by historians. His struggle to preserve the Talmud and other Jewish books was conducted within a society infected with racism, mainly racial anti-Semitism, a phenomenon barely recognized and mostly denied by scholars of medieval and early-modern Europe. The paper sketches the basics of this racism. Although Reuchlin was unaware of the racial meaning of his defense of the Jews, one may nevertheless think of him as a Martin Luther King fighting racial discrimination against a defined minority. The 500th anniversary of Reuchlin’s death, to be marked in the summer of 2022, is an excellent opportunity to celebrate his exceptional conception of the Jews, essentially of humankind, in 16th century Europe.

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