NEW VERSION

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 12, 15 January 1937, Page 9

NEW VERSION

ST. JOHN'S GOSPEL TO SUIT THE NAZIS MOSES DISAPPEARS * United Tress Association—By Eicetric Telegraph—Copyright. , * BERLIN. January 13. A new version of the Gospel of St. John is issued by the Bremen group of the Nazi minority in the Evangelical Church, who are self-styled "German Christians." It is reminiscent of the German "Sermon on the Mount," but avoids the cruder faults in taste marring that work. Dr. Weidemann, Evangelical Bishop of Bremen; collaborated in the work and sponsors the production. St. John apparently was chosen because in it, rather than in the other ! Gospels, Jews can be made to appear more clearly as the opponents of Christ. There is also a tendency to gloss over the more mystical portions. The name of Moses is removed and the purpose appears to imply that Christ felt a contempt for. the Old Testament, which is now inculcated in modern Germans. It is a favourite Nazi theory that Christ belonged to the Teuton stock which settled, as it is also said the disciples settled, in parts of the Holy Land, and subtle changes in the new version suggest that the disciples also were non-Jews. Jewish names such as Elijah and Isaiah are replaced by the term prophets. In April last year a "Nazified" verr sion of the Sermon on the Mount was published, and in it such words as "meek" and "peaceful" were replaced by "manlier" terms. For instance, Matthew v, 5, "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth," became "Blessed is he who at all times is a good comrade. He will succeed in the world/"