Dear Friend,
I’d like to thank you for the many affirming letters and e-mails I have received since stepping into Zola’s shoes. I appreciate your assurances. Your financial contributions to the ministry have encouraged all of us here, as they attest to your support for our ongoing work.
In his book Battles with Seminaries, Zola testified how many in Christian academia were backing away from Israel and the Jewish people. Now I wish to bring a related concern to your attention. Gerhard Kittel’s popular Theological Dictionary of the New Testament is one of the most honored theological dictionaries in America, if not the entire English-speaking world. Kittel was a German Protestant theologian who lived from 1888-1948 and held theological professorships at two German universities, Greifswald and Tubingen.
His massive work comes to us by way of a number of scholarly articles written originally in German. To get the mammoth work into the hands of more English ministers, it was condensed into an abbreviated version, one-sixth the size, cutely referred to as the “Little Kittel.” It could be said that there is scarcely a theologian in America who has not, at one point, consulted the work to sharpen his theological insight. Many, if not most, have the work in their offices. That American ministers eat at Kittel’s table is both ironic and tragic. I say this because he was the Nazi theologian who gave theological legitimacy to Hitler’s “Jewish question” and his “final solution.”
My Internet search turned up 26,500 entries on the Kittel story. An able and balanced telling of it can be gleaned from a 1985 book published by Yale University Press, entitled Theologians Under Hitler. Authored by Robert P. Ericksen, it considers Kittel’s well-attested pro-Nazi dispositions and actions, along with others’ reactions to them.
For example, the renowned scholar Professor William Foxwell Albright asserts that Kittel was worse than both Nazi Reichmarshall Hermann Goering and Hitler’s Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels, saying: “In view of the incredible viciousness of his attacks on Judaism and the Jews… Gerhard Kittel must bear the guilt of having contributed more, perhaps, than any other Christian theologian to the mass murder of millions of Jews by the Nazis” (p. 70).
Though more moderate in his tone, Ericksen says much the same: “Kittel… resurrected Christian anti-Semitism… refurbished it… and raised it as a German, Christian bulwark against the [so-called] Jewish menace” (p. 76). Quoting Kittel, Ericksen informed that Kittel believed Jews were “dangerous,” that they “eat away the marrow” and are… “poison and decomposition” (p. 55).
Though Kittel died shortly after the Reich, he was himself resurrected; and this anti-Semite now lives on as a celebrated Bible teacher, enlightening North American Christian ministers through scholarly presentations in an exhaustive commentary that bears his name and influence. Why?
There’s a reasoned argument that because Dr. Kittel’s academic credentials were strong, and his keen scholarship deemed impeccable, some influential American academics chose to overlook his grave moral weaknesses to focus instead on what they perceived as his intellectual strengths. By so doing, they wind up testifying that virtue is not of paramount importance in their constellation of concerns. Does his work’s being presented as a bastion of Christian insight, itself, betray poor judgment in those who commend it? I think it does. To me, Kittel’s prominence betrays the fact that too many in the church are unable and/or unwilling to uphold minimal Biblical standards, and confront those who deviate from them.
This is strong language, I realize. Let me remind that my name, “Seif,” is a German name and that, as the son of a survivor of Hitler’s Germany, I am more sensitive than most. My feelings aside, I commend to you Dr. David Stern’s Jewish New Testament Commentary, which is available in most Christian bookstores. With a Ph.D. from Princeton, he knows how to do scholarly research; and, speaking as a Jewish believer in Jesus, Stern offers splendid insights into God’s Word, and writes in a comprehendible fashion—Zola’s trademark. I would advise those who retain Kittel to utilize its other authors’ submissions rather than his articles.
I believe Christian ministers should provide a “fire wall” and protect individuals from destructive individuals and influences. If Kittel can get past apparently weak defenses and parade around our church offices and theological minds with relative ease, and even make an entrance in a post-WWII culture, does this not suggest that the church might be too vulnerable? That a bright Nazi can become a gatekeeper opening the way to New Testament studies in North America troubles me. I believe this is troubling and offensive to Jesus, as well. At the risk of sounding self-serving, let me say that it is quite offensive, and it underscores the importance of a ministry such as ours, much as it beckons the support of faithful readers like you, not inclined to tolerate the above.
Speaking of being “offensive”—but in a much more pleasant context—I am pleased to report that our stateside television producer, Ken Berg, has linked up with Lily Films in Israel to help me work up a wonderful teaching campaign of our own. Starting in September, we will begin blanketing America, coast to coast, with a one-of-a-kind Jewish Gospel presentation, during which time we will boldly confront the nation with Jesus’ claim to be both Israel’s Messiah and the Savior of the entire world. I am expecting that we will reap an enormous harvest among both Jews and non-Jews alike through this informative and evangelistic series entitled The Gospel According to Isaiah. Please keep your eyes open for it.
I am planning to go to Israel again in the fall. If you would like to come and see the Holy Land, then there is still room for you. Most tour companies sell all kinds of tours to all kinds of places and to all kinds of people. We, however, have spent years perfecting one program with only one kind of person in mind: We offer Biblically-minded people an opportunity to see the Holy Land through Biblically-informed Jewish eyes. Sandra Levitt heads up the trips and does an exceedingly good job—having been trained by Zola himself. She’s a real pro, and you’ll really sense the energy and the dedication.
Lots of options here, fortunately. To explore which will work best for you, call (214) 696-9760 during business hours or 1-800-WONDERS, anytime.
My new book on Iran and Bible prophecy is cycling through the editorial process and will be out soon. Readers of the famous “Armageddon” and “Second Coming” texts in Revelation will find it particularly interesting, given John’s noting that the Euphrates River was “dried up… that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared… to gather them… together to the place in Hebrew, Armageddon” (16:12–16). In this passage, the Euphrates River dries up and opens a pathway for a lion lurking in the East to then spring and pounce upon Israel. Iran is just east of the Euphrates. John says that innumerable multitudes of blood-lusty and frenzied masses will assemble around there for the long-anticipated, climactic showdown at “Armageddon.” That Iran isthe staging area strikes me as interesting—to put it mildly. It is not only me, apparently; for my Internet search turned up 982,000 entries to the words “Iran” and “Armageddon,” evidence of growing interest among others. All this and more will be considered in my new book on the subject. It will be out reasonably soon. I hope you’ll read it and let me know your thoughts. Stay tuned for details.
Once again, let me say many thanks in advance for your caring and your sharing with Zola Levitt Ministries, evidenced through your letters and donations. Please know that I am already responding to invitations to speak in your churches. I am genuinely anxious to come your way, as it affords me the opportunity to shake some hands and hear some hearts. In fact, we have a host of excellent speakers: Sandra Levitt and several of our resident theologians, including author Dr. Thomas McCall and Dr. Todd Baker. They enjoy getting out and ministering, and they have exemplary resumes that commend them to the world at large. Please contact Scott at (214) 696-8844 extension 21 and arrange for a meeting.
Before I close, let me ask you to please keep Sandra, Mark, the entire ministry team and me in your prayers. We are putting the finishing touches on a commemorative series that will cover the highlights of Zola’s last twenty-eight years, the first programs of which should be coming out with this mailing. All of our ministry’s friends will love it! Upon seeing it, you will remember why you love the ministry as you do. Though the days following Zola’s passing are indeed trying, Sandra and I are pleased that a number of stout friends are sticking with us and continuing to participate in advancing the Gospel through this ministry. Thanks again.
God bless and “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!”
Your messenger,
Jeff Seif
P.S. Aside from praying for and supporting this ministry, please send me a note if you have any ideas for improving the TV program and newsletters. Thanks!
