Luther’s intolerance became even more extreme in his final years. When he failed to convert Jews to Christianity, he penned the ragingly anti-Semitic pamphlet The Jews and Their Lies. It promoted confiscation of Jewish prayer books and Talmudic writings “in which such idolatry, lies, cursing and blasphemy are taught” and advised that “rabbis be forbidden to teach henceforth on pain of loss of life and limb.” Luther even encouraged his readers to “set fire to their synagogues or schools.”
