Ritröð Guðfræðistofnunar - 01.01.2012, Page 51

einni hvort þeir frelsast eða ekki og allir verða því gæta sín á að falla ekki
úr náðinni með vantrú og gáleysi.
Summary in English
Hallgrímur Pétursson's (1614-1674) Hymns of the Passion are annually
read during Lent on the Icelandic National Radio. In February 2012 the
Simon Wiesenthal Institute asked the direcor of the Radio to stop their
reading on the basis of negative attitude to Jews in the Hymns. This article
seeks to answer the question whether the negative attitude in the Passion
hymns towards Jews are a token of antisemitism or of other reasons. The
answer is negative. The hymns indeed often talk negatively of Jews and this
negative talk reflects similar talk by Christian authors in the neighbouring
countries. Yet, this cannot be understood as racist or antisemitic. When the
poet Hallgrímur Pétursson speaks negatively of Jews as Jesus' opponents he
does so not in order to condemn them nor elevate himself at their cost. On
the contrary the deeds of Jesus' enemies are mentioned as warnings to the
poet himself and his readers lest they follow in blindness their leaders or
the uncontrolled mob but say and do what is right. All people, Jews and
gentiles alike, can only be saved by God's grace through faith and must be
on their guard lest they fall from grace by unfaithfulness or carelessness.
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