In the Face of Dangerous Work: Lessons from Luther’s Treatise During the Bubonic Plague
Emmy Yang, B.S., Fellow in Theology, Medicine and Culture, Duke Divinity School
In the midst of recent measles outbreaks in the US, healthcare practitioners and community members may wonder whether to engage in self-protection from contagion or face potential infection in order to attend to the sick. These questions have been renewed in light of decreasing vaccination rates among certain communities. Recent news articles have noted the rise in anti-Semitism since the onset of the 2019 measles outbreak in the Orthodox Jewish community in New York. [1] While there has been discussion of Jewish commitments to public vaccination efforts, there has been little discussion of what obligations exist in caring for affected communities and the moral traditions that might sustain these commitments. [2]
In response to this lack of inquiry, I propose that Christian tradition has much to offer in determining the scope of practitioners and caregiver commitments in preserving public health and attending to the contagious ill. Protestant Reformation leader Martin Luther, in his treatise entitled “Whether one may flee from a deadly plague,” writes to the Silesians in 1527 during a re-emergence of the Bubonic Plague in western Europe. He theologically considers the debate to flee or stay in the face of contagion, when individuals questioned whether they could faithfully leave behind the sick in an act of self-protection.
Luther argues that both fleeing and staying are biblical responses. Moses fled from Egypt to avoid Pharaoh’s intent to kill him (Exodus 2:15). Luther emphasizes that Moses, among other biblical figures that escaped danger, did not leave at the expense of his community members. He cares that Christians in peril do not overlook their neighbors in need.
He also indicates that Christian physicians, clergy people, and caregivers have special commitments towards the sick. He references the Gospel of Matthew to show that tending to the sick is to tend to Christ himself (Matthew 25:40). Moreover, Christ, who shed blood and died for humanity, serves as an exemplar of placing the lives of one’s neighbors above one’s own. And in the face of danger or illness, Luther says, God will be “his attendant and physician,”— there will be an assurance of healing, arguably beyond the physical realm.
However, Luther acknowledges the risk inherent in staying and advocates for public health measures as a biblical response to plague. He warns readers to employ sanitation and quarantine practices to curb infection and use medicine when possible. To rest one’s hope in God’s protection solely is to tempt God, he writes.
Luther gives readers and health professionals a compelling vision for Christian commitments towards serving sick, even at the cost of one’s own health. His response during the Bubonic Plague also provides insight on how communities may tackle contemporary and future outbreaks. By examining Luther’s position, communities will be in a better position to articulate responses that consider the public welfare of the community and for the sick.
[1] Emma Green, “Measles Can Be Contained. Anti-Semitism Cannot,” https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/05/orthodox-jews-face-anti-semitism-after-measles-outbreak/590311.
[2] Jessica Colarossi, “Measles Outbreak: Getting Vaccinated Is ‘a Religious Obligation’,” https://www.bu.edu/articles/2019/measles-outbreak-getting-vaccinated-is-a-religious-obligation/.
In response to this lack of inquiry, I propose that Christian tradition has much to offer in determining the scope of practitioners and caregiver commitments in preserving public health and attending to the contagious ill. Protestant Reformation leader Martin Luther, in his treatise entitled “Whether one may flee from a deadly plague,” writes to the Silesians in 1527 during a re-emergence of the Bubonic Plague in western Europe. He theologically considers the debate to flee or stay in the face of contagion, when individuals questioned whether they could faithfully leave behind the sick in an act of self-protection.
Luther argues that both fleeing and staying are biblical responses. Moses fled from Egypt to avoid Pharaoh’s intent to kill him (Exodus 2:15). Luther emphasizes that Moses, among other biblical figures that escaped danger, did not leave at the expense of his community members. He cares that Christians in peril do not overlook their neighbors in need.
He also indicates that Christian physicians, clergy people, and caregivers have special commitments towards the sick. He references the Gospel of Matthew to show that tending to the sick is to tend to Christ himself (Matthew 25:40). Moreover, Christ, who shed blood and died for humanity, serves as an exemplar of placing the lives of one’s neighbors above one’s own. And in the face of danger or illness, Luther says, God will be “his attendant and physician,”— there will be an assurance of healing, arguably beyond the physical realm.
However, Luther acknowledges the risk inherent in staying and advocates for public health measures as a biblical response to plague. He warns readers to employ sanitation and quarantine practices to curb infection and use medicine when possible. To rest one’s hope in God’s protection solely is to tempt God, he writes.
Luther gives readers and health professionals a compelling vision for Christian commitments towards serving sick, even at the cost of one’s own health. His response during the Bubonic Plague also provides insight on how communities may tackle contemporary and future outbreaks. By examining Luther’s position, communities will be in a better position to articulate responses that consider the public welfare of the community and for the sick.
[1] Emma Green, “Measles Can Be Contained. Anti-Semitism Cannot,” https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/05/orthodox-jews-face-anti-semitism-after-measles-outbreak/590311.
[2] Jessica Colarossi, “Measles Outbreak: Getting Vaccinated Is ‘a Religious Obligation’,” https://www.bu.edu/articles/2019/measles-outbreak-getting-vaccinated-is-a-religious-obligation/.