There is no excusing Luther’s hateful anti-Jewish pamphlet. That never figured in Lutheran or Protestant thought. It was actually something that was censored and not widely published until the Nazis discovered it. Then it was hailed as how a “German Christian” should think. The left paints Naziism as some sort of hyper Christianity. Actually, Naziism was a weird mixture of socialism, nationalism, paganism and racism, with a lot of pseudo-scientific nonsense thrown in.
Indeed. Based on charges of both Catholic and Luther, it seems the Jews of that day were not exactly overall endearing themselves to the people , but neither did they in the time of Christ or under Moses, being rebellious (me too) and whom "provoked his spirit, so that he spake unadvisedly with his lips," (Psalms 106:33)
Yet while Biblical strong reproof of a people group is not wrong when out of right motive (love for God, His Truth and people), there is a difference btwn that and being incited to carnal railings and vengeful wishes and treatment as if wishing their damnation. And if Moses was wrong to be provoked to sin (by exalting himself in exasperation), how much more so much of the latter-day crass and vindictive speech by Luther against Jews and certain avocations of persecution (akin to treating them as if they were devout followers of Muhammad).
Yet even though the Holy Spirit rightly charged by Paul that the Jewish nation,
both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men: Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost. (1 Thessalonians 2:15-16)
Yet Paul, like long-suffering Moses was willing to be damned if it meant their salvation. Which is what we see missing in the old Luther. And which should be in me for anyone.
I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: (Romans 9:1-3)
The nazis (I refuse to capitalize it) deliberately set out to co-opt and pervert the State Church of Germany. That it was Lutheran was beside the point, they wanted total control of the people and that included religion. They were not Christian, they despised Christianity. But, it was useful in controlling the populace.
Martin Luther’s venomous screed that nazis found so very useful did not arise in a vacuum, he was brought up in the Catholic Church, attended seminary, was a monk and was trained as a priest, indeed he was a professor of theology in a very Catholic world at that time. He certainly did not invent antisemitism as it existed and pogroms were occurring a thousand years before he ever set foot on this planet, before anyone had any concept of a Protestant Reformation. Luther was a reflection of his times in that regard.
These opinions were acquired from the Catholic Church, which was the State Church of his day, too many want to forget this. These facts do not exonerate him, wrong is wrong, but it also does not uniquely condemn just him and him alone, as so many Catholics are wont to do on this basis. Go look at contemporaneous writings on the same topic by Catholics of the day. They sound no different.