Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor, theologian, and anti-Nazi dissident who was involved in plots to assassinate Adolf Hitler. He founded an anti-Nazi Confessional Church but had it closed when Germany invaded. During WWII, he worked closely with opponents of Hitler and took part in the failed 1944 plot to assassinate the dictator. Bonhoeffer was imprisoned and eventually hanged in 1945 at Flossenbürg concentration camp just before the end of the war in Europe. Though originally a pacifist, he came to believe Hitler had to be stopped by any means necessary. He is now seen as a martyr and inspiration for his resistance to Nazi tyranny.
2. Dietrich was born on February 4th, 1906, along with his
twin sister Sabine, making him have 5 siblings. He did
theological study at Tubingen University, meaning he
was a very religious man, being a Lutheran Christian
and a pacifist. He then became a minister, which he
had been wishing to do from a very young age.
During World War II, he founded an anti-Nazi
Confessional Church, however had it closed down
when the Germans invaded. He then worked closely
with opponents of Hitler.
3. Bonhoeffer was a devoted Lutheran Christian, and he
decided he wanted to be a minister at a very young age. He
also became a lecturer of theology at the University of
Berlin.
He believed that God is teaching us that we can live
individual lives, without him helping us. However he still
believed God is supreme being.
He was also a pacifist but went against this belief
with his plot to kill Hitler on 20th July 1944.
"God is teaching us that we must
Put your sword back in its
live as men who can get along very
place...for all who draw the sword well without Him. The God who is
will die by the sword. with us is the God who forsakes
(Matt. 26:52) us."
4. On 20th July 1944, there was an attempt to assassinate Hitler, which
Bonhoeffer was involved in. Claus von Stauffenberg was the leading
member in the plot. He was a German Army officer, which gave him to
opportunity to go to Hitler’s military conferences, such as the one on
20th July where the plot took place.
At 10am he flew in to Wolfsschanze with a bomb in his briefcase, and
the conference started at 12:30pm. He placed his briefcase under the
table which had Hitler and 20 officers gathered around. It is thought
that Colonel Heinz Brandt, who was standing next to Hitler, used his
foot to move the briefcase aside by pushing it behind the leg of the
conference table, defending Hitler but causing his own death with the
loss of one of his legs when the bomb detonated. Between 12:40 and
12:50 the bomb exploded injuring, and soon killing, 4 people, and giving
the rest of the officers and Hitler a perforated eardrum.
A rupture or perforation (hole) of the
eardrum, however it only takes a few
weeks to heal. Possibly a few months.
5. On April 6th 1943, Bonhoeffer were arrested because of
their new plans to free Jewish refugees. In October
1944, Bonhoeffer was moved to the Gestapo prison in
Berlin. In February 1945, he was taken to the
Buchenwald concentration camp, and then to the
Flossenbürg concentration camp, where he was
hanged on April 9, 1945. He suffered in the
concentration camps, and suffered during his hanging,
but he believed it wasn’t a tragedy.
To endure the cross is not tragedy; it is the
suffering which is the fruit of an exclusive
allegiance to Jesus Christ.
6. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was much inspired by Ghandi’s non-
violent resistance (pacifism), and even flew to India to
learn more of this. He then became a pacifist himself,
however this all changed when he decided that one man
shouldn’t have as much power over life and death as Hitler
did and decided to kill him.
He is now looked down on by pacifist Christian’s, and
those who don’t agree with what he did. However, people
such as Nelson Mandela respect him as an inspiration. He
also has a statue outside Westminster Abbey, as he is seen
as a 20th century martyr.
“The word martyr literally means a
witness, and for Christians a martyr is a
witness to Jesus Christ.” His statue at
(Dean of Westminster 2002, Dr Westminster Abbey
Wesley Carr)
