The Tears of the Patriarchs: An Alternative Vision of Fatherhood and Masculinity in Martin Luther’s Lectures on Genesis

This paper will argue that previous studies of Martin Luther on masculinity and fatherhood have overlooked how these themes are applied over the course of his exegesis of the stories of the biblical patriarchs in the book of Genesis. To that end, this paper will examine how Luther’s depiction of the biblical patriarchs Joseph in visible emotional distress provides an alternative narrative of sixteenth century Protestant masculinity as dependent on demonstrable signs of ‘weakness’ in the form of tears and lament. In the modern era, this forgotten minor tradition of Luther’s highly emotionally intelligent biblical patriarchs presents an important challenge to contemporary depictions of masculinity as necessitating militarism and aggression. Ultimately, the recovery of these forgotten themes in Luther’s writings can provide a counter-memory that serves as the basis for a different vision of male embodiment in the twenty-first century.