Gog at Vienna: Three Woodcut Images of the Turks as Apocalyptic Destroyers in Early Editions of the Luther Bible

Abstract

Abstract Three woodcut illustrations by different artist in early editions of Martin Luther’s German Bible depict the 1529 Siege of Vienna by Ottoman Turks under Suleiman I as the fulfillment of the prophecy of “Gog and Magog,” the biblical destroyers in both the Book of Ezekiel and the Apocalypse. A marginal annotation also associates Gog and Magog with the historical Tartars and the legendary Red Jews. This article examines the images in light of their historical and theological contexts. It uses Luther’s theology, as it developed in the wake of the siege, to interpret the illustrations, and the illustrations to explain Luther’s theology, specifically his sola scriptura doctrine. A curious but often overlooked detail in one of the images is reinterpreted: a crescent moon atop the spire of St. Stephen’s Cathedral. This detail is puzzling since the siege failed and the Turks never entered the city. The Islamic symbol where it does not belong can be read as the artist’s subtle condemnation of the Catholic faith. This interpretation aligns with Luther’s polemical attacks on both Islam and Catholicism and his association of the two.