Paul Schneider (pastor)

Schneider was born in Pferdsfeld near Bad Sobernheim, Germany in 1897, to Gustav-Adolf Schneider and Elisabeth Schnorr. Schneider studied theology at the universities of Giessen, Marburg and Tübingen. He was ordained in Hochelheim near Wetzlar in 1925.

On the occasion of the funeral of a Hitler youth boy a Nazi official said in his speech that the deceased would now be member of the heavenly storm of Horst Wessel.^[4] Pastor Schneider responded that he would not know if a heavenly storm of Horst Wessel existed but the Lord would bless the boy and take him into his realm. After this, the Nazi leader came forward and repeated his words. Pastor Schneider then responded sharply that he would not allow God's word to be adulterated during a Christian ceremony. As a result, he was arrested for one week in June 1934.

While in prison he refused to salute the swastika flag. He explained his behaviour by saying "I cannot salute this criminal symbol". He also refused, as he had done earlier, the Hitler salute, saying that "you can only receive salvation (Heil) from the Lord and not from a human being." On one occasion on Easter Sunday, when thousands of prisoners were assembled for mustering, despite being severely handicapped by previous torture he climbed to the cell window and shouted: "Comrades, listen to me. This is Pastor Schneider. People are tortured and murdered here. So the Lord says, 'I am the resurrection and the life!'"^[5] His speech was interrupted by his tormentors.

After June 1938 the only reason for Schneider's imprisonment in Buchenwald was his refusal to accept the order to permanently leave his congregations in Dickenschied and Womrath. He could have been released from the KZ at any time, if he had agreed to accept this order. However, even under severe torture, he refused to do so.^[6]

• Dietrich Bonhoeffer
• Franz Kaufmann
• Erich Klausener
• Maximilian Kolbe
• Alberto Marvelli
• Dusty Miller
• Edith Stein
• Friedrich Weißler