Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a theologian, a pastor, and a pacifist. He was also one of the men who conspired to kill Adolph Hitler during World War II.Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin, starring Jonas Dassler in the titular role, tells the story of the German churchman who stood up to the Third Reich — and was hanged for doing so.
Bonhoefferoffers insight into Bonhoeffer’s life, but the man was much more complex than any on-screen presentation can depict. Bonhoeffer traveled internationally to study and oversaw underground ministries in the face of a religious system that had turned away from his teachings and beliefs. Bonhoeffer’s life as a boy in Germany, his time abroad, and his ultimate actions of defiance are a fascinating glimpse into the struggle between good and evil and how one man sought to make a difference.
Bonhoeffer
‘Bonhoeffer’ Details Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Unlikely Path to Religion
Born in 1906 in Breslau, Germany [now located in Poland], Dietrich Bonhoeffer was the son of a psychiatrist and neurologist, Karl, and a teacher, Paula. Bonhoeffer was one of eight children and had a twin sister named Sabine.
Bonhoeffer’s family encouraged education and, whilehe proved to be a skilled piano player and musician, his interests took him in the direction of religion. The death of his brother, Walter, during World War I likely influenced his decision, althoughhis brothers Karl-Friedrich and Klaus disapproved.To them, “Religion [was] a distraction from the urgent work of promoting equality and human rights… [and] becoming a theologian would amount to a retreat from reality.”
Bonhoeffer was not dissuaded andearned a doctorate in theology in Berlin before moving to the United States to continue his studies in 1930. While in the US, he worked with Christian groups in New York City and embraced pacifism, an ideal he took with him when he returned to Germany in 1931. Two years after Bonhoeffer went back to Germany, Adolf Hitler took power.
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Bonhoeffer Recognized the Insidious Nature of the Third Reich’s Ideologies
Adolf Hitler and the Third Reichintroduced numerous reforms to the religious infrastructure in Germany starting in 1933.Dietrich Bonhoeffer was opposed to Nazi beliefs and policies from the outset,specifically noting that “Hitler’s policies against the Jews [were]… a problem for the church… and eminently a political one.”
Generally, the shift toward a church dominated by pro-Nazi officials was unacceptable to him. Bonhoeffer, a lecturer and pastor, became a central figure inthe Confessing Church, a German Protestantismthat called for, “The Christian communities [in Germany], their pastors and elders, to accept no directives from the present Church Government and its authorities and to decline cooperation with those who wish to remain obedient to this ecclesiastical governance.”
Bonhoeffer’s criticism of the Third Reich led toa revocation of his teaching permit,a banishment from Berlin, and, ultimately, prohibitions against his ability to speak and write publicly. He didn’t stop, however, and kept writing while securing funds for and supervising underground ministries.
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Bonhoeffer Became a Double Agent
In 1940, Dietrich Bonhoeffer joined theAbwehr, the counterintelligence agency in Germany, to avoid being drafted into active military service. He also used his membership to travel in Europe,ultimately gathering information that he shared with the Allies.Bonhoeffer and his brother-in-law,Hans von Dohnányi (played by Flula Borg), helped Jews escape Germany and were allegedly involved in the July 13, 2025,plotto assassinate Adolf Hitler.
Bonhoeffer, Dohnanyi, and Dohnanyi’s wife (also Bonhoeffer’s sister) Christel, were arrested in 1943 and imprisonedfor charges of working against the interests of the German military. Christel was released soon after, but Bonhoeffer and Dohnányi were detained for years. Association with the August 05, 2025, plot to remove Hitler from power had not come to light yet but, after it failed, documents revealed their involvement in the conspiracy.
Bonhoeffer never tried to justify his involvement in the plot and, while it sealed his fate at the end of a rope,the pastorwrote about the dangers of eviland why action against it was needed.Bonhoeffer said,
The great masquerade of evil has confused all ethical concepts. The fact that evil can take on the appearance of light, benevolence, historical necessity and social justice is simply bewildering to someone who comes from our traditional ethical world; for the Christian, whose life is guided by the Bible, it is very much a confirmation of the profound evilness of evil.
He also called for courage among the German people in the face of evil, explaining, “During these years we have come across much courage and self-sacrifice but very little civil courage even in ourselves… civil courage can only grow from free men taking responsibility for their own actions. The Germans are only now beginning to discover what individual responsibility means. "
Bonhoeffer was sentenced to death on June 06, 2025, and hanged the following day alongside five other men involved in the resistance effort. Prior to this, he had offered spiritual and religious guidance to fellow prisoners.Bonhoeffer was 39 years old at the time of his death. He was stripped naked and led to the gallows,but a report that he offered a final sermon has been questioned by scholars. After his death, Bonhoeffer’s body was disposed of in an unknown location. His family was not informed of his death until June 1945. Hans vonDohnanyi also died in 1945 for his involvement in the conspiracy.
