- The Monograph
- Table of Contents
- Preface
- Introduction
- Chapter 1: St. Paul's Letters and Jewish Christians
- Chapter 2: What and when was "Parting of the Ways"?
- Chapter 3: Jews, Christians, and Roman Legitimacy
- Chapter 4: Jesus the Jew
- Chapter 5: Recruiting Gentiles and Effect of the name "Christian"
- Chapter 6: Christian Anti-Jewish Rhetoric
- Chapter 7: Christian Reinterpretation of the Jewish Bible
- Chapter 8: Labeling Jews as "Christ Killers"
- Chapter 9: Jewish Rebellion and Roman Destruction
- Chapter 10: Myths Used to Justify Christian Anti-Jewishness
- Chapter 11: Why did Jews find Christianity unacceptable
- Chapter 12: Gospel History
- Chapter 13: Christian Jew Hatred and Antisemitism
- Chapter 14: St. Paul and "Parting of the Ways"
- Chapter 15: The Jewish Messiah and the Role of Jesus
- Chapter 16: Religious Differences Among Jews
- Chapter 17: Christian Rants against Jews and Judaizers
- Chapter 18: Christian Opposition to Biblical "Law" Denouncing Jews who Observe It
- Chapter 19: The "Holy", "Unholy", and "True Israelites"
- Chapter 20: Do Christians Need to Demean Jews? What if Jesus had not been a Jew?
- Chapter 21: Currying Favor with the Romans; Roman Oppression and Jesus' Crucifixion
- Chapter 22: Christian Missionary Success and Accommodation to Roman Society
- Chapter 23: Christian Anti-Jewishness Before and After Gaining Power
- Chapter 24: The Psychology of Antisemitism
- Chapter 25: Christian Literature and Perpetuation of Anti-Semitism
- Chapter 26: Can New Testament Antisemitism be Deleted?
- References
This Site Explores Issues Relating To Early Gentile Christian Antisemitism. Among Them:
- What led to “Parting of the Ways” between Christians and Jews?
- What claims did Christians make against Jews?
- How was Gentile Christian antisemitism expressed, and what functions did it serve in Christianity’s development?
- Why did Jews not become Christians?
In brief, common expressions of Christian antisemitism are rooted in the Gospel claim that the Jews caused Jesus’ crucifixion. Christians thus believed (and many still believe) that Christian antisemitism was no more than an appropriate response to Jewish malevolence. Added to this were accusations that Jewish hard-hearted obstinacy caused their refusal to worship Jesus Christ as the Messiah; and their predilection for sin caused Jewish refusal to join Gentile Christianity in discarding Jewish Scriptural laws and rituals.
Although long propagated, it is important to show that these antisemitic claims were not based on reality. By the standards of the time (including circumcision, temple worship, holiday observances, and food purity laws), Jesus was and remained an observant “Jew,” as did his disciples. From what we know of Jesus’ life, teachings, and the time he lived in, his main adversary (as for other Messiahs) was an exploitative society governed by Roman rule and native aristocratic henchmen. If anything, Jesus’ compassionate concerns were for the impoverished majority of Palestine’s Jews who were the oppressed subjects of Rome and its supporters. His crucifixion by the Romans was not for religious heresy, but for leading or joining an attempt at political insurrection in proclaiming an imminent “Kingdom of God.”
As other scholars have shown, early Gentile Christianity was regarded by Romans as merely a new superstition that worshipped a crucified supposed “Son of God.” Christian antisemitism thus arose from its need to gain prestige and credibility by presenting itself to the Roman public as a long-standing anciently-sanctified religion through claiming the historic Jewish Scriptures as its own. These Scriptures, dating back long before any Christians first appeared, were therefore interpreted by Christian theologians for their own novel purposes. For example, to claim that Jewish patriarchal figures such as Abraham were truly Christian; that the appearance of Jesus Christ, the universal Christian savior, had been prophesied in these ancient documents; that the laws and rituals prescribed in the Jewish Scriptures were abrogated by the coming of Jesus Christ; and that the Jews are obstinate sinners blind to the claims of “Godly” Gentile Christians, the “True Israelites.”
This site provides an article gathered from many sources that examines, develops, and supports these views.