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| ] book ''"Judaism Without Embellishments"'' published by the Academy of Sciences of the ] in 1963 shows typical antisemitic imagery and allegations: "It is in the teachings of Judaism, in the ], and in the ], that the ]i militarists find inspiration for their inhuman deeds, racist theories, and expansionist designs..."]] | ] book ''"Judaism Without Embellishments"'' published by the Academy of Sciences of the ] in 1963 shows typical antisemitic imagery and allegations: "It is in the teachings of Judaism, in the ], and in the ], that the ]i militarists find inspiration for their inhuman deeds, racist theories, and expansionist designs..."]] | ||
| ] book ''"Judaism Without Embellishments"'' published by the Academy of Sciences of the ] in 1963 shows typical antisemitic imagery and allegations: "It is in the teachings of Judaism, in the ], and in the ], that the ]i militarists find inspiration for their inhuman deeds, racist theories, and expansionist designs..."]] | |||
| Historian ] defines '''religious antisemitism''', or '''anti-Judaism''', as "a total or partial opposition to ]—and to ] as adherents of it—by men who accept a competing system of beliefs and practices and consider certain genuine Judaic beliefs and practices as inferior". <ref>Langmuir (1971, 383),<sup></sup> cited by Abulafia (1998, part II, 77).</ref> Whereas, according to Langmuir, anti-Judaism is concerned with exaggerated accusations against Jews which nonetheless contain a particle of truth or evidence, ] (which dates back in Europe to the twelfth and thirteenth centuries) reaches beyond unusual general inferences and is concerned with false suppositions.<ref name="Abu77">Abulafia (1998, part II, 77), referring to Langmuir (1971).</ref> Thus Langmuir considers the labelling of Jews as 'Christ-killers' is anti-Judaic; accusations of ], on the other hand, he regards as anti-Semitic.<ref name="Abu77"/> In his view, Anti-Judaism and anti-Semitism have existed side by side from the twelfth century onwards and have strengthened each other ever since.<ref>Abulafia (1998, part II, 77), citing Langmuir (1971, 383–389).</ref> | |||
| '''Religious antisemitism''', sometimes called '''anti-Judaism''', is hostility to ], the ]ish religion, as well as to those who practise it. <ref>See, for example: | |||
| *"Anti-Semitism", ''Encyclopaedia Britannica'', 2006. | |||
| *]. ''A History of the Jews'', HarperPerennial 1988, p 133 ff. | |||
| *]. , ''The American Scholar'', Volume 75 No. 1, Winter 2006, pp. 25-36. The paper is based on a lecture delivered at ] on ], ]. | |||
| *Antisemitism is more commonly used than "religious antisemitism" or "anti-Judaism." The ''Encyclopaedia Britannica'', for example, defines "antisemitism" to include religious antisemitism: "hostility toward or discrimination against Jews as a religious, ethnic, or racial group." , Merriam-Webster Dictionary; "Anti-Semitism", ''Encyclopaedia Britannica''.</ref> | |||
| ==Christian anti-Judaism== | ==Christian anti-Judaism== | ||
| Christian anti-Judaism is a Christian ] position denigrating ]ish belief and practice. It emerged out of the ] between early Christian "]" —those who insisted that in order to be Christian one must first become Jewish and observe ]s and religious practices such as ], and "universalizers"—those who insisted that the nascent faith was open to everyone. Anti-Judaism was adopted by early Christian theologians to distinguish themselves from their Jewish kin. | Christian anti-Judaism is a Christian ] position denigrating ]ish belief and practice. It emerged out of the ] between early Christian "]" —those who insisted that in order to be Christian one must first become Jewish and observe ]s and religious practices such as ], and "universalizers"—those who insisted that the nascent faith was open to everyone. Anti-Judaism was adopted by early Christian theologians to distinguish themselves from their Jewish kin. | ||
| Religious antisemitism may be distinguished from antisemitism based upon ] or ] grounds. "The dividing line was the possibility of effective conversion . . . a Jew ceased to be a Jew upon baptism." However, with racial antisemitism, "Now the assimilated Jew was still a Jew, even after baptism ... . From the ] onward, it is no longer possible to draw clear lines of distinction between religious and racial forms of hostility towards Jews... Once Jews have been emancipated and secular thinking makes its appearance, without leaving behind the old Christian hostility towards Jews, the new term antisemitism becomes almost unavoidable, even before explicitly racist doctrines appear."<ref>Nichols, William: ''Christian Antisemitism, A History of Hate'' (1993) p.314</ref> | |||
| ===History of Christian anti-Judaism=== | ===History of Christian anti-Judaism=== | ||
Revision as of 11:30, 5 January 2007
This article deals with opposition to Judaism. For scholarly criticism of Judaism, please see Criticism of Judaism.Religious antisemitism, sometimes called anti-Judaism, is hostility to Judaism, the Jewish religion, as well as to those who practise it.
Christian anti-Judaism
Christian anti-Judaism is a Christian theological position denigrating Jewish belief and practice. It emerged out of the schism between early Christian "Judaizers" —those who insisted that in order to be Christian one must first become Jewish and observe Jewish laws and religious practices such as circumcision, and "universalizers"—those who insisted that the nascent faith was open to everyone. Anti-Judaism was adopted by early Christian theologians to distinguish themselves from their Jewish kin.
Religious antisemitism may be distinguished from antisemitism based upon racial or ethnic grounds. "The dividing line was the possibility of effective conversion . . . a Jew ceased to be a Jew upon baptism." However, with racial antisemitism, "Now the assimilated Jew was still a Jew, even after baptism ... . From the Enlightenment onward, it is no longer possible to draw clear lines of distinction between religious and racial forms of hostility towards Jews... Once Jews have been emancipated and secular thinking makes its appearance, without leaving behind the old Christian hostility towards Jews, the new term antisemitism becomes almost unavoidable, even before explicitly racist doctrines appear."
History of Christian anti-Judaism
The fact that the vast majority of first century Jews did not believe Jesus was the Messiah, nor the claims of his followers that he was God, led to the eventual parting of the ways between Christians and Jews. "To the question, Was Jesus God or man?, the Christians therefore answered: both. After 70 AD, their answer was unanimous and increasingly emphatic. This made a complete breach with Judaism inevitable."
The Jewish/Christian debate and dialogue moved from polemic to bitter verbal and written attacks one against the other. St. Justin Martyr's Dialogue with Trypho the Jew was a polemical debate giving the Christian assertions for the Messiahship of Jesus especially by making use of Jewish Scripture (the Old Testament). In the Dialogue, Justin makes use of a fictional figure called Trypho on which to construct his apologetic arguments (a traditional rhetorical and literary device in the ancient world, finding its origins in Socratic philosophy). This Dialogue is one of the first apologetic works in the early Church to address Judaism.
St. John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople (4th/5th century) is equally negative in his treatment of Judaism, though much more hyperbolic in expression. While St. Justin's Dialogue is a philosophical treatise, St. Chrysostom's eight homilies Against the Judaizers are a more informal and rhetorically forceful set of sermons preached in church. Delivered while Chrysostom was still a priest in Antioch, his homilies deliver a scathing critique of Jewish religious and civil life. The primary scholarly explanation for this was that he wished to warn Christians not to have any contact with Judaism because of the attraction that some Christians felt towards the synagogue, and his purpose was not primarily to attack the Jews, but rather to keep Christians away from the rival religion's festivals, apparently an ongoing pastoral problem in Antioch. Additionally, it was common during that period to make use of an exaggerated straw man argument in order to make one's point.
Martin Luther has been accused of antisemitism, primarily in relation to his statements about Jews in his book On the Jews and their Lies, which describes the Jews in extremely harsh terms, excoriating them, and providing detailed recommendation for a pogrom against them and their permanent oppression and/or expulsion. According to Paul Johnson, it "may be termed the first work of modern anti-Semitism, and a giant step forward on the road to the Holocaust". In contrast, Roland Bainton, noted church historian and Luther biographer, wrote "One could wish that Luther had died before ever this tract was written. His position was entirely religious and in no respect racial". See also Martin Luther and the Jews.
At several points in the history of Christianity, Chrysostom and Luther's writings have been used to justify anti-Semitism and anti-Judaism, whatever their original intentions may have been. Contemporary examples include the 1980 statement by Bailey Smith (then-president of the Southern Baptist Convention) that "God Almighty does not hear the prayer of a Jew," and Baptist minister and televangelist Jerry Falwell's assertion in his book, Listen, America!, that Jews "are spiritually blind and desperately in need of their Messiah and Savior."
Elsewhere in Christianity, efforts have been made to counteract the effects of anti-Judaism, especially as many Christian leaders seek to have an ecumenical rapport with their Jewish counterparts.
Blood libel against Jews
Blood libels are accusations that Jews use human blood in religious rituals. Historically these are accusations that the blood of Christian children is especially coveted. In many cases, blood libels served as the basis for a blood libel cult, in which the alleged victim of human sacrifice was elevated to the status of martyr, and in some cases, canonized. Although the first known instance of blood libel is found in the writings of Apion, who claimed that the Jews sacrificed Greek victims in the Temple, no further incidents are recorded until the 12th century, when blood libels began to proliferate. These libels have persisted from then through the 20th century.
Notes
- See, for example:
- "Anti-Semitism", Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2006.
- Johnson, Paul. A History of the Jews, HarperPerennial 1988, p 133 ff.
- Lewis, Bernard. "The New Anti-Semitism", The American Scholar, Volume 75 No. 1, Winter 2006, pp. 25-36. The paper is based on a lecture delivered at Brandeis University on March 24, 2004.
- Antisemitism is more commonly used than "religious antisemitism" or "anti-Judaism." The Encyclopaedia Britannica, for example, defines "antisemitism" to include religious antisemitism: "hostility toward or discrimination against Jews as a religious, ethnic, or racial group." "Anti-Semitism", Merriam-Webster Dictionary; "Anti-Semitism", Encyclopaedia Britannica.
- Nichols, William: Christian Antisemitism, A History of Hate (1993) p.314
- Johnson, Paul: A History of the Jews (1987), p.144
- Dialogue with Trypho the Jew
- Saint John Chrysostom: Eight Homilies Against the Jews
- Johnson, Paul: A History of the Jews (1987), p.242
- Bainton, Roland: Here I Stand, (Nashville: Abingdon Press, New American Library, 1983), p. 297
References
- Abulafia, Anna Sapir (ed.)(1998). Christians and Jews in Dispute : Disputational Literature and the Rise of Anti-Judaism in the West (c. 1000-1150) (Variorum Collected Studies Series). Aldershot, Hampshire: Ashgate. ISBN 0-86078-661-7.
- Langmuir, Gavin (1971). "Anti-Judaism as the necessary preparation for anti-Semitism". Viator, 2: p. 383.
See also
- Christianity and antisemitism
- Christian opposition to antisemitism
- Schisms among the Jews
- Islam and antisemitism
- Amal Saad-Ghorayeb
- History of the Jews in Russia and the Soviet Union
- Criticism of Judaism
External links
- Was St. John Chrysostom Anti-Semitic?
- Anti-Semitism or anti-Judaism?
- The Gospel of John and Christian Anti-Judaism