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The Christian Teaching of Contempt for Jews and Judaism: A Primary Source Sampler

 

Introduction

The debate over the Mel Gibson movie, The Passion of the Christ, has made it clear that most Christians simply are not aware of the history of Christian anti-Jewish teachings. These teachings were conveyed in several ways, including in the performance of annual passion plays. 

The foundation of Christian anti-Judaism was the conviction that Jews had been cursed by God for crucifying Jesus Christ. This claim was never formally defined as dogma, but was simply presupposed in the Christian world until formally repudiated in the last third of the twentieth century. 

This page provides links to some historical documents that illustrate this ideology. Those with an awareness of this history will be better equipped to detect its influence in theatrical or filmed passion plays. 

The links are preceded by quotations from the memorable penitential acts performed by Pope John Paul II in 2000. The "sins against the people of Israel," include anti-Jewish teachings, the Christian social marginalization of Jews in European society, libelous accusations, and periodic expulsions and violent persecutions. These actions John Paul II described in as the Christian crucifixion of the Jews. 

CATHOLIC CONFESSION OF SINS AGAINST THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL

Mass of Pardon - March 12, 2000

 

Cardinal Edward Idris Cassidy: "Let us pray that, in recalling the sufferings endured by the people of Israel throughout history, Christians will acknowledge the sins committed by not a few of their number against the people of the Covenant and the blessings, and in this way will purify their hearts."

John Paul II:

God of our fathers,
you chose Abraham and his descendants
to bring Your name to the nations:
we are deeply saddened
by the behavior of those
who in the course of history
have caused these children of Yours to suffer
and asking Your forgiveness
we wish to commit ourselves
to genuine brotherhood
with the people of the Covenant

 


This prayer of penitence and commitment was repeated during the pope's on March 26, 2000. John Paul II observed the custom of inserting a short prayer into a nook in the Wall, thereby affirming the sanctity of the most sacred Jewish site. 

A SAMPLING OF Primary Sources 

 

CHRISTIAN TEACHINGS ABOUT JEWS AND JUDAISM

SOME EFFECTS OF THESE TEACHINGS ON JEWS

Patristic Era  
(mid-2nd c., Palestine)

(mid-2nd c.)

(c. 347-407, Antioch)

(early 5th c., North Africa)
Medieval Europe

(before 1100)

(1182)

(1215)

(d. 1275)

(1271-76, popes regularly extended protection to Jews against popular Christian accusations against them)

 Attacks on Jewish Communities, Forced Conversions:
  • (written by Soloman bar Samson in the 12th c.)
  • (1189-90)

Ritual Murder and Blood Libel Accusations:

  • (Thomas of Monmouth's 1173 account of the Jewish ritual murder of a child in 1144.)
  • (Ephraim ben Jacob's account, 1171)
  • .(17th c., explore the links from this site)

(1348-49)

One can add to this list: accusations of host desecration; economic marginalization; burning of Talmud and other Jewish books (from 1242); expulsions; forced attendance at conversionary sermons.

Renaissance and Early Modern Europe

Martin Luther 

  • (1517)

  • (1543)

1516 Jews of Venice confined to living in the ghetto.

1555 Pope decrees censorship of all Hebrew books. 

1648-9 Chmielnicki Massacres: Cossacks destroy over 400 Jewish communities, killing over 100,000 Jews in the Ukraine and Poland

(Henry C Lea, 1908): 

Modern America and Europe

.  See also

(an excerpt from an unpublished 1938 papal encyclical draft)

 (1903 Kishinev Pogrom -- Russian government-encouraged riot against Jews)

Nazi Antisemitism and the Holocaust: See resources at the and Israel's

contains many more sources.

For a chronology of anti-Judaism and anti-Semitism (not exclusively Christian) see .