The Origins of Christian Anti-Semitism

Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs ^ | May 5, 2009 | Prof. Pieter van der Horst

[Vlad0]

• Christian anti-Semitism began much later than Jesus’ life. In the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, which are the historically more reliable ones, Jesus views himself as a messenger of God to the Jews and as a member of the Jewish people.

• The New Testament has several anti-Semitic elements in its chronologically latest documents. The Gospel of John has Jesus call the Jews “sons of the devil.” There is also a case of an anti-Jewish outburst by the Apostle Paul.

• The split between Jewish and gentile Christians brought with it the beginning of Christian anti-Jewish sentiments. In creating a new identity for itself, Christianity attacked the old religion as fiercely as it could, including demonization.

• Toward the end of the fourth century, much-publicized sermons of the church father John Chrysostom combined Christian anti-Jewish elements derived from the New Testament with earlier pagan ones. These themes were gradually integrated into the anti-Jewish discourse of the church.

Prof. Pieter van der Horst studied classical philology and literature. In 1978, he received his PhD in theology from Utrecht University. After his studies, he taught the literature and history of early Christianity and Judaism. Prof. Van der Horst is a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.

He remarks: “In the three more historically based earlier Gospels, one sees Jesus in fierce dispute with leaders of the various Jewish groups, such as the Pharisees and the Sadducees. It is clear from these texts that this is an internal Jewish debate. When, according to the Gospels, the Pharisees attacked Jesus because of his behavior, there followed a dispute of a halachic [Jewish law] nature. Jesus reasons in this context, remaining within the fold of Judaism. The debate, however fierce it may be, is less so than, for instance, the internal Jewish dispute between the Qumran sect and the Pharisees and the Sadducees.”

Non-Jews Become Christians Van der Horst says it is difficult to determine where to place the beginning of Christian anti-Semitism. “It varied from location to location. In the Jerusalem Christian community it started much later than in the communities in Asia Minor, Greece, or Rome, or wherever else Christian communities came into being.

“The earliest Christian generation in Jerusalem consisted almost entirely of Jews. These people believed in Jesus as the Messiah, but saw themselves as true Jews. The book of Acts of the Apostles makes it clear that the first Jewish Christians went to the Temple in Jerusalem, attended synagogue services, and wanted to remain Jews.[1] There were tensions with mainstream Jews, who looked askance at the belief that a crucified person was the Messiah. There was, however, no breaking point or even a discussion of excommunicating the Jewish Christians.

“The situation changed slowly in the second generation of Christians. This was directly related to the missionary activities of people like the Apostle Paul and his collaborators. Their vision was that ‘salvation,’ as they called it, was intended by God not only for the Jewish people but also for others. They began to preach their message to non-Jews outside the Land of Israel as well.

“These earliest missionaries wanted to facilitate the entrance of non-Jews into the growing Christian community. They therefore began to downgrade the Torah (the Pentateuch) and its commandments. Later they started to toy with the idea that, if God wanted non-Jews to be part of the community as well, the commandments of the Torah should be solely for the Jewish members. That gave rise to the first tensions between Jewish and gentile Christians.”

[Vlad0]

I have manually excerpted this article, but the whole thing is interesting and available at the link.

Given the events going on in the USA these days, with these campus protests, it seems like it might be valuable to look at the historic roots of anti-Semitism.

[babble-on]

In religions that are about good guys and bad guys it is convenient the BAD GUYS to be few in number, enviable and readily identifiable.

[Tell It Right]

Jewish leaders in Jesus' day: "Crucify him!!!"

Jewish leaders today: "Why did Christians have a history of anti-Semitism?"

[Vlad0]

This is taking the topic of yesterday's post and extending it further backwards in time, to examine the roots of anti-Semitism in the early church. Long before the Reformation (yesterday's post). It too is written by a Dutch Professor, but a different one than yesterday's.

[Jonty30]

Rome was a big factor in the schism between Jews and Christians.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Split_of_Christianity_and_Judaism

[Petrosius]

Not to justify anti-Semitism, but why is there always talk about it but never any mention of anti-Christian sentiment among the Jews?

[Reverend Wright]

Jewish leaders in Jesus’ day: “Crucify him!!!”
Jewish leaders today: “Why did Christians have a history of anti-Semitism?”

---

LOL !

[Reverend Wright]

” Non-Jews Become Christians Van der Horst says it is difficult to determine where to place the beginning of Christian anti-Semitism. “

---

It’s from reading the Wikipedia “Early Life and Family” section for prominent Leftists.

[Vlad0]

Jewish leaders in Jesus' day: "Crucify him!!!"

But then Jesus himself was a Jew, and almost all of his original followers, including all 12 apostles, were all Jewish too.

So the whole drama of his life took place within the Jewish culture and nation of the day. The fact is that some Jews loved Jesus, and some hated him and wanted him dead.

Those historic facts don't by themselves do much to explain Christian anti-Semitism.

Why not focus on his Jewish origin and many Jewish followers, and instead focus on the small mob that backed the State in his persecution and execution by crucifixion?

By the way: neither of the two Dutch scholars who wrote these articles (this one, and the one I posted yesterday) are themselves Jewish. And, for the record, neither am I.

The author of this article has a Ph.D in Christian Theology from one of the oldest Universities in the Netherlands, which played a huge role in the development of Dutch Reform theology during the early Reformation.

It's still an interesting topic, and lots of Christians and other non-Jewish people are interested in the question of "What is the origin of Christian anti-Semitism?"

[Vlad0]

Thanks! That’s a very interesting article I’ve never come across. Much appreciated!

[Vlad0]

Not to justify anti-Semitism, but why is there always talk about it but never any mention of anti-Christian sentiment among the Jews?

I think that's a very fair question. It might have to do with the power differentials, the Jews never being a large nation or having an empire were rarely in as good a position to weaponize their anti-Christianity as (some) Christian (and Islamic, and Pagan) nations were to weaponize their anti-Jewish beliefs and feelings.

And of course this culminated in the Holocaust, which while there were many other victims of the Nazi terror, was obsessively focused on the Jews.

Anyway, that's my first draft answer of "why the focus on anti-Semtism and not anti-Christianity. As it relates to the news in the USA today, it's not Christian students who are being threatened in all of these campus encampments, it's Jews (ethnically and religiously) who are. So, that's why anti-Semitism is topical right now, and perhaps anti-Christianity isn't so much.

Historically the biggest and most effective anti-Christian ideology has been Islam, by far, and not Judaism, I would argue.

None the less I find your question so interesting that I will devote some future posts to the question of Jewish anti-Christianity or anti-European (white people) prejudice.

Thanks for the interesting comment.

[MattMusson]

Stoning Stephen to death didn’t make any friends.

[cowboyusa]

Justin Martyr.

[cowboyusa]

The orginal controversy was wether Gentiles could be saved without becoming Jews.

[b4me]

would seem Jews and christians have always been divided since chirtsians believe Jesus was the Christ and Jews don’t

[Opinionated Blowhard]

These days, Christian antisemitism isn’t the problem. Its secular Leftist antisemitism.

[Wuli]

Yes. The history lesson is a good one and reminder to Christians - antisemitism did not begin with Mohammed, no matter how much more intense Mohammed made it, for his own reasons.

1. Part of that history most Christian are not taught in school is in most every part of “Christian” Europe, until Napoleon’s “universal” laws, Jews lived all over Europe but could not be full fledged citizens anywhere. This only began to change during and following the time of Napoleon
And keep in mind that was all happening in supposedly very “Christian” countries.

2. The royals in control used the smart or talented non-citizen Jew, and did so in ways which did not endear Jews to the non-Jewish citizens - tax collector, royal money handler and banker, royal land manager, royal trade dealer. Why did the royals do that? They did it because unlike a citizen they have handed the job to, the Jew could gain no political power from it because they were not even a citizen. The “dirty Jew” had jobs the citizens resented. This proced to be a good and a bad thing in time. (A) It was good for Jews as they gained citizenship because around the same time the economies were changing and smart talented Jews had the kinds of experiences that would benefit them in the new economy - finance, banking, property management, trade. (B) However, that natural course also provided a new source of antisemitism - resentment for the “unfairness” of so many successful Jews in the new economy of the world.

3. American Christians also need to be reminded that until late in the last century (1900-2000) Jewsish persons were not admitted to the most prestiges colleges and universities in the U.S.

[Reverend Wright]

Was it just adherence to the Old Testament laws, or actually converting to Judaism ?

[gitmo]

My church has Israeli flags in several places and you see many people wearing shirts saying “We Stand With Israel”.

[cowboyusa]

The decision was that they obstain from things strangled by blood,and sexual immorality. It decently rejected easy grace, that you can profess, and live anyway you want. The New Testement does not show that.