Anti-semitism

22 Pages 5463 Words

old," said David Cohn-Sherbok, in his book The Crucified Jew. "In these ways the New Testament laid the foundations for later Christian hostility to the Jewish nation…and served as the basis for the early Church’s vilification of the Jews." (Cohn-Sherbok) Another early Christian writing which may have encouraged Jewish hatred is the Gospels of John. Scholars believe John wanted to gain favor with the Roman Hierarchy. Therefore, he emphasized the Jewish involvement in the death of Christ and minimized the Roman role. "The Gospel of John contains some of the most hostile anti-Jewish statement in the Christian scriptures. So sharp is the contrast in that gospel between Jesus’ exhortations to his followers to love one another and the hostile references to the Jews…John is ‘a gospel of Christian love and Jew hatred.’" (Charlesworth) Some examples of John’s apparent sentiments towards the Jewish people include the following. …THE JEWS REPLIED…[JOHN 18:31] …MY FOLLOWERS WOULD BE FIGHTING TO KEEP ME FROM BEING HANDED OVER TO THE JEWS… [JOHN 18:36] …HE WENT OUT TO THE JEWS AGAIN…[JOHN 18:38] …THE JEWS ANSWERED HIM, "WE HAVE A LAW, AND ACCORDING TO THAT LAW HE OUGHT TO DIE BECAUSE HE HAS CLAIMED TO BE THE SON OF GOD." [JOHN 19:7] …THE JEWS CRIED OUT, "IF YOU RELEASE THIS MAN, YOU ARE NO FRIEND OF THE EMPEROR…" [JOHN 19:12] …HE SAID TO THE JEWS, "HERE IS YOUR KING!" THEY CRIED OUT, "AWAY WITH HIM! AWAY WITH HIM! CRUCIFY HIM!…"[JOHN 19:14] Many scholars believe the Jews and Christians were still worshipping together around the middle of the first century. They discussed and acknowledged their differences, like a family fight. Yet, towards the end of the first century their relationships deteriorated. After the destruction of the second Temple in 70 CE, the Gentiles appeared to break away from the Jews. Jewish leaders who remained faithful to the Mosaic Law, began excommunicating Christian Jews under Nero’s lea...