What were the origins of Christian anti-Jewish sentiment?

rosends

That's a pretty broad question with a variety of possible answers:

1. resentment against a people who don't accept Jesus
2. revenge against a people who made Jesus' life difficult
3. revenge against those who held back the splinter group which became Christianty
4. need for an economic, social or political scapegoat

I'm sure there are others, and each one requires a book to explore in depth.

cherepes

The Basis of the Christian anti-Jewish sentiment stems from the fact that it was the Jewish Leaders who crucified Christ, therefore all Jews were at fault since the Leaders said let it be on their heads.

Though most assuredly, Christ Jesus was Crucified by the Jews, it is also taken that He came for them as well as us, so this sentiment is totally without any merit.

RC-CIC
Cherepes

rosends

I find it scary that even after the pope himself has denied that the Jews kileld Jesus, people can still assert it as a fact.

That Jesus might have commited acts that would have merited a death penalty according to Jewish law is immaterial. That the person who pointed him out was Jewish is immaterial. That the Roman authorities performed a military tribunal and issued an order to perform a crucifiction (a death never sanctioned by any form of Judaism) at a day, and time contrary to Jewish law and in a place outside of religious jurisdiction is the point.

It's nice to throw a bone to the Jews "the Jesus came from them also." Nice. If I could change that I would, but res ipso loquitor -- the Romans kileld Jesus -- the ignorance in the belief that the Jews did it continues to fan the flames of baseless hatred.

dwalex

Gee, that last responder apears to have "issues". But back to your question, Jews did in fact persecute Christians, it is in the Bible. Anyone with strong religious convictions is going to have problems with a group that comes in and says "no what you believe and all of your ancestors believe is wrong, this is the new truth, throw all of that away and follow this new guy" Even the people of Jesus' hometown tried to kill him and his own family other than his mother were not strong believers untill after his death. As humans, we resist change and we want to believe that our beliefs are right. Christians challenged this in Jews. Today, however, most educated Christians and Jews understand and accept each others points of view. Its those radical islamics that I'm worried about; their view is that they have a right to kill anyone who disagrees with them.

best wishes,
dwalex

cherepes

To Expand a little on my statement, which some have misunderstood, it was most assuredly the Sanehdrin, and the Sanhedrin alone that brought Christ Jesus before the Roman Prefect, Pontius Pilate, with the sole intent of having Christ put to death. At the time, they had no power, so to enforce what they had already sactioned, they gave Pilate reason to execute, by claiming tha Chirst called himself King of the Jews.

Most assuredly it was the Romans that put Jesus to death on the Cross physically, but it was the Sanhedrin and the Pharisses and Sdducees that initiated and sealed the fate of Christ with their charges to pilate and their decision that Christ must die at the trial of the Sanhedrin.

To be exact, when Pilate found no fault with Christ, the same Sanhedrin ssaid let it be on our heads, meaning that it was the will of the Hebrew nation for acts against their law that Christ Jesus was crucified.

This one little statement, has turned out to meant that all Jews are guilty of the crime. Although this is not the case, for as we see in history and the Bible it was just the Sanhedrin and their crowd that saw Christ as a threat, and not the whole Hebrew Nation for Christ had many, many folowers among them, but it was the poor, not the Priestly class, that were the folowers of Christ.
It was also the same priestly class responsible for His death. And as done though out the ages if the King hates a nations, then the whole nation hates the same nation. Guilt by assoication, even though that is not normally the case, that is what many in times of old viewed as true.

Since the Sanhedrin was guilty, and the Sanhedrin spoke for the Hebrews, ergo all Hebrews must also be guilty.

So it stems out of ignorance and hatred, which never makes any sense, but enemies, for out of true love of Christ, Hebrews are our Brthren in God the Father.

Cherepes

rosends

Any arguments I could muster to contradict what was just posted would be based in two things which obviously won't do here -- a questioning of the validity of the testimony of the texts which report the death of Jesus (as they report "fact" which is contrary to what Jewish law would sanction or condone), and a questioning of the logic.

1. The Jewish community was very divided, so any claim that the Jewish court represented all Jews must be in error.

2. The Jewish court does not have the authority to hand people over to civil court -- it acts to decide punishment and it is a punishing body (one that if, according to the sages, it executes one person in 70 years is considered cruel and unusually harsh).

3. Crucifiction is not a death penalty that the court could encourage or allow to happen as punishment for a sin. It is the result of Roman military tribunal.

4. To say that all of a group are guilty because the supposed head (note -- there was no king of the Jews to decipher your analoge) is against something and to blame is ridiculous. By that logic, as the Popes through the ages have been anti-semitic, all Catholics are therefore to blame for the countless deaths of Jews, including during World War II. Doesn't quite follow. President Clinton had an affair, therefore all Americans are adulterers because he represents what we stand for?


But, as I said, arguing won't hold sway here. We're discussing dogma -- even one rescinded by the church...

tototu

It isn't a Christian sentiment at all, It is a religious sentiment with seeds in the spirit of the antichrist. A person who gains the spiritual understanding of the gospel by supernatural gift of God, (a Christian), will understand from the gospel that a gentile becomes a Jew through spiritual adoption and becomes a partaker of the Divine Promise. Currently, the children of promise ( the nation of Israel) are blinded to the Truth due to the sovereign act of God. He has hardened their hearts and stiffened their necks, but He hasn't taken away the Promise, for His word is immutable. ;D ;D ;D

Pastor_Dave

This is not a Christian view. It is the view of GOD. It is not just a view against the Jewish Faith. It is against all who do not accept Jesus as the only begotton Son of God and the only redeemer of mans lost soul. Anyone or any denomination who does not accept the true gospel of Christ is an anti-Christ and God has no part in them. One must be born of Gods spirit thru the repented blood shed salvation of Christ to be a child of God. Anyone or anything else is not of God and is anti-christ according to Gods Holy Word.

rosends

Gee, I guess that makes me the anti-christ. I like my religion because it says that any non-Jew who follows seven basic laws goes to heaven. The books I believe in say nothing about that whole blood shedding thing.