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Judaism and the origins of Christianity and Muslims
Judaism and the origins of Christianity and Muslims
Anti-semitism in the Gospels
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Hostile to Semitism is a long way from another idea; its vicinity has discolored and molded history, from the earliest starting point of the Jewish faith, up until contemporary times. While anti-Semitism is majorly highlighted in new testament, one of the most incriminating event, in the New Testament, attested to the Jews, is the Jewish peoples responsibility for Jesus killing; Judas, a Jew, betrayed Jesus, leading to his crucifixion, Pontius Pilot, also a Jew, was the direct cause of the crucifixion of Jesus, and various other Jewish leaders were held responsible (New International Version Mark 14:43-46, Acts 27).
Public expressions of hatred towards the Jewish people built on this very concept formed the basis of Christian anti-Semitism. The Roman church, in many instances, actually preached anti-Semitism based on the claim that the Jews were connected to killing Jesus. St. Augustine, one of the major influencing characters of the early Catholic Church, reportedly believed
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Ultimately strengthening the cultural hatred of the Jewish population, fallacious myths concerning the Jewish culture began circulating and sparking fear among medieval Germany. Jews became the scapegoat of the Black Death, which overwhelmed medieval Germany, killing endless amounts of people. Because of the religious practices of cleanliness for Jews, they did not use public wells and had fewer instances of the Black Death/ Because of the discrepancy of in the number of Black Death infections between the Christian people and the Jews, the Jews individuals were subsequently accused of deliberately poisoning the wells, therefore causing the Black Death, which would result in eventual retaliation by the Christian community (Moore 981). Because of a widespread cultural belief, Jews were often accused of having magical powers which originated from a deal with the devil (Marendy
According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, anti-Semitism is hostility toward or discrimination against Jews as a religious, ethnic, or racial group. There are two main types of anti-Semitism: classical anti-Semitism and modern anti-Semitism. Classical anti-Semitism is the hatred and intolerance towards Jews because of their religious differences. According to remember.org,
Anti-Semitism, hatred or prejudice of Jews, has tormented the world for a long time, particularly during the Holocaust. The Holocaust was a critical disaster that happened in the early 1940s and will forever be remembered. Also known as the genocide of approximately six million European Jews during World War II, an assassination by the German Nazis lead by Adolf Hitler.
However, the Christians claimed that the Jews were less affected by the black death. The fact that the Jews were less effected by the black death is not because the plague was their fault but it was due to the sanitary practices of the Jewish law. For example, the Jewish law requires one to wash his or hands several times throughout the day. They must wash before they eat, after they leave the bathroom and at least once a week the Jews bathe for Sabbath. In the medieval world one can go about half his lifetime without ever having to wash his hands. This shows how the sanitary conditions for the Jews were always far superior than the general sanitary conditions everyone else followed which explains why the Jews were less effected by the plague. Although all this makes sense to the Christians the fact that the Jews were less affected was very shocking and therefore they blamed
Before the nineteenth century anti-Semitism was largely religious, based on the belief that the Jews were responsible for Jesus’ crucifixion. It was expressed later in the Middle Ages by persecutions and expulsions, economic restrictions and personal restrictions. After Jewish emancipation during the enlightenment, or later, religious anti-Semitism was slowly replaced in the nineteenth century by racial prejudice, stemming from the idea of Jews as a distinct race. In Germany theories of Aryan racial superiority and charges of Jewish domination in the economy and politics in addition with other anti-Jewish propaganda led to the rise of anti-Semitism. This growth in anti-Semitic belief led to Adolf Hitler’s rise to power and eventual extermination of nearly six million Jews in the holocaust of World War II.
Even with the grueling pain that the dark swells and the large tumors brought with them, to the Jews, this pain was the not the worst. The Black Plague was a killer disease from 1348-1351 that spread all throughout Europe. At this time, the Jews were despised in their communities because most of them took the occupation of money-lending. This job was considered unholy and the people of Europe looked down upon the Jews because of it. The Black Plague created a more hostile environment for the Jewry of Europe because of the newly founded flagellants, the Jewish ghettos, and the increased attacks on Jews.
One of the reasons that Hitler hated Jews was he had hostility or prejudice against Jewish people. In Germany, there was a lot of anti - semitism. There were a lot of people angry in Europe in the 1900s. In the book Why Did Hitler Hate Jews the author explained that “The term anti-semitism dates back to the 1870’s, however, even in ancient times there was a great deal of
Violence against the Jews had begun to decrease by the 1500s, unfortunately though Jews still continued to endure persecution (Medieval anti-Semitism). “Jews still occasionally served as scapegoats, footing the blame for any problem or adversity” (Medieval anti-Semitism). The Jews were accused of many things. They were held accountable for being the ones responsible for the death of Jesus Christ, killing Christian children, causing natural catastrophes and were even accused of being the cause of the Plague that broke out in Europe in 1348 (“The Roots of the Holocaust”). 19th Century By the 19th century, legal reforms and emancipation improved the rights and status of Jews in many parts of Europe (19th century anti-Semitism).
In the late 1800’s many Jews in Europe were exposed to events regarding anti-Semitism. In the Papal State, the Christians wanted to convert the Jews. If they refused, death was the punishment. They were taxed heavily, and put in ghettos so that they were contained- like cattle. Herzl states “Wherever they (Jews) live in perceptible numbers, they are more or less persecuted. Their equality before the law, granted statute, has practically a dead letter.” (The Jewish State, 21)
For several centuries, Jews were used as scapegoats even earlier than before Hitler. First written record of Jews being used as scapegoats was in the early 1600s. In history from Europe tells that Anti-semitism has existed for several years and that the first attack that was ever recorded of Anti-semitism was in Germany, Frankfurt in 1614. The Germans knew that they were Jews by their typical stereotypes and a yellow ring they wore. Jews today still have issues where they are blamed for problems they never did. Scapegoating of the Jews was highly known across the globe when Adolf Hitler accused the Jews for creating Germany into such an awful place. Not only did all of Germany agree but several countries across the globe did too. Surprisingly Canada was like any other. Several Canadians blamed the Jews for the great depression due to their capitalist and rootless thoughts. Due to being blamed for everything continuously some Jews actually believed what people said about them being capitalist and rootless since their self esteem was ruined. They were always reminded of being the evil on earth. Sigmund Freud was one of those who believed that Jews were evil due to continuously being reminded how Jews were awful. Freud was worried his theories would be ignored since he was Jewish. He too gave anti-semitic remarks hoping that people would agree with his theories. The reason why people had such thoughts of the Jews was by Persuasion. A section of social psychology, there are five parts to persuasion there is; the communicator, the one who has had experience and admires his thoughts. The message, usually a message that people like; the media, the environment and the audience which ideas they agree and what the communicator says. Other...
The holocaust was the mass murder of about six million Jews during World War II. The hostility toward or discrimination against Jews as a religious, ethnic, or racial group is known as antisemitism. Antisemitism was a centuries old phenomenon. Jews in Europe had always been a minority. In some countries , Jews could not own land, attend school, or practice certain professions. The Holocaust, which was between 1933 and 1945, is history’s most extreme example of antisemitism. A German journalist that was named Wilhelm Marr originated the term antisemitism in 1879. Which symbolized the hatred of Jews, and also hatred of a variety of advanced, catholic, and international political trends of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries that were often joined with Jews. The tendency under attack included equal civil rights, required equality, free trade, ownership, account free enterprise, and self control from violence. Between the most casual definition of antisemitism all through history were pogroms. Pogroms were violent riots that were begun against Jews and many times supported by government authorities. Pogroms were often encouraged by blood libels, which were false rumors that Jews used the blood of Christian children for ritual purposes. In the modern era, antisemites added a political quality to their ideas of hatred. In the last third of the nineteenth century, antisemitic political groups were formed in France, Germany and Austria. Advertisements such as the Protocols of the Elders of Zion developed or provided support for fake theories of a global Jewish plot. A convincing part of political antisemitism was nationalism, whose supporters often falsely accused Jews as disloyal citizens. The Nazi party, which was established in 19...
...s problems in the past. Many religions would have fallen and ceased to exist under this kind of persecution. To the Jewish believer this is perhaps because they are the ‘chosen people.’ This religion continues to prove its strength and resilience even today and will continue to do so.
Naturally, people looked for a scapegoat for this event. With antisemitism still rising, it was unquestionable for people to make Jews the scapegoat. Theories were created such as “The Jews poisoned the wells, creating the Black Death”. Due to these often believed ‘truths’, Jews in Europe were often murdered, expelled from communities, or were forced to convert to Christianity. The rulers at this time, the Caesars and other emperors, ruled over Europe. In return, citizens were required to worship these emperors as their god. Jews only believed that there was only one God and worshiped him. Therefore, Jews were under heavy antisemitism under the Romans and were persecuted during the Middle
During the Middle Ages, Jews were seen as the enemy by the Christians; they were thought of as the race that killed Christ. The Jewish people were oppressed during the Middle Ages mostly by Christians. Religion was taken very seriously in the past and for what the Christians believed the Jews were responsible for, they did not like them. Furthermore, the Jews were accused for causing the Black Plague by poisoning the wells. The Black Plague nearly whipped out one third of the world population. The Jews were also “accused of murdering Christian children in order to make matzoh for Passover” (Konop, Muller, & Risley). Moreover, the Jews were forced to live on a filthy island called Ghetto Nuova in Venice. In addition to all the oppressions, Jews were forced to follow many unfair laws. To start off, one regulation was made to force all Jews “to wear distinctive clothing,” (Alan), usually a yellow or a red hat and in some areas, they were required to wear a badge. In the Middle Ages, agriculture was the main way of generating money, and when the Jews were not allowed to own a Christian slave to assist them on their farms, there was no possible way for them to survive. Following, the Jewish were not permitted to take Christian pledges, “Thus, the only occupations available to them were those of artisans, traders, and money lenders,” (Konop, Muller, & Risley). Later in the Middle Ages, the relations between religions changed traumatically. For example, the type of anti-Semitism that existed in England during Shakespeare’s life was not as unreasonable as in the previous centuries. The Jews were now allowed to stay in the main city, even though the community that they were forced to stay in was now was one of “the strongest and wealthiest community in the Ghetto,” (Alan). All in all, sometimes religion and culture can blind us from the truth and some other times, it makes us hateful of others whom beliefs aren’t the same as ours.
Judaism is one of the most ancient religions in the world. Abraham, his descendants, and Moses are believed to have been the founders. According to Jewish beliefs until Abraham man worshiped many Gods. The story begins with Abraham and his wife Sarah trying to conceive a child. When Abraham was 99 and Sarah 90 God came to Abraham and told him they would have a son. After the child was born God again came to Abraham and tested his beliefs by asking him to sacrifice his only son Isaac. Isaac willingly went with Abraham to be sacrificed. Before Abraham could sacrifice Isaac God sent an angel down to stop him. As a reward for his faith God made a covenant with Abraham that he and his descendants would be protected as long as they continued to show faith in him and live a life that was wholesome. Also from this it is said God blessed Abraham with many children. His son Isaac had two sons Jacob and Esau, Jacob who changes his name to Israel had twelve sons. Israel’s had twelve sons they are the “12 tribes of Israel” and their descendants are later known as the Israelites also called Hebrews.
Anti-Semitism and the desecration of the Jewish population have been in existence for nearly five thousand years. In the Elizabethan era, a question of anti-Semitism invariably arises. In William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, we find that one of the characters is the embodiment and expression of anti-Semitic attitude that is pervasive in Elizabethan society. "Anti-Semitism was an intricate part in Shakespeare's years. Jews were considered vile and scorned upon. Shakespeare presents Judaism as an 'unchangeable trait'" (Bloom 37). Shakespeare's age based their anti-Semitism on religious grounds because the Elizabethans inherited the fiction, fabricated by the early Church, that the Jews murdered Christ and were therefore in league with the devil and were actively working to subvert spread of Christianity. The religious grounds of this anti-Semitism means that if a Jew converted to Christianity, as Shylock is forced to do in The Merchant of Venice, then all will be forgiven as the repentant Jew is embraced by the arms of the all merciful Christian God of love. In fact, some Christian believed--as do some fundamentalist sects today--that the coming of the Kingdom of God was aided by converting the Jews to Christianity. Anti-Semitism in Shakespeare's time is portrayed in his masterpiece The Merchant of Venice.