Exploring the Roots of Anti-Semitism in Christianity

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

Jews were "filled with bitterness and gall like that they gave Jesus on the cross and that the guilt for Jesus' death is an inherited trait” (Marendy 8). It is noted that these teachings against Jews became a "warrant for some Christians to express their attitudes in violent and inflammatory ways" (Marendy 8). The biblical ties of anti-Semitism, in combination with the importance of religion within the Germanic Culture and the early teachings of influential Christian figureheads, allotted for the continuation and growth of discrimination, with direct connections to the Christian Church, towards the Jewish people.
The Jewish people of medieval Germany were often accused of imaginary crimes which they were not responsible for.

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

11).
Perhaps the most famous example of anti-Semitic folklore is the myth of blood libel, the unfounded accusation, which insinuated that the Jews were guilty of cannibalistic actions and later used the blood of the victim for ritualistic purposes, particularly pertaining to the story of William of Norwich. The Jews reportedly, in an attempt to recreate and mock the crucifixion of Christ, kidnapped an English child, William, and then continued to torture, stab, and crucify him for ritualistic purposes (Marendy 12). The idea of Jewish ritualistic murder further instilled the anti-Semitic nature of the medieval Germanic culture, and led to acts of retaliation by the German people.
To conclude, Jews in European nations have long suffered from anti-Semitism. Long ago before the Holocaust, Jews suffered because of their peculiar religion, the Holocaust because a single man was able to manipulate people towards hating the Jews and finally because when the Jews finally get their own state, someone has to come and fight against that. It is not easy being a Jew in Eastern European countries with movements rising that promote hatred and hostile anti-Jewish environment. In order for the world to come to an end with this constant attack against Jews, the Israeli-Palestinian war needs to end, the Skinheads movements need to be abolished and other types of threats need to be reduced