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Christians began to show philosophical differences with Judaism at the early outset of Christianity. Debates among Paul, other Jewish Christians (e.g. Nazarenes and Ebionites), and other Jews revolved around a unique feature of Judaism: it claimed to worship a universal God through a particular religion. In other words, Judaism claims that its God is the God of all, but does not require non-Jews to follow Jewish law in order to worship that God. Since Jesus was Jewish, the question facing early Christians was whether gentiles had to follow Jewish law in order to follow Jesus.
Paul argued not only that gentiles did not have to follow Jewish law; he argued that Jews ought no longer to follow Jewish law. The establishment of Paul's views led to a break between Christianity and Judaism:
The Roman Empire viewed Christianity as intolerant, and as long as Christians were marginal within the empire they were persecuted; however, as Jewish pluralism conformed to Roman pluralism, the Empire protected Judaism. Once Christianity was established as the official religion of the Empire, however, Christian persecution of Judaism increased.
See main article Assimilation (sociology).
The assimilation of Jews into majority non-Jewish culture is perhaps the single issue where Christians and Jews differ most sharply. The " conversion" of a Jewish born person to Christianity may be seen by Jews as a scourge (" silent Holocaust") and by some Christians as a " blessing from God" for the "salvation" of a non-Christian for their conversion to Christianity. In the reverse situation, though perhaps more rare, similar sentiments among partisans might also apply.
Perhaps best described as 'religious anti-Semitism,' anti-Judaism is a manifestation of a religious hostility toward Jews, that claims to base itself in Christian religious doctrine. Although some Christians have considered anti-Judaism contrary to Christian teaching, it has historically been expressed by most Christian leaders and laypersons. In many cases, the practical tolerance towards the Jewish religion and Jews prevailed. Some Christian groups, particularly in recent years, have condemned verbal Anti-Judaism.
This article begins by describing passages in the New Testament that some feel are anti-Judaist, as well as anti-Judaist statements and acts by the Church Fathers. It goes on to discuss developments in the 20th century, both promoting and opposing anti-Semitism.
During the past 1800 years, many Christians have had anti-Jewish attitudes. Some historians and many Jews hold that for most of its history, most of Christianity was openly anti-Semitic and that the severity, type and extent of this anti-Semitism have varied much over time; the earliest form was theological anti-Judaism.
It is quite possible, however, that some apparently anti-Jewish ideas present within Christian doctrine are not a result of specific anti-Jewish Biblical ideals, but instead a manifestation of Christian rejection of other religions as alternative ways to God. In this sense (although this view is held by no means uniformly) Christianity owes a debt of gratitude for the past, yet asserts that the time of Judaism is past, therefore invalidating Judaism as a viable means of salvation.
Main article: Jews in the New Testament
Few Jews consider the New Testament anti-Semitic as such. The main concern of most Jews today is how the New Testament has been used to legitimate or provoke anti-Semitism, which is a modern phenomenon. However, a number of elements of the New Testament are anti-Jewish. This takes several different forms:
These elements of the New Testament have their origins in first and second century history. Christianity began as a branch of Judaism. Virtually all of Jesus' followers during his life were Jews, and it was even a matter of controversy, many years after his death, as to whether non-Jews could even be considered Christians at all. There is considerable evidence that Jesus himself considered himself a reformer in the prophetic tradition, and did not intend to set up a new religion. (See for example the Gospel of Matthew Chapter 5 verses 17-19).
Although the Gospels offer accounts of confrontations and debates between Jesus and other Jews, such conflicts were common among Jews at the time. Scholars debate the historicity of the Gospels, and have offered different interpretations of the complex relationship between Jewish authorities and Christians before and following Jesus' death. These debates hinge on the meaning of the word " messiah," and the claims of early Christians.
The Gospels make several claims about Jesus: that he was a preacher, faith healer, messiah. The first two claims describe roles popular in first century Judea; were Jesus principally a preacher and healer, there is no reason to think he would have come into conflict with Jewish authorities. The claim that he was the messiah, however, is more controversial. The Hebrew word mashiyakh (משיח) typically signified "king" - a man, chosen by God or descended from a man chosen by God, to serve as a civil and military authority. If Jesus made this claim during his life, it is not surprising that many Jews, weary of RomanRoman or Romans has several meanings, primarily related to the Roman citizens but also applicable to typography math and a commune''. Roman The noun Roman means a citizen of Rome. The adjective Roman means pertaining or related to Rome. The name Romans in occupation, would have supported him as a liberator. It is also likely that Jewish authorities would have been cautious, out of fear of Roman reprisal.
At the time the Romans held the high priest responsible for keeping the peace; if the Jewish authorities did not arrest anyone liable to provoke a riot or uprising, they would risk being sent to Rome for execution or other punishment. In the Gospels, moreover, Jesus refers to God as his "father," although this was common among Jews at the time. Others refer to Jesus as "lord;" historians debate whether such passages were added after Jesus' death.
Christians believe that the New Testament indicates that Jesus is literally God's son. However, Hebrew and Jewish texts from the pre- and post-exilic period most often use such phrases in other ways (for example, in the Hebrew Bible "son of God" is used to refer to angels, kings, and the Children of Israel generically; in post-Biblical sources the phrase is often used to describe a just man); Jesus could have used the phrases in these senses.
For most Jews, the death of Jesus would have been sufficient proof that he was not a messiah. For most Christians, the belief that he was resurrected was sufficient proof that he was.
It is possible that some early Christians did not claim that Jesus was the messiah, but continued to celebrate his wisdom and teachings (much as Jews continue to celebrate the teachings of the prophets); such followers of Jesus would not have faced opposition from other Jews. However it is clear that Jesus was considered by Christians to be the Messiah, certainly by the time of Paul's writings, and very probably during Jesus' life. Some scholars, however, have argued that the Gospel understanding of messiah developed only after Jesus' death, as a way for followers to maintain their claims that he was the messiah. If this were the case, and early Christians preached that Jesus was about to return, it is virtually certain that Jewish authorities would have opposed them out of fear of Roman reprisal.
Such fears would have been well-grounded: Jews revolted against the Romans in 66Alternate uses, see Number 66 Centuries: 1st century BC 1st century 2nd century Decades: 10s 20s 30s 40s 50s 60s 70s 80s 90s 100s 110s Years: 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 Events Jewish revolt against the Roman Empire. The Zealots take Jerusalem and th CE, which culminated with the destruction of the Second TempleThe Second Temple was the reconstructed Temple in Jerusalem which stood between 515 BC and 70 CE. During this time, it was the center of Jewish worship, which focused on the sacrifices known as the korbanot''. The first Temple was destroyed when the Jews in 70Alternate uses, see Number 70 Centuries: 1st century BC 1st century 2nd century Decades: 20s 30s 40s 50s 60s 70s 80s 90s 100s 110s 120s Years: 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 Events The building of the Colosseum starts (approximate date). Pliny the Elder CE. They revoltedBar Kokhba’s revolt ( 132- 135 CE) against the Roman Empire, also known as The Second Jewish-Roman War or The Second Jewish Revolt was a second major rebellion by the Jews of Judea. Alternatively, some sources call it The Third Revolt counting also the ri again under the leadership of the professed messiah Simon Bar Kokhba in 132 CE, which culminated in the expulsion of the Jews from the Land of Israel, which Hadrian renamed into Palestine to wipe out memory of Jews there. At the time, Christianity was still a sect of Judaism, but the messianic claims alienated many Christians (including Jewish converts) and sharply deepened the schism.
Another source of tension between early Christians and Jews was the question of observance of Jewish law. Early Christians were divided over this issue: Jesus' brother James believed that Christians had to be Jews and observe Jewish law, while Paul argued that Christians did not have to observe all of Jewish law, and did not have to be circumcised, which was a requirement for male Jews. Most scholars (influenced by Martin Luther) have interpreted Paul's writings as rejecting the validity of Jewish law. A small number of of historians suggest that Paul accepted the authority of the law, but understood that it excluded non-Jews. This is not a generally accepted view.
Although Gentiles could convert to Judaism and thus be included, the point remained that people could enter this covenant with God only by being Jewish. By replacing the written law (the Torah) with Christ as the sign of the covenant, Paul sought to transform Judaism into a universal religion. It is evident that Paul saw himself as a Jew, but other Jews rejected this abstract universalism; after Paul's death, Christianity emerged as a separate religion, and Pauline Christianity emerged as the dominant form of Christianity, especially after Paul, James and the other apostles agreed on a compromise set of requirements (Acts 15). Some Christians continued to adhere to Jewish law, but they were few in number and typically considered heretics by the Church. One example is the Ebionites, which, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia, were "infected with Judaistic errors" (language which Jews find offensive); for instance, they denied the virgin birth of Jesus, the physical resurrection of Jesus, and most of the books that were later canonized as the New Testament.
Many New Testament passages criticise the Pharisees; these passages have shaped the way that Christians have viewed Jews. Like most Bible passages, however, they can and have been interpreted in a variety of ways.
During Jesus' life and at the time of his execution, the Pharisees were only one of several Jewish groups such as the Sadduccees, Zealots, and Essenes; indeed, some have suggested that Jesus was himself a Pharisee (although this seems unlikely). Arguments by Jesus and his disciples against the Pharisees were almost certainly examples of disputes among Jews and internal to Judaism that were common at the time ( Lutheran Pastor John Stendahl has pointed out that "Christianity begins as a kind of Judaism, and we must recognize that words spoken in a family conflict are inappropriately appropriated by those outside the family.")
After the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE, however, the Pharisees emerged as the principal form of Judaism (also called "Rabbinic Judaism"). All major modern Jewish movements consider themselves descendants of Pharasaic Judaism; as such, Jews are especially sensitive to criticisms of "Pharisees" as a group.
At the same time that the Pharisees came to represent Judaism as a whole, Christianity came to seek, and attract, more non-Jewish converts than Jewish converts. Within a hundred years or so the majority of Christians were non-Jews without any significant knowledge of Judaism (although until about 1000, there was an active Jewish component of Christianity). Many of these Christians read these passages not as internal debates among Jews but as the basis for a Christian rejection of Judaism and Jews. By this time, Christians were theologically rejecting any and all groups who rejected the Christian claim that Jesus was God, which of course included the Jews, along with Greeks and Romans who worshipped the traditional Greek and Roman gods, most gnostics, and others.
Moreover, it was only during the Rabbinic era that Chrtistianity would compete exclusively with Pharisees for converts and over how to interpret the Hebrew Bible (during Jesus' lifetime, the Sadducees were the dominant Jewish faction). Some scholars have argued that some passages of the Gospels were written (or re-written) at this time to emphasize conflict with the Pharisees. These scholars observe that the portrait of the Pharisees in the Gospels is strikingly different from that provided in Rabbinic sources, and suggest that New Testament Pharisees are a caricature and literary foil for Christianity. At a time when Christians were only seeking converts, and had no political power in the Roman Empire, such a caricature may not have been in any meaningful sense "anti-Judaist." But once Christianity was established as the religion of the Empire, and Christians enjoyed political domination over Europe, this caricature could be used to incite or justify oppression of Jews.
Some have also suggested that the Greek word Ioudaioi could also be translated "Judaeans", meaning in some cases specifically the Jews from Judaea, as opposed to people from Galilee or Samaria for instance.
In recent years teachers in a few Christian denominations have begun to teach that readers should understand the New Testament's attacks on Jews as specific charges aimed at certain Jewish leaders of that time, and upon attitudes displayed by many, inside and outside Judaism.