christian anti semitism
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The History of Christian anti-Semitism is more than a dark past for the Church. Itis a horrific and shameful past that has influenced modern anti-Semitism and theseparation between Jews and Christians today. As Jews continue to endure such hatred,Christians should make it clear that the crimes of past centuries do not reflect the currentdesire for the restoration of these two great religions. Modern Judaism and Christianityboth rely on the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) as their source of inspiration. Bothreligions believe in the Patriarchs, the Ten Commandments, the Prophets, and accept thatGod himself inspired the writers to pen the very words of the Almighty. The early Jewishbelievers accepted Jesus (Yeshua) to be the prophet that Moses spoke about inDeuteronomy 18:15-19, which was also considered a messianic passage by classicalrabbis and Christian scholars alike.TRANSCRIPT
COLUMBIA EVANGELICAL SEMINARYLongview, WA
Early Christian Anti-Semitism and Its Influence To This Day
JS-602 A History of Christian Anti-Semitism: The Dark Side of the Church (4 semester hours)
ByAdrian A. Bernal
Victor, Idaho, U.S.A.
March 2008
Professor: Rick Walston, Ph.D.
Introduction
The History of Christian anti-Semitism is more than a dark past for the Church. It
is a horrific and shameful past that has influenced modern anti-Semitism and the
separation between Jews and Christians today. As Jews continue to endure such hatred,
Christians should make it clear that the crimes of past centuries do not reflect the current
desire for the restoration of these two great religions. Modern Judaism and Christianity
both rely on the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) as their source of inspiration. Both
religions believe in the Patriarchs, the Ten Commandments, the Prophets, and accept that
God himself inspired the writers to pen the very words of the Almighty. The early Jewish
believers accepted Jesus (Yeshua) to be the prophet that Moses spoke about in
Deuteronomy 18:15-19, which was also considered a messianic passage by classical
rabbis and Christian scholars alike.
For the first two centuries, most of the early believers were Jews with a growing
number of non-Jews joining what was known as, “the Way” (Acts 9:2).1 Believers in the
first century were accepted by other Judaisms for the most part. However, gradually, non-
Jewish believers were beginning to outnumber the Jewish believers, and shortly the
center for Christianity was no longer in Jerusalem. With the destruction of the second
Temple in A.D. 70, Jewish and non-Jewish believers were scattered across the known
world, and the center for Christianity was quickly moving towards Rome. Anti-Semitism
was on the rise, and Jews were beginning to experience hatred from “so-called” believers
in the Messiah. Eventually, the divide between Jew and Gentile believers grew so wide
1Complete Jewish Bible, translated by David H. Stern (Clarksville, MD: Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc., 1998), p. 1414. Used for all scriptural references unless otherwise noted.
2
that persecutions against the Jews and accusations of being “Christ Killers” by the
“Church” were the norm. Sadly, the development of this divide led to the Great
Reformer, Martin Luther, penning these words:
First, their synagogues should be set on fire, and whatever does not burn up should be covered or spread over with dirt so that no one may ever be able to see a cinder or stone of it. And this ought to be done for the honour of God and of Christianity in order that God may see that we are Christians, and that we have not wittingly tolerated or approved of such public lying, cursing and blaspheming of his Son and his Christians . . . Secondly, their homes should likewise be broken down and destroyed. For they perpetrate the same things there that they do in their synagogues . . . Thirdly, they should be deprived of their prayerbooks and Talmuds in which such idolatry, lies, cursing and blasphemy are taught. Fourthly, their rabbis must be forbidden under threat of death to teach any more . . . Fifthly, passport and traveling privileges should be absolutely forbidden to the Jews . . . Sixthly, they ought to be stopped from usury . . . Seventhly, let the young and strong Jews and Jewesses be given the flail, the axe, the hoe, the spade, the distaff, and spindle, and let them earn their bread by the sweat of their noses . . . To sum up, dear princes and nobles who have Jews in your domains, if this advice of mine does not suit you, then find a better one so that you may all be free of this insufferable devilish burden—the Jews.2
It may be hard to accept that Luther succumbed to such verbiage; however, by the
end of Luther’s life his hopes for the Jews’ acceptance of Christianity went undone.
According to Michael L. Brown, Luther had hoped that his separation from the Catholic
Church in the early sixteenth century would open the doors for the Jews to convert en
masse to the one true-religion.3 When this did not happen, he vehemently voiced his
hatred towards the Jews in several of his writings and pamphlets.
2Dan Cohn-Sherbok, The Crucified Jew: Twenty Centuries of Christian Anti-Semitism (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997), p. 73, quoting Martin Luther, Against the Jews and Their Lies, Disputation and Dialogue, reprinted (Talmage: 1543), pp. 34-36. Note: Cohn-Sherbok does not offer references as to the publishers, dates, and pages of the quoted material used throughout his book. Therefore, the accuracies of these quotes may be questionable; however, some have been confirmed using other referential works listed in this paper’s bibliography. All other quotes, outside of Cohn-Sherbok’s own, will have the quoted author, the title of the work, and Sherbok’s page number(s) where the material was cited.
3Michael L. Brown, Our Hands are Stained with Blood: The Tragic Story of the “Church” and the Jewish People (Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, 1992), p. 14.
3
Although Luther’s view of the Jewish people has been widely known and
circulated, most of the early Church Fathers paved the way for Luther to build upon the
Christian anti-Semitism of his time. Luther was not the exception to Christian anti-
Semitism, but, rather, a normal continuation of it spanning over several hundred centuries
among Christianity.
Although Semitism relates to several Semitic peoples (those descended from
Shem), it would be wrong to assume that if a person is anti-Jewish he is also anti-Arab.
That is not always the case; however, some people specifically use the terms anti-Jewish
or anti-Judaism to distinguish the Jewish people and Judaism from other Semitic peoples.
For example, it would be wrong to label the president of Iran (Mahmoud Ahmadinejad)
as being anti-Semitic because he is of Semitic origin. It is proper, however, to label him
as being anti-Jewish or anti-Zionist because of his hatred and desire to destroy Israel and
the Jews.4
For the sake of clarity throughout this paper, the terms anti-Semitism, anti-Jewish,
and anti-Judaism will be used interchangeably to relate specifically to the hatred
projected towards the Jewish people by the Church. Furthermore, it should be recognized
that early Christianity did not start Jewish persecution; it did, however, catapult the
atrocities committed against the Jewish people after the Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325.
Although anti-Semitic acts were normal occurrences up to that time, the separation of
Jew and non-Jew in the Church became more prevalent with the exclusions of Jewish
4Elise Labott and Aneesh Raman, CNN.com, Iran President Says U.N. Sanctions Unlikely: Ahmadinejad Also Tells Israelis to Go Back to Europe, April 24, 2006, <http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/04/24/iran.nuclear/index.html> (27 February 2008).
4
feasts, festivals, and Sabbath-day observances, which the early Church in the first three
centuries enjoyed and celebrated.
Christian anti-Semitism and its lingering affects in today’s society, must be
remembered and never repeated. However, the Church has seemed to have forgotten her
past regarding the horrific attacks that Jews suffered at the hands of Christians. In the late
fifteenth century, autos-de-fe (acts of the faith) became a way of justifying persecution
against the Jews.5 For example, Jews were blamed, tortured, and forced to falsely confess
for kidnapping and killing Christian children. They were accused of using their blood in
making matzot (plural for unleavened bread) at Passover meals, and the using of
Christian blood to cure diseases.6
Although it would be easier to reason that real Christians could never do such
things, the reality is that both learned and unlearned Christians committed crimes against
the Jews. The Church should not ignore the facts but repent and make restitution
whenever possible. This, however, may have to be accomplished through personal
admittance and responsibility.
It should also be noted that it is equally wrong for Jewish people and Judaism to
claim that Jewish persecution originated with Christianity and the Church. This is
erroneous since Jews (Israelites or Hebrew descendants) have been persecuted for
centuries prior to Christianity’s conception. However, it would not be wrong to assume
that Christians and Christianity brought about some of the most horrific crimes and
murders committed to one group of people. All of these crimes, by the way, were under
5Cohn-Sherbok, p. 45.
6Ibid., p. 57.
5
the banner of the Church and or Christ, whether true (born-again) believers were involved
or not.
Therefore, this paper will primarily focus on, although not be limited to, three
questions or concerns regarding Christian anti-Semitism: (1) Where did anti-Semitism
come from? (2) How did it influence the Church? And, (3) What can be done,
subjectively, to repair the relationships between Jews and Christians?
Early Christian Anti-Semitism and Its Influence To This Day
Where did anti-Semitism come from? Although it can be argued as to the exact
time and place anti-Semitism started, Wilhelm Marr of Germany coined the term anti-
Semitism in his work The Victory of Judaism over Germanism,7 and in 1871 Marr
founded an anti-Semitic league.8 Regardless, the Bible offers the first possibility of hatred
towards the Jews:
Now ADONAI said to Avram, (Abram) ‘Get yourself out of your country, away from your kinsmen and away from your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, I will bless you, and I will make your name great; and you are to be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, but I will curse anyone who curses you; and by you all the families of the earth will be blessed’ (parenthesis added, Genesis 12:1-3).
It was at this time in history that God instructed Abram (later to be known as Abraham)
to leave his country and his father’s house. A specific people were to emerge from all
others, and in time these people became known as the Hebrews. Eventually, after 430
years of living in Egypt and being held captive for most of that time, the Children of
Israel (Jacob) were led out of Egypt by Moses into the wilderness. At this time, Moses,
7Cohn-Sherbok, p. 166.
8Ibid.
6
with God’s instruction, established the Aaronic priesthood, which further separated Israel
from all other peoples on the earth.
This separation, starting with Abraham, seems to be at the heart of persecution
and anti-Semitism. The first five books of the Bible (Torah) are broken down into fifty-
four Sabbath readings called Parashot, singularly, parashah or parashat. Interestingly,
the third parashat (reading) is from Genesis 12:1-17:27, which is called Lekh L’kha
meaning: Get yourself out. This same concept of separation seems to be what the Apostle
Paul is relating to the Corinthian believers directly out of Isaiah 52:11, Ezekiel 20:41, 34,
2 Samuel 7:14, 8, and then back out of Isaiah 43:6 when he quotes: “ . . . ‘Go out from
their midst; separate yourselves; don’t even touch what is unclean. Then I myself
will receive you. In fact, I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters.’
says ADONAI-Tzva’ot (Lord of Righteousness)” (parenthesis added, 2 Corinthians
6:17b-18).
Therefore, at the very heart of anti-Semitism is the hatred projected towards the
Jews for being different from their neighbors. The Law of Moses with the Ten
Commandments is the main dividing factor for this separation. And, with these laws
everything from grooming to clothing to worship further differentiates the Jewish people
from all others.
It also carried over to the Church Fathers when in the fourth century John
Chrysostom, described as “A bright cheerful soul, a sensitive heart, a temperament open
to emotion and impulse; and all this elevated, refined, transformed by the touch of
heaven, . . .”9 writes:
9Brown, p. 10, quoting Cardinal Newman.
7
The synagogue is worse than a brothel…it is the den of scoundrels and the repair of wild beasts…the temple of demons devoted to idolatrous cults…the refuge of brigands and debauchees, and the cavern of devils. [It is] a criminal assembly of Jews…a place of meeting for the assassins of Christ…a house worse than a drinking shop…a den of thieves; a house of ill fame, a dwelling of iniquity, the refuge of devils, a gulf and abyss of perdition.10
It is hard to imagine that a man of such praise would rise to such hatred; nevertheless, it
was prevalent in his time, and its effect has filtered-down through the centuries to this
present age.
Another hint of early anti-Semitism comes from the belief in the one true God
(monotheism). Many, if not most, cultures worshiped a plurality of deities (polytheism).
Often, the sun, moon, stars, and creatures were worshiped as gods, and human sacrifices
were offered as a means to bring about good fortunes.11 God’s people, from time to time,
had to be disciplined by God himself due to their lack of trust in him and their
incorporation of paganism, which at times included sacrificing their own children. God
instructed Jeremiah to speak these words to the children of Israel:
For the people of Y’hudah (Judah) have done what is evil from my perspective, says ADONAI; they have set up their detestable things in the house which bears my name, to defile it. They have built the high places of Tofet in the Ben-Hinnom (Son of Hinnom) Valley, to burn their sons and daughters in the fire, something I never ordered; in fact, such a thing never even entered my mind! (parentheses added, Jeremiah 7:30-31).
These sorts of paganistic rituals not only influenced Judaism but Christianity as well.
Thus, when a culture separates itself from other surrounding cultures, especially in deity
worship, the result is often jealousy and hatred. Although it is not justifiable to dislike a
culture because of its belief system, it is, nevertheless, a reality that has extended to the
10Ibid, p. 10, citing John Chrysostom.
11All About Spirituality, Paganism – Earth, 2002-2008, <http://www.allaboutspirituality.org/paganism.htm> (29 February 2008).
8
hatred projected upon the Jewish people for centuries prior to and after the resurrection of
Christ and the formation of the Church.
Additionally, Christian anti-Semitism may have originated from the false
accusations of deicide, i.e., the Jews killed Christ; therefore, they were expelled and
condemned to endlessly wonder about the earth because of their rejection of the Messiah.
Randy Weiss states:
Christianity carries the primary responsibility for developing and expressing the concept of modern anti-Semitism. This would seem implausible and horrible; nevertheless, the Church is guilty. Christian leaders developed and spread anti-Semitism as it has been practiced for many centuries. ‘An unmistakable component of modern anti-Semitism is its theological justification developed by Christianity.’ Christianity, with all of its claims to be the religion of love, invented a platform of hatred against the Jews. Pagans of the same era were not as ‘creative.’ Christian hatred was not based on rational disputes, such as political, economic, social, or philosophical issues. Christianity’s basis for hatred was based on the accusation of deicide. The view declares that the Jews killed God. The result let [sic] to the alleged eternal condemnation of the Jewish race (emphasis added).12
Although everyone is held guilty for his own sin, it is wrong to justify hatred
towards an entire race of people when Christ himself said, “I am the good shepherd. The
good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). And, again, Jesus says, “ . .
. I lay down my life on behalf of the sheep” (John 10:15b). It seems clear that Christ laid
down his own life for the sake of mankind. Therefore, to hate an entire race when Christ
died for all, is to ignore the truth that all can be saved. He confirms this after Pilate
questions, “Don’t you understand that it is in my power either to set you free or to have
you executed on the stake?” (John 19:10b). Yeshua (Jesus) answered, “You would have
no power over me if it hadn’t been given to you from above; this is why the one who
handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin” (emphasis added, John 19:11). 12Randy Weiss, The Passion Conspiracy: Did the Jews Kill Christ or was Jesus the Victim of
Identity Theft? (Cedar Hill, TX: EICB, 2004), p. 29, quoting William Nicholls, Christian Antisemitism: A History of Hate (Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson Inc., 1993), p. xix.
9
Therefore, when Jesus answered Pilate, he was making two things clear: (1) Pilate had no
authority over his fate unless it was given to him from above. And, (2) Pilate’s sin was
lesser than Caiaphas’.
Over all, the truth about blaming the Jews for deicide is misrepresenting the truth
of the gospel. The very people (the Church) that were intended to carry the truth of the
gospel, first to the Jew and then to the Gentile (Romans 1:16), missed its overall blessing
(Genesis 12:3) when it decided to persecute the Jews for the Church’s lack of properly
interpreting the Scriptures. Both Pilate and Caiaphas were guilty of sin; Jesus makes this
clear. However, he also makes it clear that he is the one that laid down his life for his
sheep. If not, then he would have been considered a false shepherd; however, Scripture
reveals otherwise.
Other possibilities where Christian anti-Semitism comes from is misinterpreting
and mistranslating the New Testament and the original intent of the Gospel writers.
Jewish authors inspired by the Holy Spirit wrote every book of the New Testament,
except for the books of Luke and Acts. To consider that by some revelatory power the
first believers in the Jewish messiah would somehow stop being Jews and then deliver a
message of revenge against the killers of Christ is, frankly, preposterous. Weiss writes,
“It is foolish for Christians to present Jesus or his early followers as anything other than
Jews.”13 The conception that Jews have to “convert” to Christianity, rather than
continuing to be Jewish, has bred so much discourse and confusion over the centuries that
it may be surprising to discover that Jesus was a Jew. This “conversion” concept may
have come out of the Dominion, or Replacement Theology developed by Origen and
13Weiss, p. 35.
10
Augustine.14 These theories primarily taught that the Church replaced Israel, that all the
promises of Scripture were forfeited by the Jews’ rejection of Christ, and that all the
promises formerly belonging to them now belong to the Church. Therefore, now that the
Church has replaced Israel, any Jew wanting forgiveness must convert to Christianity.
Regardless, Jewish persecution, although not started by the Church, formulated
into Christian anti-Semitism—particularly towards the Jew rather than Judaism, unlike
previous oppressors—becoming an expression of forced conversions, persecutions, and
demonization of the Jewish people by the Church. Earlier oppressions of tyranny and
hatred against the children of Israel for not worshiping the pagan gods revered in the
cultures of antiquity15 should not be viewed as an excuse for such acts done by the
Church. Rather, anti-Semitism is a sad depiction of early to modern-Christianity, which
influenced the likes of Origen, Chrysostom, and Luther. Cohn-Sherbok writes:
The Story of Christian anti-Semitism begins in the Greco-Roman world. Living among pagans, Jews and Judaism were subject to discrimination and persecution. Where Greek power was dominant, the typical view was that anything non-Greek was barbaric. The Jewish tradition was thus regarded with contempt. None the less it was only when Christianity emerged in the first century AD that Jews came to be viewed as contemptible and demonic (emphasis added).16
Weiss and others believe that anti-Semitism came about more towards the early to mid
part of the second century due to Christianity’s demographics with Gentile believers
shifting powers from Jerusalem to Rome.17 Furthermore, Weiss argues, “Christianity
caries the primary responsibility for developing and expressing the concept of modern
14Ibid., p. 45.
15Ibid., p. 28.
16Cohn-Sherbok, p. 1.
17Weiss, p. 30.
11
anti-Semitism. This would seem implausible and horrible; nevertheless, the Church is
guilty (emphases added).18
Thus, as the Children of Israel left Egypt instituting the Law of Moses by
worshiping their monotheistic God, they further separated themselves from all other
peoples on the earth. This difference led to jealousy, hatred, and animosity practiced by
many nations, combined later with accusations of committing deicide by the early
Church, which spread into worldwide Christian anti-Semitism and its influence to this
day.
Therefore, getting a slight understanding of where Christian anti-Semitism may
have come from, the second question, in this paper, now needs to be addressed: How did
it influence the Church? It has been stated earlier that many of the early Church Fathers
were responsible for continuing the hatred, lies, and persecutions projected towards the
Jewish people; however, the extent of Christianity’s anti-Semitic influence has been
neglected or forgotten down through the centuries. Such theories and false accusations as
that of the wondering Jew,19 the causers of the black plague,20and the desecration of the
Host (communion bread),21 are just a few examples of lies that eventually became a
“truth” among early Christianity. Brown, Cohn-Sherbok, and Weiss all give accounts of
probably the worst of all these lies, which resulted in hundreds of thousands of murders
against the Jews throughout the centuries. The lie is that of the Jewish ritual murders.
Below, Brown describes this lie:
18Ibid., p. 29.
19Brown., pp. 59-60.
20Ibid., pp. 60-61.
21Ibid., p. 61.
12
The story is always the same: A group of Jews kidnap a Christian child (often before Easter), torture him, kill him (often by crucifixion), and more times than not, drink the blood. The remaining blood is also put to good use: The Jews use it for making Passover Matzoh (unleavened bread)! As expected, the only ‘evidence’ for the crime is always the same: Jews under torture ‘confess.’22
Furthermore, Brown quotes Simon Wiesenthal as stating, “April 26, 1343. A
ritual murder accusation is raised against the Jews of Germersheim, Germany.
Thereupon, the town’s whole Jewish community is burned at the stake.”23 These types of
lies and accusations, coming from the leaders of the Church, did not go unnoticed. Weiss
argues that when the Church experienced the Dark Ages, later leading to the Middle
Ages, the Jewish people experienced a renaissance. He writes:
Conditions deteriorated between Jews and Christians until the Church led the world into the anti-Semitic excesses of the era known as the Dark Ages. It is worth remembering that the Dark Ages of the Gentile world revealed a renaissance of Jewish literature and philosophy. While the Gentile world floundered in illiteracy, the Jewish world gave rise to the birth of talmudic writings and rabbinic literature that might best be described as an era of Jewish enlightenment.24
Although it has already been mentioned, it should also be stressed that much of
today’s Christian anti-Semitism stems from leaving out the Jewish idioms of the New
Testament, and translating words that portray certain ideas as being solely Gentile. For
example, the word church was derived from the Greek adjective kyriakos, and the term
was used in such phrases as kyriakon doma or kyriake oikia meaning: The Lord’s house,
or a place of worship.25 Additionally, the Greek term ekklesia is where the New
Testament uses the word “church.” Regardless, this word is better translated as local
22Ibid., pp. 61-62.
23Brown, p. 62, quoting Simon Wiesenthal, Every Day Remembrance Day: A Chronicle of Jewish Martyrdom (New York, NY: Henry Holt and Co., 1987), p. 100.
24Weiss., p. 43.
25The New Bible Dictionary, organizing ed. J. D. Douglas, s.v. “Church,” (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., reprinted 1971), pp. 228-229.
13
congregation or assembly. Both Jews and Christians used ekklesia to describe the
gathering of God’s people in the first century; yet, over time it was translated
distinctively as “Church,” further separating Jew from Gentile. The New Bible Dictionary
defines ekklesia:
Although we often speak of these congregations collectively as the New Testament Church or the Early Church, no New Testament writer uses ekklesia in this collective way. An ekklesia was a meeting or assembly. . . . Ekklesia was also used among the Jews (LXX) for the ‘congregation of Israel’ which was constituted at Sinai . . . it certainly implied ‘meeting’ rather than ‘organization’ or ‘society.’ . . . The local ekklesia was not thought of as part of some world-wide ekklesia, which would have been a contradiction of terms (underlined emphases added).26
Therefore, it is safe to assume that the New Testament writers were portraying a
group of messianic believers within the Judaisms of that period, rather than a separate,
more superior “Church of God.” Furthermore, the early believers enjoyed relative peace
with the other Judaisms of the first century.27 Thus, it was more relevant to address a
particular ekklesia in a region such as Ephesus in this way: To the assembly, or
congregation in Ephesus, rather than, To the Church in Ephesus. This one word, church,
can depict an entirely different group of people. Furthermore, suggesting that the New
Testament is a Gentile work instead of a Jewish work.
This word shift may seem to be a petty argument for most; however, its usage in
modern translations further separates the Jews from the non-Jews in regards to the gospel.
As seen in the book of Revelation when Jesus is speaking to the local congregations
scattered across Asia, the words synagogue and church are used in a manner of placing
“Jews” as belonging to the synagogue of Satan, and the “Church of Smyrna” as being a
group of poor and persecuted Gentile believers. At first reading, this appears to be the
26Ibid., p. 229.
27Weiss, p. 31.
14
case; however, a closer look at the word synagogue reveals a different meaning all
together. The New Bible Dictionary defines synagogue as, “. . . the assembly of Israel. . . .
The basic sense is a place of meeting” (emphasis added).28 Therefore, both ekklesia and
synagoge (synagogue) are Greek words used in the Septuagint (LXX) to mean a
gathering, congregation, or assembly.
In the LXX, synagoge is used only one time in the Old Testament, and it is found
in Psalm 74:8. The usage is that of Leviticus 23:1-44, where God describes the Jewish
feasts and festivals and requires that for three of them (Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast
of Tabernacles) all the people are to gather, or congregate, or assemble to worship with
God according to his appointed times. In looking closely at these holy convocations or
assemblies, they were designed to point the children of Israel to the Jewish messiah. The
Hebrew equivalent for synagoge is Knesset. Thus, synagogue in the LXX relates to
special, holy convocations of God’s people meeting with God at his specific appointed
times. However, in Revelation we see the words church and synagogue as possibly
meaning something different.
In the first century, both Jewish believers and Jewish non-believers referred to the
gathering or assembling of God’s people as ekklesia, which, by the way, most of their
gatherings were in homes, synagogues, and the Temple. Later, the Greek translations
referred to synagogue and church as separate entities: one for the Jews, and one for the
Gentiles. Unfortunately, this has continued to this day. Therefore, when a modern reading
of Revelation (or any New Testament book) takes place, it is easier to look past the anti-
Semitic subtleties than to be aware of the offensive script due to the trained Christian-
mind throughout several centuries. Furthermore, the “Jews” in Revelation 2:8-10 is
28The New Bible Dictionary, s.v. “Synagogue,” p. 1227.
15
meant (or translated) to appear as if all Jews belong to the synagogue of Satan. When in
reality, it was a pretended group of Jewish “believers” that were deceiving the Jewish and
non-Jewish believers of Smyrna. Therefore, Revelation may better be translated as:
To the angel of the Messianic community (congregation, gathering, or assembly) in Smyrna, write: ‘Here is the message from the First and the Last, who died and came alive again: “I know how you are suffering and how poor you are (though in fact you are rich!), and I know the insults of those who call themselves Jews (Judeans) but aren’t—on the contrary, they are a synagogue (congregation, gathering, or assembly) of the Adversary. Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer . . .”’ (emphases added, Revelation 2:8-10a).
In the above translation by David H. Stern in the Complete Jewish Bible, he,
being Jewish, attempts to differentiate the Messianic community with the false Judean
synagogue; however, even Stern is subject to the Greek word icudaios as merely meaning
Jews. Although, the Greek icudaios and synagoge are in the passage above, a better
translation than Stern’s can be offered; however, to date this remains unchallenged by
Christian translators. Because the words icudaios and synagoge are objectionable to their
usage in modern translations, the words Judeans and gathering would offer even a better
translation than Sterns:
To the messenger of the gathering of the called-out ones in Smyrna, write: ‘Here is the saying from the First and the Last, who became dead and is now alive: “I have perceived your affliction and your poverty, but, oh, how rich you are! [I know] the blasphemies of those that call themselves Judeans and are not, but, instead, they are a gathering of Satan”’ (Revelation 2:8-9).29
This attempt to restore the Jewishness of the New Testament as a better translation,
leaves out the separation of the “Church,” which is primarily seen as a Gentile entity by
the Jewish people, and the congregation of all that believe in the Jewish Messiah, whether
being a Jew or a Gentile. In the above Westcott-Hort version, these false Judean
29This translation was adapted from the online Greek-English Linear New Testament, the Westcott-Hort text from 1881, combined with the NA26/27 variants <http://www.scripture4all.org/OnlineInterlinear/NTpdf/rev2.pdf > (2 March 2008).
16
“believers” were pretending to have a gathering (holy convocation) with God, which was,
actually, a gathering of Satan because they were doing his work, not God’s. Thus, it was
the gathering (synagoge) of false Judean believers that were insulting the called-out,
born-again believers (Jews and Gentiles) of Smyrna.
This is merely one example of the lost Jewish identity of the New Testament,
which, recently, several attempts have been made to restore it with such works by Stern,30
William J. Morford,31 and D. Thomas Lancaster.32 These are only a few works of many to
come, in hopes that the Jewishness of the gospel remains with the original intent of the
Jewish authors of the first century.
The influences of early Christian anti-Semitism, stating that the Jews killed
Christ, with the mistranslations of the New Testament, has not helped in relations
between Judaism and Christianity. Every century since the formation of the Church has
resulted in false accusations, pogroms, expulsions, and attempted genocides against the
Jewish people, these facts are true. Nevertheless, many evangelicals today would argue
that true believers would not have committed such crimes. Although this could be
sympathized with, the reality remains that many of the Church Fathers, did, indeed,
participate in spreading hatred and crimes against the Jews. Could history and
Christianity actually claim that Luther was not a true believer?
30David H. Stern, Restoring the Jewishness of the Gospel: A Message for Christians, (Clarksville, MD: Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc., 1988), and his work, the Complete Jewish Bible.
31William J. Morford, The Power New Testament: Revealing Jewish Roots, third edition (Lexington, SC: Shalom Ministries, Inc., 2005).
32D. Thomas Lancaster, Restoration: Returning the Torah of God to the Disciples of Jesus (Littleton, CO: First Fruits of Zion, Inc., 2005).
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Other Christians have ignored such anti-Semitic influences of the past and tried to
dismiss them as if they never existed. Brown brings a reality to the influences of
Christian anti-Semitism when he writes:
Some scholars have argued that the Jews have suffered because every generation needs to find a scapegoat. ‘When things go wrong, human beings tend to blame others rather than take the blame themselves. But this really begs the question rather than answers it. Why are the Jews the universal scapegoats? Why have they been blamed for the Black Plague and the spread of AIDS, for economic difficulties in communist Russia and capitalist America, for creating problems in the Catholic Church and the Protestant world? Why always the Jews?’33
It is sad that the Church has used the Jewish people as her scapegoat over the
centuries. Nevertheless, it has been shown that prior to the formation of Christianity, the
Jewish people suffered at the hands of conquerors and experienced God’s anger from
time to time, resulting in the children of Israel being taken captive. However, it wasn’t
until Christianity that individual Jews and Jewry became personal targets of deicide. This,
in itself, is solely the Church’s responsibility. To determine otherwise is to ignore the
facts.
It should also be stressed that, although the Church has committed such atrocities
of anti-Semitism against the Jews, many Christians throughout each century have paid
with their lives in defense of Judaism and the Jews. The late Edward Lucaire, in his
article, writes about the lost lives of the Polish Christians during the Holocaust:
The best-kept secret in the U.S. about the Holocaust is that Poland lost six million citizens or about one-fifth of its population: three million of the dead were Polish Christians, predominantly Catholic, and the other three million were Polish Jews. The second best-kept secret of the Holocaust is the greatest number of Gentile rescuers of Jews were Poles, despite the fact that only in Poland were people (and their loved ones) immediately executed if caught trying to save Jews. The Yad Vashem museum in Israel honors "the Righteous Among the Nations" and Poland ranks first among 40 nations with 5,503 men and women, almost one-third of the
33Brown, p. 156, citing Dennis Prager and Joseph Telushkin, Why the Jews? The Reason for Antisemitism, subsequent editions (Simon & Schuster, 1983-2003), pp. 73ff., and 154-157.
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total, honored for their "compassion, courage and morality" and who "risked their lives to save the lives of Jews."34
It has also been estimated that approximately five million Christians worldwide lost theirs
lives in defending the Jews during the holocaust.35 Anti-Semitism affects everyone;
therefore, Christians need to take the first step in repairing the damages that were caused
by earlier generations.
Finally, what can be done, subjectively, to repair the relationships between Jews,
and Christians? The word subjectively is used because much can be suggested to help
restore and maintain relations between Jews and Christians. Thus, only through practical
applications are these suggestions possible. The separation gap between Jews and
Christians is so wide, over the influence of the past two millennia, that it seems
impossible for any true relationship to be fruitful; however, with the emergence of
Messianic Judaism and Jewish Christians, the channels of communication are once again
being opened; however, not always positive.
There are several distinct differences between Judaism and Christianity; however,
these differences should not deter believers from establishing friendships with Jews.
Illiteracy, such as that of the Dark Ages and into the Middle Ages, coupled with Papal
Authority (the Popes “infallible” decisions), no longer “excuses” Christians from
knowing the truth. Education, and the ability to gather information and resources, i.e., the
34Edward Lucaire, “Poland’s Holocaust: 6 Million Citizens Dead,” 3 Million Christians and 3 Million Jews, subsequent editions, 1997-2002 <http://www.holocaustforotten.com/Lucaire.htm> (3 March 2008).
35Terese Pencak Schwartz, “Who Were the Five Million Non-Jewish Holocaust Victims?” Non-Jewish Victims of the Holocaust: Five Million forgotten, 2007 <http://www.holocaustforotten.com/non-jewishvictims.htm> (3 March 2008).
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Bible, dictionaries, and the World Wide Web (at least in the Western world), has given
Christians more reason to see God’s plan for the Jews and the Gentiles.
God’s promises to the children of Israel have not been forfeited, even though
some first century Jewish leaders refused Jesus as God’s messiah. To say that “the Jews”
forsook the messiah completely is to not take into account that the first believers were
Jewish. And, that by the end of the first century, thousands of believers were Jewish. A
quick glance into the book of Acts will show Jew after Jew being saved: one hundred and
twenty (Acts 1:15), three thousand (Acts 2:41), five thousand (Acts 4:4), and “their
numbers kept multiplying” (Acts 9:31b).
Up to the second Jewish revolt (A.D. 132-135), most Jewish believers were
accepted and lived in relative peace among their Jewish neighbors.36 They were
considered another Judaism of Judaisms, even when they escaped to Pella during the first
revolt against Rome in A.D. 70, and were accused by Zealots as being traitors.37 Again,
Messianic Judaism (Jews that believe Jesus to be the long awaited messiah) was another
Judaism among Judaisms.38
However, hostility began to rise with the gospel extending to the Gentiles and
central authority heading towards Rome. By A.D. 160, Justin Martyr, a Gentile believer,
in his dialogue with Trypho said:
If some, through weak-mindedness, wish to observe such institutions as were given by Moses, from which they expect some virtue, but which we believe were appointed by reason of the hardness of the people’s hearts, along with their hope in this Christ, and [wish to perform] the eternal and natural acts of righteousness and piety, yet choose to live with the Christians and the faithful, as I said before, not
36Stern, Restoring the Gospel, pp. 22-23.
37Ibid., pp. 19-22.
38Weiss, pp. 31-32.
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inducing them either to be circumcised like themselves, or to keep the Sabbath, or to observe any other such ceremonies, then I hold that we ought to join ourselves to such, and associate with them in all things as kinsmen and brethren.39
This belief came from the misunderstanding of Christ’s own words, “Don’t think that I
have come to abolish the Torah or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to
complete. Yes indeed! I tell you that until heaven and earth pass away, not so much as a
yud (the tiniest of all Hebrew letters) or a stroke will pass from the Torah—not until
everything that must happen has happened” (parenthetical note added, Matthew 5:17-18).
And, this belief continues to this day.
Jesus goes on to say, “So whoever disobeys the least of these mitzvot
(instructions, laws) and teaches others to do so will be called the least in the kingdom of
heaven” (parenthetical notes added, Matthew 5:19a). So far, everything that must happen
has not happened; therefore, his Torah—in light of grace—continues until the “age of the
Goyim (Gentiles) has run its course” (parenthetical note added, Luke 21:24b).
It is interesting to note that the word Torah has been translated as “Law” by most
scholars; however, even The New Bible Dictionary renders Torah or tora as being
undoubtedly in relationship to the Hebrew verb hora, meaning “to direct, to instruct, or to
teach in.”40 Furthermore, Torah is in direct relationship with the Hebrew noun moreh,
meaning teacher.41 Therefore, it is more proper to translate God’s Torah as God’s
Teachings or Instructions. However, to date, modern translators continue to use the word
“Law.” Furthermore, since most people squirm at the mentioning of “keeping the Law,”
39Stern, Restoring the Gospel, p. 23, quoting Justin Martyr, Dialogue With Trypho, A Jew, cited in Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, The Ante-Nicene Fathers, co-editors, Volume 1 (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1975), p. 218.
40The New Bible Dictionary, s.v. “Law,” p. 718.
41Ibid., p. 719.
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is it any wonder why the Church often calls Jewish believers (Messianic Jews) legalists
by returning to the “Law”?
Restoring the Jewish idioms and properly translating the New Testament as a
Jewish book will help make up for generations of Christian anti-Semitism against the
Jews. Regardless of whether the Jews conceive this step as being deceptive, the truth of
the matter is that the New Testament is Jewish through and through. This may be hard to
understand since the majority of the New Testament was written in Greek; however, all
the authors, except one, were Jewish and their thoughts were Jewish, thus making their
intent, Jewish—as well as most of the New Testament audience.
Another, although less reasonable, step to repair relationships between Jews and
Christians is to return to (not digress) fellowship like first century believers. From the late
second century up to the council of Constantinople, believers had been scattered
throughout Asia Minor and the known world. Pagan customs were entering Christianity
in the form of worship taking precedence over the feasts, festivals, and celebrations of
earlier Jewish and non-Jewish believers. This incorporation of pagan rituals eventually
left Jewish believers having to make a choice between no more Sabbath observances,
New Moon celebrations, and fulfilling the appointed feasts of Leviticus twenty-three, or
to be ostracized and ridiculed by Gentile believers.42 They chose to remain faithful to
their customs, while the Gentile Church headed in a different direction. Tertullian,
considered a Church Father, stated:
We have nothing to do with Sabbaths, new moons or the Jewish festivals, much less with those of the heathen [Jews]. We have our own solemnities, the Lord’s Day, for instance, and Pentecost. As the heathen [Jews] confine themselves to their festivals
42Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church: Ante-Nicene Christianity AD 100-325, second edition: Volume 2, “The Lord’s Day,” (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1996), pp. 201-205.
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and do not observe ours, let us confine ourselves to ours, and not meddle with those belonging to them [the Jews].43
Again, this was in the late second to early third centuries. It has already been determined
what “kind” of fruit came out of this style of reasoning: twenty centuries of Christian
anti-Semitism.
Although no one should be forced to worship on any particular day (Colossians
2:16-17), a closer look into the New Testament, outside of Christian traditions and biases,
should cause the Church to rethink its positions. If Colossians 2:16-17 were read from a
Jewish perspective, as the author intended, then the meaning of the Apostle Paul’s
instructions could read that a person may keep the Jewish ceremonies of Biblical dietary
laws (Kashrut), New Moon, and Sabbath observances. This is in line with Paul’s previous
instructions to remain deeply rooted in the Messiah (Colossians 2:7), and to not be taken
captive by means of philosophy and empty deceit (Colossians 2:8a). Unlike Tertullian,
calling for separation from the “heathen,” the Church should embrace Jewish and non-
Jewish believers not wanting to worship on Sundays or keeping Easter or Christmas as
outward expressions of their faith.
Many followers of Christ today, whether Jew or non-Jew, are seeing the
importance of investigating their Jewish roots. The Apostle Paul reminds Gentile
believers in Rome, “For if their casting Yeshua aside means reconciliation for the world,
what will their accepting him mean? It will be life from the dead!” (emphasis added,
Romans 11:15). And, again, Paul reminds Gentiles:
But if some of the branches [Jews] were broken off, and you—a wild olive—were grafted in among them and have become equal sharers in the rich root of the olive
43Ibid., p. 204, quoting Tertullian, De Orat. c. 23: “Nos vero sicut accepimus, solo die Dominicae Resurrectionis non ab isto tantum [the bowing of the knee], sed omni anxietatis habitu st officio cavere debemus, differentes stiam negotia, no quem diabolo locum demus.”
23
tree, then don’t boast as if you were better than the branches! However, if you do boast, remember that you are not supporting the root, the root is supporting you. So you will say, ‘Branches [Jews] were broken off so that I might be grafted in.’ True, but so what? They were broken off because of their lack of trust. . . . So don’t be arrogant; on the contrary, be terrified! For if God did not spare the natural branches, he certainly won’t spare you! . . . Otherwise, you too will be cut off! . . . For if you were cut out of what is by nature a wild olive tree and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these natural branches be grafted back into their own olive tree!” (emphases added, Romans 11:17-20a, 20c-21, 22b, 24).
It appears, as history proves, that the Church forgot these words. So much so, that Jews
were forced to “convert” during the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisitions. Although,
conversions did not start with the inquisitions, it did, however, find its roots in early
Christianity and the Church Fathers’ teachings.
ConclusionIt has been shown that much of what was stemmed from early Church doctrine led
to some of the most horrific and demoralizing atrocities against the Jews. Although true
believers would agree that Germany’s Chancellor, Adolph Hitler, was not a believer in
Jesus the Messiah, he, nevertheless, used Christianity and quotes from Church leaders to
form his basis of hatred and genocide against six million Jews.
Remembering the acts of anti-Semitism, which was practiced by Christians
throughout the centuries, should keep Christians from ever engaging is such acts today.
However, if history repeats itself, as it has done in each generation with Christian anti-
Semitism, then the ends to the autos-de-fe are not over. Time will tell; however, Scripture
reveals that more hatred and accusations are coming (Matthew 24; Luke 21; Mark 13).
If the past is any indication of the present, then not only will Jews lose their lives
in days ahead, but several believers will as well; unwillingness to join the world in their
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hatred, and their willingness to die for the sake of the truth and for the Jews will precede
the millennial kingdom (Revelation 6).
Let the words of Weiss settle with every believer, Jew or non-Jew, in hopes that
crimes of anti-Semitism will never again be repeated:
Anti-Semitism is a sin! It is hatred birthed in ignorance. No one is immune to pain; no one is immune to hatred. Anti-Semitism is a form of heart disease but there is a vaccine. Everyone requires a dose of truth. Many have contracted the illness while in the company of those previously contaminated. Others have been infected when exposed to untreated ignorance. It is known to be an orally communicable social disease but it is not carried in the bloodstream. It is not a congenital disease because it is never present in children below the age of understanding; nevertheless, it is most often transmitted from generation to generation. Left untreated, it is terminal. Love is the only cure (emphasis added).44
If any Christian believes that the “Jews had their chance, but they blew it,” then let these
final words of God penetrate the minds of anyone reading them:
Therefore tell the house of Isra’el that Adonai ELOHIM says this: ‘I am not going to do this for your sake, house of Isra’el, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have been profaning among the nations where you went. I will set apart my great name to be regarded as holy, since it has been profaned in the nations—you profaned in among them. The nations will know that I am ADONAI,’ says Adonai ELOHIM, ‘when, before their eyes, I am set apart through you to be regarded as holy. For I will take you from among the nations, gather you from all the countries, and return you to your own soil. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your uncleanness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit inside you; I will take the stony heart out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my Spirit inside you, and cause you to live by my laws [instructions] . . . (Ezekiel 36:22-27a).
God is faithful to fulfill his promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
44Weiss, p. 20.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
REFERENCE WORKDouglas, J. D. organizing editor. The New Bible Dictionary. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B.
Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1971.
Schaff, Philip. The History of the Christian Church: Ante-Nicene Christianity AD 100-325, second ed., vol. 2 of 8 in series. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1996.
Stern, David H. translator. Complete Jewish Bible. Clarksville, MD: Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc., 1998.
The Greek-English Linear New Testament. Scripture4all Foundation, online edition: Westcott-Hort text, 1881, combined with the NA26/27 variants, 1995-2006.
BOOKSBrown, Michael L. Our Hands Are Stained with Blood: The Tragic Story of the
“Church” and the Jewish People. Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, 1992.
Cohn-Sherbok, Dan. The Crucified Jew: Twenty Centuries of Christian Anti-Semitism. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997.
Lancaster, Thomas D. Restoration: Returning the Torah of God to the Disciples of Jesus. Littleton, CO: First Fruits of Zion, Inc., 2005.
Morford, William J. The Power New Testament: Revealing Jewish Roots, third ed. Lexington, SC: Shalom Ministries, Inc., 2005.
Seif, Jeffrey L. The Evolution of a Revolution: Reflections on Ancient Christianity in its Judaistic, Hellenistic and Romanistic Expressions. University Press of America, Inc., 1994.
Stern, David H. Restoring the Jewishness of the Gospel: A Message for Christians. Clarksville, MD: Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc., 1988.
Weiss, Randall A. Does Jacob’s Trouble Wear A Cross? The Ancient Legacy of Christian Anti-Semitism. Cedar Hill, TX: EICB (Excellence In Christian Books), 1995.
________. The Passion Conspiracy: Did the Jews Kill Christ or was Jesus the Victim of Identity Theft? Cedar Hill, TX: EICB (Excellence In Christian Books), 2004.
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WEBSITESAll About Spirituality. “Paganism – Earth.” 2002-2008 [article on-line]; available from
http://www.allaboutspirituality.org/paganism.htm; Internet; accessed 11 March 2008.
Labott, Elise and Raman, Aneesh. CNN.com, “Iran President Says U.N. Sanctions Unlikely: Ahmadinejad Also Tells Israelis to Go Back to Europe.” April 24, 2006 [article on-line]; available from http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/04/24/iran.nuclear/index.html; Internet; accessed 10 March 2008.
Lucaire, Edward. “Poland’s Holocaust: 6 Million Citizens Dead. 3 Million Christians and 3 Million Jews.” 1997-2002 [article on-line]; available from http://www.holocaustforgotten.com/Lucaire.htm; Internet; accessed 12 March 2008.
Schwartz, Terese Pencak. “Who Were the Five Million Non-Jewish Holocaust Victims?” Non-Jewish Victims of the Holocaust: Five Million Forgotten. 2007 [article on-line]; available from http://www.holocaustforgotten.com/non-jewishvictimes.htm; Internet; accessed 12 March 2008.
CITED WORKSDonaldson, James and Roberts, Alexander. The Ante-Nicene Fathers, co-editors, vol.1,
citing Martyr, Justin. “Dialogue With Trypho, A Jew.” Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1975.
Luther, Martin. Against the Jews and Their Lies, Disputation and Dialogue, reprinted. Talmage, 1543.
Nicholls, William. Christian Antisemitism: A History of Hate. Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson Inc., 1993.
Telushkin, Joseph and Prager, Dennis. Why the Jews? The Reason for Antisemitism, subsequent editions. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 1983-2003.
Wiesenthal, Simon. Everyday Remembrance Day: A Chronicle of Jewish Martyrdom. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Co., 1987.
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