What is Anti-Semitism?
Religious Studies: KS3, topic 3.3.7
What is Anti-Semitism?
Anti-Semitism is a term used to describe hatred towards Jewish people.
Anti-Semitism
- Anti-Semitism is a term used to describe hatred towards Jewish people.
- The term also describes the act of blaming Jews for the bad things that people experience.
Christian Anti-Semitism
- Some Christians, reading the Gospels, blamed all Jewish people for Jesus' death.
- This is based on a couple of texts, particularly in Matthew's Gospel.
- In Matthew 21 Jesus drives traders and moneychangers out of the Jewish Temple.
- Some have interpreted this as Jesus expressing God's judgement against the Jewish people.
Christian Anti-Semitism 2
- Also in Matthew 27 the crowd at Jesus' trial shout 'His blood be upon us and our children'.
- Some say this means Jewish people accepted the blame for Jesus' death.
Consequences
- These accusations go right back to the early days of Christianity and have been used to encourage violent attacks on Jews.
- This includes the expulsion of Jewish people from England and other European countries.
Misinterpretation
- This attitude is based on a misreading of the Gospel accounts.
- Most scholars argue Jesus cleansed the Temple because he objected to a place of prayer being used as a market.
- Other scholars point out that Matthew 27 was written at a time when Christians faced persecution by the Romans.
- So the Roman role in Jesus' death is downplayed to avoid worsening conflict with the Romans.
Test yourself on What is Anti-Semitism?
In which Gospel does Jesus drive traders and moneychangers out of a Jewish Temple?