‘Anti-Judaism: The Western Tradition’ by David Nirenberg

Washington Post ^ | 27 April 2013 | Michael S Roth

[Cronos]

..it was the Christians who refined anti-Judaism into a core theological and political ideology. Christianity had a particular problem: to show that it had overcome Judaism — overcome its adherence to the laws of the “old” testament, overcome its tribal particularity with evangelical universalism. The idea of Judaism — together with the fact that there were still people in the world who chose to remain Jews — was an affront to that universalism.

...a struggle against the “Jews.” The quotation marks are especially important as his account moves beyond the medieval period, because between 1400 and 1600 Western Europe was more or less “a world free of Jews.” Banished from most countries, and existing only in the tiniest numbers through special exemptions, actual Jews were hardly ever seen.

Martin Luther brought this rhetoric to a fever pitch. In 1523 he accused the Roman Church of becoming “more ‘Jewish’ than the Jews,” and as he grew older he tried to convince his contemporaries that “so thoroughly hopeless, mean, poisonous, and bedeviled a thing are the Jews that for 1400 years they have been, and continue to be, our plague, pestilence, and all that is our misfortune.” Don’t believe in conversions, the aged Luther urged; the only way to baptize Jews was by tying millstones around their necks.

... He shows that many of the important conceptual and aesthetic developments in that culture — from Saint John to Saint Augustine to Muhammad, from Shakespeare to Luther to Hegel — depend on denigrating Jews.That’s what’s so chilling: great cultural achievements built on patterns of scapegoating and hatred.

[unlearner]

I did not ignore your suggestion that the Inquisition proves Christianity did evil to Jews. I am pointing out that the Roman Catholic church was not and is not a Christian entity despite its assertion to be the only true church of Christ. Therefore it is unreasonable to lay blame upon my faith based on what impostors did in the name of Christ.

Christ clearly warned His followers that this exact thing would happen. “Many will come”, He said, “in My name...” but would be impostors.

Are there true Christians in the Catholic church? Yes. But it is in spite of Catholic doctrine rather than because of it. Have true Christians ever done evil to Jews? Yes. Christians can and do fail to live up to the teachings and example of Christ. And some, like Paul, became Christians after doing great harm to Jews. (Of course Paul was Jewish himself, and those he persecuted were Jewish Christians.)

My point is that it is wrong to blame Christians, who have no more in common with the Inquisition than do modern Jews, for the crimes of the Inquisition. It is morally equivalent to blaming all Jews for what Judas did to Christ or what the Jewish leaders did when they turned Jesus over to Pilate. Judas is responsible for his actions. The Jewish leaders of Christ’s day are responsible for their own actions.

And I am not possessed by evil spirits. You would be wise not to trifle with things you do not understand or have the power to defend yourself against. Satan does not have any ownership rights over me since I have been purchased by the payment Christ made on my behalf.

[babble-on]

Ahh, I see.

[unlearner]

Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.” Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, “Are we blind also?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains. (John 9:39-41)

[x]

Christian Arabs are more anti-Jewish and more anti-Israel than the Moslems. It's also Christian Arabs who make up the bulk of Communists in the Arab world. The Christian village of Nazareth had a Communist mayor for years because the Christians kept electing him.

Sixty or seventy years ago, Muslims in the Middle East were generally very inward-looking, pre-modern, non-Western. Arab Christians, on the other hand, had been exposed to Western ideas, like nationalism. Some of them turned towards Communism. Others became leaders of Arab nationalist movements.

But that's not really the case any more. The Muslim world has become politicized and militant or extremist movements abound. Among the remaining Christian Arabs, you don't find the same strong political passions. You'd be really hard-pressed to find Arab Christians as fanatical as Hamas or Hezbullah.

If you still Christian Arab Communists in Palestine in recent years (it's harder and harder to find Christian Arabs at all there now), it's because the alternatives were militant and extreme Muslim parties, but I'm pretty sure that the bulk of the leadership and membership of the successor party today are largely Muslim.

Lebanon was originally every bit as anti-Israel as the other Arab states and took part in the Arab invasion in 1948. They've changed their tune somewhat because Israel rescued them from the PLO, but most Arab-American and Lebanese-American Christians are fanatically anti-Israel.

Is it really surprising that there was animosity to Israel among Christian Arabs in the early years? Since then, Lebanese Christians are hardly going to be as fanatically pro-Israel as some people, but they're also hardly as "fanatically anti-Israel" as their Muslim countrymen.

You're playing a shell game here, making out that those who don't share your views are all equally fanatical, when that may not be the case. The relationship between Lebanese Christians and Israel may be based on common enemies, but such relationships aren't uncommon in politics.

The poster's original comment that it's not Arab Christians that Israel has to fear most is a valid one. There may not be much love lost, but their isn't the kind of zealotry that there is among the Muslims.