A History of Antisemitism
Written by Rich Robinson for jewsforjesus.org
We are grateful for the important work Jews for Jesus does in addressing antisemitism and are honored to share an excerpt of their insightful exploration into the history of the rise of antisemitism in the church with their permission. Their thoughtful contribution sheds light on this important topic, encouraging greater understanding and reflection.
Antisemitism in the Early Church
While the first followers of Jesus were all Jews, the message of salvation through Jesus was soon offered to non-Jews as well. Since there are more non-Jews than Jews in the world, it was not long before the majority of followers of Jesus were Gentile. Unfortunately, what we find is that in the first few centuries after the time of Jesus, anti-Jewish sentiment became prominent among certain non-Jewish church leaders, commonly referred to as the “church fathers.”
Sometimes, the attitudes of these early church leaders were called “anti-Jewish” rather than “antisemitic.” Remarks against the Jews have been said to be more along religious than ethnic lines and more rhetorical than involving actual harmful actions—though some advocated even for those. Still, the rhetoric could be quite strong.
One of the most well-known examples of anti-Jewishness (or anti-Judaism) is John Chrysostom, who lived in the fourth century. He wrote a collection of eight sermons called “Against the Jews” (or “Against the Judaizing Christians”).
Here is the background: It seems that ordinary church people were actually well disposed toward their Jewish neighbors. They even joined them for the Jewish holidays and synagogue services! Some scholars have called this phenomenon of love for Jewish people “philosemitism.” Chrysostom’s response to the behavior of his congregants is harsh. As summarized by Peter Gorday, for Chrysostom:
The event of Christ and the New Covenant for the Gentiles have divested the Jews as a people of any special standing before God. But finally it is the unbelief of the Jews and their rejection of Christ that constitute their supreme offense; for these there is no forgiveness, only the hope that God in his providential mercy will one day move their hearts to conversion.
Thus Chrysostom finds consistent denunciation of the Jews in chapters 2, 3, 4 and 9–11 of Romans, as he senses in Paul’s polemic a fundamental critique of the privileges and prerogatives of Judaism. [A misreading of Paul: see above on “Antisemitism in the New Testament?”]
This perspective on the Jews is held consistently throughout Chrysostom’s writings, and down to the present day has been one of his best known and most ignominious characteristics. He frequently polemicized against “Judaizing” and freely encouraged repressive measures against the synagogues.5
While Chrysostom went as far as to advocate for physical violence against Jewish people, the famous fifth-century church father Augustine forbade it. In his view, the Jewish people were meant to be preserved in a state of debasement as a “witness” to the reality of the gospel. That is not exactly pro-Jewish either, but some have thought that Augustine’s viewpoint—and his viewpoint prevailed on many matters—ended up saving Jewish lives.
But why were so many of the church fathers anti-Jewish in the first place? The reasons are many. Like Chrysostom, some could not fathom the flock under their care participating with their Jewish neighbors in holidays and worship (Were they going to convert to Judaism? Leave the church?). Flustered over this course of events, they lashed out. In other cases, these non-Jewish church leaders were trying to figure out the place of the Hebrew Bible in their faith. Influenced by current modes of philosophical thought, some of them rejected the plain meaning of the Hebrew text in favor of allegorizing it, thereby opening the door for them to say that the Jews failed to understand the “true” meaning of the text and so were responsible for reading it wrongly.
We would point out that this is something that the apostle Paul expressly warned against in his letter to the Romans. In what is sometimes known as his “parable of the olive tree,” Paul wrote:
Do not be arrogant toward the branches [Jewish people]. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. (Romans 11:18–20)
Click HERE to explore this topic further with the full blog on the history of the rise of antisemitism on Jews for Jesus’ website.
About Jews for Jesus:
Jews for Jesus is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization made up primarily of Jewish people, as well as other followers of Jesus who are committed allies of the Jewish people. With locations in over a dozen cities around the world, their staff promote Jewish faith in Jesus, facilitate Jewish community, and offer spiritual care and local services to support the people on their spiritual journey.
About the Writer:
Rich Robinson grew up in Brooklyn, New York, in a Reform Jewish home. He came to faith in Jesus in 1973. He has served with Jews for Jesus since 1978 as a missionary and now as senior researcher and Scholar in Residence. He is author of the books Christ in the Sabbath, The Day Jesus Did Tikkun Olam: Jewish Values and the New Testament, and co-author of Christ in the Feast of Pentecost. Rich received his MDiv from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in 1978 and a PhD in biblical studies and hermeneutics from Westminster Theological Seminary in 1993.
ENDNOTES
5. All quotes from Peter Gorday, Principles of Patristic Exegesis: Romans 9–11 in Origen, John Chrysostom, and Augustine (New York: E. Mellen Press, 1983).