"Although Christian antisemitism is considered to have started around the 12th century, its roots are attributed by some scholars to anti-Jewish attitudes and polemic beginning with Early Christianity.
Christian anti-Judaic attitudes started to develop even before the end of the first century and even though there is evidence of continued Jewish-Christian interaction, including Christian participation in Sabbath worship. Anti-Judaic attitudes developed from early years of Christianity and persisted over the centuries, driven by numerous factors including theological differences, the Christian drive for converts,[ misunderstanding of Jewish beliefs and practices, and alleged Jewish hostility toward Christians.
These attitudes persisted in Christian preaching, art and popular teaching for centuries. In certain countries it often led to civil and political discrimination against Jews and in some instances to physical attacks on Jews which resulted in their expulsions and even death.
From time to time, anti-Jewish sentiments within European society were exploited for internal political purposes and sometimes to extract a financial advantage from Jewish subjects. Such sentiments made the expansion of anti-Jewish measures politically acceptable. Christian antisemitism ultimately played a dramatic role in the Nazi Third Reich, World War II and the Holocaust. The dissident Catholic priest Hans Küng has written that "Nazi anti-Judaism was the work of godless, anti-Christian criminals. But it would not have been possible without the almost two thousand years' pre-history of 'Christian' anti-Judaism."
Topic: If you could go back in time... (Read 5702 times)