Anti-Judaism in the context of "Antisemitism"

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⭐ Core Definition: Anti-Judaism

Anti-Judaism denotes a spectrum of historical and contemporary ideologies that are fundamentally or partially rooted in opposition to Judaism. It encompasses the rejection or abrogation of the Mosaic covenant and advocates for the supersession of Judaism and Jewish identity by proponents of other religious, political-ideological, or theological frameworks, which assert their own precedence as the "light unto the nations" or as the chosen people of God. The opposition is often perpetuated through the reinterpretation and appropriation of Jewish prophecy and texts, reflecting a complex interplay of belief systems that challenge Jews' internally and externally conceived distinctiveness. David Nirenberg posits that the theme has manifested throughout history, including in contemporary and early Christianity, Islam, nationalism, Enlightenment rationalism, and in socioeconomic contexts.

Douglas R. A. Hare found at least three anti-Judaisms in history. The first is prophetic anti-Judaism: the criticism of Judaism's beliefs and religious practices. The second is Jewish Christian anti-Judaism: the form taken amongst Jews who believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Jewish Messiah. The third type he defined was gentilizing anti-Judaism, which emphasizes the gentile character of the new movement (i.e., Christianity) and asserts God's formal rejection of Jews as a people. Most scholarly analyses appear concerned with the phenomenon described by his third type.

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👉 Anti-Judaism in the context of Antisemitism

Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemitic tendencies may be motivated primarily by negative sentiment towards Jews as a people or negative sentiment towards Jews with regard to Judaism. In the former case, usually known as racial antisemitism, a person's hostility is driven by the belief that Jews constitute a distinct race with inherent traits or characteristics that are repulsive or inferior to the preferred traits or characteristics within that person's society. In the latter case, known as religious antisemitism, a person's hostility is driven by their religion's perception of Jews and Judaism, typically encompassing doctrines of supersession that expect or demand Jews to turn away from Judaism and submit to the religion presenting itself as Judaism's successor faith—this is a common theme within the other Abrahamic religions. The development of racial and religious antisemitism has historically been encouraged by anti-Judaism, which is distinct from antisemitism itself.

There are various ways in which antisemitism is manifested, ranging in the level of severity of Jewish persecution. On the more subtle end, it consists of expressions of hatred or discrimination against individual Jews and may or may not be accompanied by violence. On the most extreme end, it consists of pogroms or genocide, which may or may not be state-sponsored. Although the term "antisemitism" did not come into common usage until the 19th century, it is also applied to previous and later anti-Jewish incidents. Historically, most of the world's violent antisemitic events have taken place in Europe, where modern antisemitism began to emerge from antisemitism in Christian communities during the Middle Ages. Since the early 20th century, there has been a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents across the Arab world, largely due to the advent of Arab antisemitic conspiracy theories, which were influenced by European antisemitic conspiracy theories.

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Anti-Judaism in the context of History of the Jews in the Roman Empire

The history of the Jews in the Roman Empire traces the interaction of Jews and Romans during the period of the Roman Empire (27 BC – 476 AD). A Jewish diaspora had migrated to Rome and to the territories of Roman Europe from the land of Israel, Anatolia, Babylon and Alexandria in response to economic hardship and incessant warfare over the land of Israel between the Ptolemaic and Seleucid empires from the 4th to the 1st centuries BC. In Rome, Jewish communities thrived economically. Jews likely became a significant part of the Roman Empire's population in the first century AD, though there is no agreement in academia about the exact numbers and most numbers are speculative at best.

Roman general Pompey conquered Jerusalem and its surroundings by 63 BC. The Romans deposed the ruling Hasmonean dynasty of Judaea (in power from c. 140 BC) and the Roman Senate declared Herod the Great "King of the Jews" in c. 40 BC. Judea proper, Samaria and Idumea became the Roman province of Judaea in 6 AD. Jewish–Roman tensions resulted in several Jewish–Roman wars between the years 66 and 135 AD, which resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Temple and the institution of the Jewish Tax in 70 (those who paid the tax were exempt from the obligation of making sacrifices to the Roman imperial cult).

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Anti-Judaism in the context of Antisemitism in Christianity

Some Christian churches, Christian groups, and ordinary Christians express antisemitism—as well as anti-Judaism—towards Jews and Judaism. These expressions of antisemitism can be considered examples of antisemitism expressed by Christians or antisemitism expressed by Christian communities. However, the term Christian antisemitism has also been used in reference to anti-Jewish sentiments that arise out of Christian doctrinal or theological stances (by thinkers such as Jules Isaac, for example—especially in his book Jésus et Israël). The term is also used to suggest that to some degree, contempt for Jews and Judaism is inherent in Christianity as a religion, and as a result, the centralized institutions of Christian power (such as the Catholic Church or the Church of England), as well as governments with strong Christian influences (such as the Catholic Monarchs of Spain), have generated societal structures that have survived and perpetuate antisemitism to the present. This usage particularly appears in discussions about Christian structures of power within society—structures that are referred to as Christian hegemony or Christian privilege; these discussions are part of larger discussions about structural inequality and power dynamics.

Antisemitic Christian rhetoric and the resulting antipathy towards Jews date back to early Christianity, resembling pagan anti-Jewish attitudes that were reinforced by the belief that Jews are responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus. Christians imposed ever-increasing anti-Jewish measures over the ensuing centuries, including acts of ostracism, humiliation, expropriation, violence, and murder—measures which culminated in the Holocaust.

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Anti-Judaism in the context of Anti-Judaism in early Christianity

Anti-Judaism in Early Christianity is a description of anti-Judaic sentiment in the first three centuries of Christianity; the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd centuries. Early Christianity is sometimes considered as Christianity before 325 when the First Council of Nicaea was convoked by Constantine the Great, although it is not unusual to consider 4th and 5th century Christianity as members of this category as well.

Jewish Christians were excluded from the synagogue, according to one theory of the Council of Jamnia, as they refused to pay the Fiscus Judaicus.

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LINKED FROM (PARENTS)
← History of the Jews in the Roman Empire ← Antisemitism ← Antisemitism in Christianity ← Anti-Judaism in early Christianity ← Antisemitic ← Anti-Semitism ← Roman Jewish ← Anti-Semitic
LINKS TO (CHILDREN)
Judaism → Abrogation of Old Covenant laws → Mosaic covenant → Supersessionism → Jewish identity → Ideological → Political theology → Light unto the nations → Jews as the chosen people → God → Jewish eschatology → Hebrew Bible → Jews → David Nirenberg → Anti-Judaism in early Christianity → Islam → Age of Enlightenment → Douglas R. A. Hare → Criticism of Judaism → Jewish Christianity → Jesus of Nazareth → Jewish Messiah → Gentile → New Covenant theology → Jewish peoplehood →