Free Essays on Anti-semitism

European anti-Semitism was the building blocks for Nazi propaganda. European anti-Semitism is an outgrowth of Christianity. Since the time of the Roman Empire, Christian leaders preached boundlessly against Jews. It escalated from generation to generation, and as long as the Jews rejected Jesus as their Messiah, they were going against the whole belief system of Christianity. The idea that the Jews killed their savior also arose from that time period, bringing forward the notion that all Jews of forever were responsible for Jesus’ death. As the Medieval period came, the Christians’ hatred for Jews further articulated and was brought to a new level. The Christians in the medieval world saw Jews in twofold opposition to Christianity: they rejected his revelation and were his killers. Church members had much detested the Jews on the basis that they should have accepted Jesus as their Messiah. Consequently, persecution and killing of the Jews became a part of everyd ay life, leaving many regions of Western Europe without any Jews by the end of the sixteenth century. Entering the nineteenth century, German anti-Semitism went through an acute transformation. It was then that it made its change from a religious issue, to a very racial one. Germans naturally detested Jews with a passion. Nineteenth century Germans now saw Jews as the symbol for everything wrong in their declining economy, even though they made up but a mere one percent of the population. Soon the cultural taboos that had formerly shaped the moral fabric of Germany at the time lost all influence. It was then that German anti-Semitism reached a high point: false, cruel, yet indisputable accusations. By the time the Nazi party instituted totalitarian control, all that remained was to build on the framework provided by the nineteenth century. A framework which included anti-Semitism being common knowledge, Germans’ obsessive hatred toward Jews, the common beli... Free Essays on Anti-semitism Free Essays on Anti-semitism European anti-Semitism was the building blocks for Nazi propaganda. European anti-Semitism is an outgrowth of Christianity. Since the time of the Roman Empire, Christian leaders preached boundlessly against Jews. It escalated from generation to generation, and as long as the Jews rejected Jesus as their Messiah, they were going against the whole belief system of Christianity. The idea that the Jews killed their savior also arose from that time period, bringing forward the notion that all Jews of forever were responsible for Jesus’ death. As the Medieval period came, the Christians’ hatred for Jews further articulated and was brought to a new level. The Christians in the medieval world saw Jews in twofold opposition to Christianity: they rejected his revelation and were his killers. Church members had much detested the Jews on the basis that they should have accepted Jesus as their Messiah. Consequently, persecution and killing of the Jews became a part of everyd ay life, leaving many regions of Western Europe without any Jews by the end of the sixteenth century. Entering the nineteenth century, German anti-Semitism went through an acute transformation. It was then that it made its change from a religious issue, to a very racial one. Germans naturally detested Jews with a passion. Nineteenth century Germans now saw Jews as the symbol for everything wrong in their declining economy, even though they made up but a mere one percent of the population. Soon the cultural taboos that had formerly shaped the moral fabric of Germany at the time lost all influence. It was then that German anti-Semitism reached a high point: false, cruel, yet indisputable accusations. By the time the Nazi party instituted totalitarian control, all that remained was to build on the framework provided by the nineteenth century. A framework which included anti-Semitism being common knowledge, Germans’ obsessive hatred toward Jews, the common beli... Free Essays on Anti-semitism After learning about the Holocaust, I’ve asked myself many times how this could have happened. Why would anyone believe it’s acceptable to massacre an entire people? This is my reasoning for writing my paper on how Christian theology influenced anti-Semitism. Much of the Holocaust appears to have it’s beginning with Christian theology. I will begin my paper with the early writings of Christians and continue chronologically until after World War II. The Apostle Paul was one the first people to criticize the Jewish people. At first, he tried to explain to the Christians not to adopt a superior attitude towards the Jews. IF THE PART OF THE DOUGH OFFERED AS FIRST FRUITS IS HOLY, THEN THE WHOLE BRANCH IS HOLY; AND IF THE ROOT IS HOLY, THEN THE BRANCHES ARE ALSO HOLY†¦DO NOT BOAST OVER THE BRANCHES. IF YOU DO BOAST, REMEMBER THAT IT IS NOT YOU THAT SUPPORT THE ROOT, BUT THE ROOT SUPPORTS YOU. [ROMANS 11] At one point this appeared to be Paul’s feeling towar ds the Jews and the Christians. His sentiment appeared to change, according to Christian suppressionists. In the text Romans, many of Paul’s statements were misinterpreted by those Christians to make themselves appear more superior to the Jewish people. †¦INCLUDING US WHOM HE HAS CALLED, NOT FROM THE JEWS ONLY BUT ALSO FROM THE GENTILES? AS INDEED HE SAYS IN HOSEA, "THOSE WHO WERE NOT MY PEOPLE I WILL CALL ‘MY PEOPLE,’ AND HER WHO WAS NOT BELOVED I WILL CALL ‘BELOVED.’" "AND IN THE VERY PLACE WHERE IT WAS SAID TO THEM, ‘YOU ARE NOT MY PEOPLE,’ THERE THEY SHALL BE CALLED CHILDREN OF THE LIVING GOD," †¦GENTILES, WHO DID NOT STRIVE FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS, HAVE ATTAINED IT, THAT IS, RIGHTEOUSNESS THROUGH FAITH; BUT ISRAEL, WHO DID STRIVE FOR THE RIGHTEOUSNESS THAT IS BASED ON THE LAW, DID NOT SUCCEED IN FULFILLING THAT LAW†¦ [ROMANS 9] "In proclaiming his Christian message Paul stressed that the Jewish nation had been rejected by G od, and the new Covenant had superseded the...