Christian Antisemitism: A History of Hate

Religion itself can become idolatry. When loyalty to a creed or church or rite takes the place of fidelity to God who demands loving kindness and righteous action, the religion is made into an object of worship that must be defended against criticism, even justifiable criticism based on verifiable facts. Those outside are mistrusted or hated by religious idolaters simply because they are not part of the community. Nothing is considered acceptable unless it fits within the bounds of the creed. People are not viewed in terms of their essential humanity. From there it is a tiny step to believing that it is right to murder them or be indifferent about their fate. We are seeing this today in the spread of terrorism around the globe. Religious idolatry is the worst enemy of spirituality. It ought to be obvious that if religion is to be shielded from its own tendency towards idolatry, it must be receptive to criticism and judged by its fruits as revealed in history. The king and the priest are not above the law in the Good Book; the greatest figures in the Judeo-Christian tradition, like Abraham, Moses and David, are presented with their flaws. Criticism of religion on theological, philosophical and historical grounds must thus be considered essential in opposing idolatry. The followers of a religion that resists criticism are in danger of becoming idolaters and ultimately fanatics. This is one of the most intellectually honest books I have ever read. I realize that it will shock Christians as it triggered a profound spiritual exhaustion in me. But denial is not an option. Part One: Before The Myth, raises the questions if Jesus the Jew was the founder of Christianity, whether he was rejected by his people and the concept of the crucified Messiah. The first section deals with myth and history, biblical criticism, Jesus and His own people, the Synoptic problem, oral tradition, Albert Schweitzer's challenge, redaction criticism, checks on authenticity and the diversity of early Christianity. The second explores Judaism in the first century, Roman rule, the mission and message of Jesus, the Sermon on the Mount, Pharisees, opponents of Jesus, various parables, and Jesus and the Torah. The final section considers Jewish messianic expectations, language and society, the development of early ideas about Christ, what Jesus himself said about his mission, the Son of Man, the entry into Jerusalem, the trial of Jesus plus falsifications in the Gospels and what motivated them. Part Two: The Growth of the Myth, consists of: Paul and the Beginning of Christianity, The True Israel: Battle for the Bible, Jews in a Christian World, Popular Paranoia and the Inquisition & Reformation. In the first section, Nicholls explores the early days of Christianity, resurrection visions, sectarian theology, the crucial break, mythmaking, the traditional interpretation, Paul's intentions, the question of a double covenant, James, Peter and different views in the early church. The

This is truly a seminal book. There is nothing else quite like it - and I've read many books on the subject. In it, William Nicholl traces anti-Jewish sentiment from its earliest political and theological genesis through to its almost inevitable result - the Holocaust. At least the first third of the book is devoted to a fascinating exploration of the life and times of Jesus seen from a clear-eyed and rational historical viewpoint. Then, in the final chapter the author goes back in time, period by period, to see what can be stripped away from Christianity in an attempt to see if it can be divorced from its inherent Anti-Jewishness. That chapter is, to put it mildly, hair-raising! This is an absolute must for any person interested in in the growth and development of Christian theology as well as anyone interested simply in truth. I have three copies: One for myself and two for loaners. All three are loaned out at the time of this writing. Five stars is not a high enough rating.

Professor Nicholls has published a powerful book that reviews the myths of early Christianity and illuminates the historical Jesus (a practicing and faithful Jew who had no intention of starting a new religion) and the origins of Christian Jew hatred which evolved into the secular antisemitism that culminated in the Holocaust. Whew! Powerful material ... not for those whose inbred dogmas cannot stand up to rigorous critical thinking.

It takes a tremendous amount of courage and integrity to objectively look at your own religion and examine, in an objective and honest light, the very foundings of that religion. Prof. Williams Nicholls does just that. In this eye-opening and compelling book, Nicholls separates the "myth" of Christianity from history.Who was Jesus? What was his intent? How was he viewed by the Jews of his day? Did he indeed have anything to do with Christianity as we know it today? What was Paul's role in the founding of Christianity? Do the Gospels paint an accurate picture of Jesus in our current understanding of who he was? How did the Jews become the "anti" of everything Christian as the Gospels lay it out? Could a Holocaust have happened in a non-Christian society, or has 2,000 years of anti-Judaism molded today's cultural thinking in such a negative light?Nicholls does was most Christian authors fail to do. He avoids circular reasoning. His entire book is built on the concept of looking at Jesus as a Jew and from a Jewish perspective. He examines the roots of Christianity and the crucible from which it emerged, Judaism. Most authors (like the obtuseness of a Josh McDowell) try to fit Jesus into the Gospels from a 20th century view of who he was, rather than a 2,000 year old accurate perspective. They argue, we belive it to be such since the "myth" has developed into this, now we will "prove" it from the Gospels.Nicholls does not make the same grave error. On the contrary, he disgards today's notion of who Jesus was and views him from Jesus' religion and political and cultural environment. Educational, interesting, and most importantly, honest.AN ABSOLUTE MUST FOR BOTH CHRISTIANS AND JEWS!

Christian Anti-Semitism: A History of Hate, by William Nicholls. Jason Aronson, Inc. , 499 pp, $40.00.In William F. Buckley's essay on anti-Semitism Bill is very troubled about some of his friends. In his heart of hearts he doesn't want to believe that these people, people he believes are decent humans, can really be anti-Semites. Nevertheless, he must honestly come to terms with the fact that these same people seem to be obsessed with Jews.As a Jew born in the United States I always believed that I not only knew who I was as a Jew, but understood the non-Jewish world as well. There were, surely, some things I couldn't understand. It seemed that Christians could never talk about their religion without reference to mine. Whatever was positive in theirs was counterpoint to something negative in mine. More extraordinary was the fact that negative ideas that were ascribed to Judaism weren't even true. I always passed this off as ignorance on their part.Professor Nicholls' book, Christian Anti-Semitism: A History of Hate, allowed me to see Bill Buckley's observation in a new light. It was not Joseph Sobran or Patrick Buchanan who were obsessed with Jews, but Christianity itself.True to its title, a goodly portion of the book deals with the history of Christian anti-Semitism. In this sense the book can be compared to such classics as J.R. Marcus's The Jew in the Medieval World or J. Trachtenberg's The Devil and the Jews. Nicholls' real interest, however, is in the theological claims of Christianity and how they logically result in anti-Semitism.Nicholls starts with Jesus himself. Building mostly on the work of contemporary scholar Geza Vermas, he draws a picture of Jesus not as a founder of a new religion, but as a Torah observant Jew of the first century.Traditionally, if Jews mentioned Jesus at all, his name would be suffixed with "may his bones be ground to dust." I must admit that I still find it difficult to say his name without a bottle of Listerine close at hand. Nevertheless, our picture of this man has come to us through Christianity. Would it not be the ultimate irony if not only has Christianity been slandering Judaism, but that it has been slandering this man as well?Nicholls deals one by one with the claims about Jesus made by Christians and their gospels. Did Jesus oppose the Jewish law and the rabbis of his day? Did Jesus claim to be the Messiah? To each of these questions and others he answers a resounding, No! The picture he does draw is that Jesus was one of a number of healers and miracle workers and preachers not unlike others of his time. It was also not unusual in times of troubles for some to look to such individuals as prophets or even the Messiah himself.Even the earliest claims of the new movement were based on readings of the scriptures which were at variance with those of the rabbis of that time. The real substance of the book is how a messianic fervor surrounding one man became transf