Antisemitism, often referred to as the “longest hatred,” is a complex, enduring, and irrational prejudice that has persisted for thousands of years. It is not based on facts, but rather on a combination of myths, lies, conspiracy theories, and scapegoating that have evolved over time to fit different historical
Hatred of the Jews had long been entrenched in Europe. The image of the Jew as the murderer of Jesus and the fact that Jews had rejected Christianity’s …
Historically, Jesus was executed by crucifixion under the authority of Roman Governor Pontius Pilate. While some New Testament accounts indicate that specific Jewish leaders and individuals in Jerusalem in the first century pushed for his execution, the concept of collective or generational Jewish guilt is rejected by historians and major religious institutions
Harmless historical speculation, the myth, also known as “deicide,” has resulted in unimaginable Jewish suffering and has been used to justify antisemitic beliefs, despite the uniform agreement of historians and theologians that Jews are not culpable for the death of Jesus.
The origin of the misconception is based on a verse in the New Testament: “His blood be on us, and on our children,” (Matthew 27:24-25), which has been read as an admission that all Jews, of Jesus’s time and after, accepted responsibility for Jesus’ death.
According to some scholars, such as Amy-Jill Levine of Vanderbilt University Divinity School, the passage has caused more Jewish suffering throughout history than any other in the New Testament. For centuries, the myth was promulgated by Christian leaders during sermons that often inspired church members to avenge the death of Jesus and even condemned Jews as agents of the devil.
