The Evil Return of Antisemitism, Part 2

The Evil Return of Antisemitism, Part 2
Wednesday, April 16, 2025 by Dr. James W. Walraven

Categories: Apologetics / Contemporary issues / Scripture discussion / The church / Thought for Today

Antisemitism within the church. Although biblically it should not exist, it has a very long and sad history.

How did it originate? After the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus in 70 A.D., the church eventually came to see itself as replacing Israel. Particularly after Christianity became the official religion of the Roman empire, Judaism had been vanquished. The Jews had rejected the Messiah, and God had destroyed their nation after their revolt against Rome. Christianity was now the official religion, having replaced the earlier paganism. The Jews were rejected.

Some would say that a key turning point in the development of “Christian” antisemitism were the eight homilies against the Jews given by the church father John Chrysostom (c.347–407) in 387 (along with some others who came before him). Sadly, he equates Judaism with paganism, and declares the Jews to be equally demonic; demons dwell within the souls of the Jews (Homily VI).

In her writings, Bat Ye’or observed considerable antisemitic attitudes in the Christians of the Middle East, Christians that have their roots within the Orthodox Church. Brigitte Gabriel, a Maronite Christian caught in the civil war of Lebanon, notes that she also was taught to hate the Jews, a belief she later came to realize was in error.

In addition, consider Putin’s recent remarks about ethnic Jews seeking to tear apart the Russian Orthodox Church.

But antisemitism is also found within Roman Catholicism. The Roman Church held to that same replacement theory. One thinks of the massacres of the Jews and their forced conversions during the Crusades, as well as their overall situation in medieval Europe. It wasn’t until Vatican II in the 1960’s that the Roman Catholic church officially rejected antisemitism, due in part to the devastation of the Holocaust.

Recent trends in the Roman church are disturbing. Two books I have by Roman Catholic authors praise Islam, Muhammad, and the attempts of Pope Francis to find common ground with Islam. One author goes so far as to say that early Christians were no different from Muslims, that it wasn’t until the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D., that Jesus was declared to be God. It seems that author is claiming that Christians, when they understand Jesus rightly, are Muslims. That does not bode well for the future of the church, although it does tie in directly to Islamic declarations.

Long term, it could resurrect the disastrous alliance of the Christian Church and Islam against the Jews, an alliance that historically resulted in the destruction of the Church within Islamic lands, as Bat Ye’or notes. The church’s insistence that Jews are second class citizens gives support to Islam’s view that both Jews and Christians are second class citizens. Any remaining Roman Catholic Christians will end up abandoned.

Is Protestantism any better? Although numerous evangelicals have voiced ongoing support for Israel, there are also reasons for concerns. First, historically, one thinks of Martin Luther’s writings against the Jews. Second, even today, some evangelicals hold to replacement theology, that the church has replaced God-rejected Israel. Third, some church leaders, notably Andy Stanley, teach that Christians should reject the Old Testament. As a result, the possibility for all kinds of antisemitic abuse is increasing. One also thinks of “progressive Christianity” a group that has close ties with the radical left, a radical left that is increasingly anti-Israel, anti-Jewish.

Questions remain: 1. What Scriptures are used to justify antisemitism? 2. In contrast to the views of the antisemites within the church, what do the Scriptures declare? 3. Where does antisemitism come from? 4. Regarding antisemitism, what might the future hold? We’ll start to look at these questions in the next post.

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