Roots of Anti-Semitism

Legacies of Anti-Semitism

Lecture Notes for Holocaust Lecture Series

History of Persecution: Sandy Lowe, PhD.

The Roots of Anti-Semitism:

March 13, 2001 Lecture

The theological origins and history of anti-Semitism is a long, complex story and not a very pretty one. Because our time together in class is so short, I have prepared some references for you to consider which otherwise I would like to cover with you one by one. In fact I will pull a few examples from this material, but you should have read it all and formulated some questions and thoughts before we meet.

Included are the following:

1. Anti-Jewish arguments and selections from the New Testament.

2. Representative anti-Semitic arguments in the early church which come to be known as the Adversus Judaeos (The Argument Against the Jews).

3. Bible passages from Matthew 27 and Matthew 23

4. A table comparing the parallels between Canonical (Official Church) and Nazi anti-Jewish measures.

5. Contemporary Vatican teachings and guidelines in the matter of anti-Semitism especially as it relates to the New Testament narrative.

Anti-Jewish arguments and selections from the New Testament

LUKE 24

`How dull you are!' he answered. `How slow to believe all that the

25

prophets said! Was the Messiah not bound to suffer thus before entering

26

upon his glory?' Then he began with Moses and all the prophets, and

27

explained to them the passages which referred to himself in every part of

28

the Scriptures.

JOHN 8

`I know that you are descended from Abraham, but you are bent on

37

killing me because my teaching makes no headway with you. I am revealing

38

in words what I saw in my Father's presence; and you are revealing in

action what you learned from your father.' They retorted, `Abraham is our

39

father.' `If you were Abraham's children', Jesus replied, `you would do as

Abraham did. As it is, you are bent on killing me, a man who told you the

40

truth, as I heard it from God. That is not how Abraham acted. You are

41

doing your own father's work.'

They said, `We are not base-born; God is our father, and God alone'

Jesus said, `If God were your father, you would love me, for God is the

42

source of my being, and from him I come. I have not come of my own

accord; he sent me. Why do you not understand my language? It is

43

because my revelation is beyond your grasp.

`Your father is the devil and you choose to carry out your father's desires.

44

He was a murderer from the beginning, and is not rooted in the truth:

there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie he is speaking his own language,

for he is a liar and the father of lies. But 1 speak the truth and therefore you

45

do not believe me. Which of you can prove me in the wrong? If what I say

46

is true, why do you not believe me? He who has God for his father listens

47

to the words of God. You are not God's children; that is why you do not

listen.'

ACTS 13, 14

On the following Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the

44

word of God. When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealous

45

resentment, and contradicted what Paul said, with violent abuse. But Paul

46

and Barnabas were outspoken in their reply. `It was necessary', they said.

`that the word of God should be declared to you first. But since you reject

it and thus condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life, we now turn

to the Gentiles. For these are our instructions from the Lord: "I have

47

appointed you to be a light for the Gentiles, and a means of salvation to

earth's farthest bounds."'

48

ROMANS 11

For there is a deep truth here, my brothers, of which I want you to take

25

account, so that you may not be complacent about your own discernment:

this partial blindness has come upon Israel only until the Gentiles have

been admitted in full strength; when that has happened, the whole of

26

Israel will be saved, in agreement with the text of Scripture:

`From Zion shall Come the Deliverer;

he shall remove wickedness from Jacob.

And this is the covenant I will grant them,

when I take away their sins.'

27

In the spreading of the Gospel they are treated as God's enemies for your

28

sake; but God's choice stands, and they are his friends for the sake of the

patriarchs. For the gracious gifts of God and his calling are irrevocable.

29

Top of Page

ADVERSUS JUDAEOS

Rejection of the Jews, Election of the Gentiles

Why was the temple made desolate? Was it on account of the ancient fabrication of the calf? Or was it on account of the idolatry of the people? Was it for the blood of the prophets? Was it for the adultery and fornication of Israel? By no means, for in all these transgressions they always found pardon open to them. But it was because they killed the Son of their Benefactor, for He is coeternal with the Father. [Hipp. C. Jud. 7]

Hippolytus c. 220 CE

Deicide

If someone had killed your son. could you stand the sight of him or the sound of his greeting? Wouldn't you try to get away from him as if he were an evil demon; as if he were the Devil himself? The Jews killed the Son of your Master......... Will you so dishonor Him as to respect and cultivate His Murderers, the men who crucified Him? [Chry. Or. C. Jud. I, 7]

John Chrysostum C. 390 CE

Sibling Rivalry

Today the glory has passed front the people of Israel and they stand among the nations ashamed, as Cain was, at their unnatural deed. [Eph. Rhy. C. Jud. 8)

Jewish Dispora and Suffering

You can hear the wailing and lamentations of each of the prophets, wailing and lamenting characteristically over the calamities which will overtake the Jewish people because of their impiety to Him who had been foretold. How their Kingdom . . . would be utterly destroyed after their sin against Christ; how their Father's law would he abrogated, they themselves deprived of their ancient worship, robbed of the independence of their forefathers, and made slaves of their enemies instead of free men. How their royal metropolis would be burned with fire, their. .. holy altar undergo flames and extreme desolation, their city be inhabited no longer by its old possessors, but by races of other stock, while they would be dispersed among the Gentiles throughout the whole world with never a hope of any cessation of evil or breathing space from trouble (Euseb;D. E. I, 1]

Eusebius c. 340 CE

Sign of a Curse

For the circumcision according to the flesh; which is from Abraham, was given for a sign, that you may be separated from other nations and from us, and that you alone may suffer that which you now justly suffer, and that your land may be desolate and your cities burned with fire, and that strangers may eat your fruit in your; presence and not one of you may go up to Jerusalem.'

Justin Martyr C. 160 CE

Rejection and Substitution

It is because you killed Christ. It is became you stretched out your hand against the Lord. It is because you shed the precious blood, that there is now no restoration, no mercy anymore and no defense. Long ago your audacity was directed against servants, against Moses, Isaiah and Jeremiah. If there was wickedness then, as yet the wont of all crimes had not been dared. But now you have eclipsed everything in the past and through your madness against Christ, you have committed the ultimate transgression. This is why you are being punished worse now than in the past. . . . If this were not the case God would not have turned his back on you so completely. . . But if it appears that He has utterly abandoned you; it is evident from this anger and abandonment that He is showing even to the most shameless that the One who was murdered was not a common lawbreaker, but was the very Lawgiver Himself, and the Cause, present among us, of innumerable blessings. Thus you who sinned against Him are in a state of dishonor and disgrace, while we who worship Him, though we once were less honored than any of you [i.e., as gentile pagans), are now established through the grace of God in a more respected position than any of you and in greater honor. [Chry. Or. C. Jud. VI, 2-3)

John Chrysostum c. 390 CE

Debauched, Animal Jews

I know that many people hold a high regard for the Jews and consider their way of life worthy of respect at the present time. This is why I am hurrying to pull up this fatal notion by the roots. . . . A place where a whore stands on display is a whorehouse. What is more, the synagogue is not only a whorehouse and a theater; it is also a den of thieves and a haunt of wild ....... not the cave of a wild animal merely, but of an unclean wild animals . . . . The Jews have no conception of [spiritual] things at all, but living for the lower nature, all agog for the here and now, no better disposed than pigs or goats, they live by the rule of debauchery and inordinate gluttony. Only one thing they understand: to gorge themselves and to get drunk. [Chry. Or. C. Jud. I, 3,4; PG 48, 847, 848]

John Chrysostum C. 390 CE

Fit for Slaughter

When animals have been fattened by having all they want to eat, they get stubborn and hard to manage. . . . Another prophet intimates the same thing when he says "Israel ran about madly like a heifer stung by a gadfly" and still another calls her "an untrained calf." When animals are unfit for work, they ate marked for slaughter, and this is the very thing which the Jews have experienced. By making themselves unfit for work, they have become ready for slaughter. This is why Christ said, "Ask for my enemies, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them before me." [Chry. Or C. Jud. 1.2; PG 48, 846)

John Chrysostum C. 390 CE

Selections taken from: Ruether, Rosemary Radford. Faith and Fratricide: The Theological Roots of Anti-Semitism. 1974.

Matthew 27 and Matthew 23

MATTHEW 27

When morning came, the chief

priests and the elders of the nation met

in conference to plan the death of

Jesus. They then put him in chains and

led him away, to hand him over to

Pilate, the Roman Governor.

Jesus was now brought before the

Governor, and as he stood there the

Governor asked him, 'Are you the

king of the Jews?' 'The words are

yours' said Jesus; and to the charges

laid against him by the chief priests ,

and elders he made no reply. Then

Pilate said to him, Do you not hent

all this evidence that is brought against

you?'; but he still refused to answer

one word, to the Governor's great

astonishment.

At the festival season it was the

Governor's custom to release one

prisoner chosen by the people. There

was then in custody a man of some

notoriety, called Jesus Bar-Abbas.

When they were assembled Pilate said

to them. 'Which would you like me to

release to you, Jesus Bar-Abbas, or

Jesus called Messiah?' For he knew

that it was out of malice that they had

bought Jesus before him.

While Pilate was sitting in court a

message came to him from his wife:

'Have nothing to do with that innocent

man; I was much troubled on his

account in my dreams last night.'

Meanwhile the chief priests and

elders had persuaded the crowd to ask

for the release of Bar-Abbas and to

have Jesus put do death. So when the

Governor asked, Which of the two do

you wish me to release to you?', they

said, Bar-Abbas. 'Then what am I to

do with Jesus called Messiah?' asked

Pilate; and with one voice they

answered, Crucify him!' 'Why, what

harm has he done?' Pilate asked; but

they shouted all the louder. 'Crucify

''him!"

Pilate could see that nothing was

being gained, and a riot was smarting;

so he took water and wasbhed his hands

in full view or the people, saying, 'My

hands are clean of this man's blood;

see to that yourselves.' And with one

voice the people cried, 'His blood be

on us, and on our children.' he then

released Bar-Abbas to them; but he

had Jesus flogged, and handed him

over to be crucified.

MATTHEW 23

Jesus then addressed the people and

his disciples in these words 'The

2

doctors of the law and the Pharisees

sit in the chair of Moses; therefore do

3

what they tell you; pay attention to

their words. But do not follow their

practice; for they say one thing and do

another. They make up heavy packs

4

and pile them on men's shoulders, but

will not raise a finger to lift the load

themselves. Whatever they do is done

5

for show. They go about with broad

phylacteries and with large tassels on

their robes; they like to have places of

6

honour at feasts and the chief seats in

synagogues, to be greeted respectfully

7

in the street, and to be addressed as

"rabbi".

'But you must not be called "rabbi";

8

for you have one Rabbi, and you are

all brothers. Do not call any man on

9

earth "father"; for you have one

Father, and he is in heaven. Nor must

10

you be called "teacher"; you have one

Teacher, the Messiah. The greatest

11

among you must be your servant. For

12

whoever exalts himself will be humbled;

and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Alas, alas for you, lawyers and

13

Pharisees hypocrites that you are!

You shut the door of the kingdom of

Heaven in men's faces; you do not

enter yourselves, and when others are

entering, you stop them.

'Alas for you, lawyers and Pharisees

15

hypocrites! You travel oversea and

land to win one convert; and when you

have won him you make him twice as

fit for hell as you are yourselves.

Alas for you, blind guides! You say,

16

"If a man swears by the sanctuary,

that is nothing; but he swears by the

gold in the sanctuary, he is bound by

his oath." Blind fools! Which is the

17

more important, the gold, or the

sanctuary which sanctifies the gold?

Or you say, "If a man swears by the

18

altar, that is nothing; but if he swears

by the offering that lies on the altar, he

is bound by his oath." What blindness!

19

Which is the more important, the

offering, or the altar which sanctifies

it? To swear by the altar, then is to

20

swear both by the altar and by what-

ever lies on it; to swear by the sanctuary

21

is to swear both by the sanctuary and

by him who dwells there; and to swear

22

by heaven is to swear both by the

throne of God and by him who sits

upon it.

Alas for you, lawyers and Pharisees,

23

hypocrites? You pay piles of mint and

dill and cummin; but you have

overlooked the weightier demands of

the Law, justice, mercy, and good

faith. It is these you should have

practiced, without neglecting the others.

Blind guides! You strain off a midge,

24

yet gulp down a camel!

Alas for you, lawyers and Pharisees,

25

hypocrites! You clean the outside of

cup and dish, which you have filled

inside by robbery and self indulgence!

Blind Pharisee! Clean the inside of the

26

cup first; then the outside will be clean

also.

'Alas for you, lawyers and Pharisees:

27

hypocrites! You are like tombs covered

with whitewash; they look well from

outside, but inside they are full of dead

men's bones and all kinds of filth. So

28

it is with you: outside you look like

honest men, but inside you are brim

full of hypocrisy and crime

'Alas for you, lawyers and Pharisees,

29

hypocrites! You build up the tombs

of the prophets and embellish the

monuments of the saints, and you say,

30

"If we had been alive in our fathers'

time, we should never have taken part

with them in the murder of the

prophets." So you acknowledge that

31

you are the Sons of the men who killed

the prophets. Go on then, finish off

32

what your fathers began!

'You snakes, you vipers' brood, how

33

can you escape being condemned to

hell? I send you therefore prophets,

34

sages, and teachers; some of them you

will kill and crucify, others you will

flog in your synagogues and hound

from city to city. And so, on you will

35

fall the guilt of all the innocent blood

spilt on the ground, from innocent

Abel to Zechariah son of Berachiah

whom you murdered between the

sanctuary and the altar. Believe me,

36

this generation will bear the guilt of it

all.

'0 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that

37

murders the prophets and stones the

messengers sent to her! How often have

I longed to gather your children, as a

hen gathers her brood under her wings

but you would not let me. Look, look

38

there is your temple, forsaken by

God." And I tell you, you shall never

39

see me until the time when you say,

"Blessings on him who comes in the

name of the Lord"'

Prophecies and warnings

Jesus was leaving the temple when

his disciples came and pointed to the

temple buildings. He answered, 'Yes,

look at it all. I tell you this: not one

stone will be left upon another; all will

be thrown down.

Top of Page

TABLE I : CANONICAL AND NAZI ANTI-JEWISH MEASURES

CANONICAL LAW	NAZI MEASURE
Prohibition of intermarriage and of sexual intercourse between Christians and Jews. Synod of Elvira. 306	Law for the Protection or German Blood and Honor. September 15, 1935
Jews and Christians not permitted to eat together. Synod of Elvira. 306	Jews barred from dining cars (Transport Minister to Interior Minister, December 30.1939)
Jews not allowed to hold public Office. Synod of Clermont, 535	Law for the Reestablishment of the Professional Civil Service. April 7, 1933
Jews not allowed to employ Christian servants or possess Christian slaves, 3d Synod of Orleans, 538	Law for the Protection of German Blood and Honor. September 15, 1935
Jews not permitted to show themselves in the streets during Passion Week. 3 (1 Synod of OrlEans, 538.	Decree authorizing local authorities to bar Jews from the streets on certain days (i.e. Nazi holidays), December 3, 1938
Burning of the Talmud and other books, 12th Synod of Toledo. 681	Book burnings in Nazi Germany
Christians not permitted to patronize Jewish doctors, Trullan Synod. 692	Decree of July 25,1938
Christians not permitted to live in Jewish homes, Synod of Narhonne, 050	Directive by Göring providing for concentration of Jews in houses, December 28, 1938 (Bormann to Rosenberg, January 17, 1939)
Jews obliged to pay taxes for support of the Church to the same extent as Christians. Synod of Gerona, 1078	The "Sozialausgleichsabgabe" which provided that Jews pay a special income tax in lieu of donations for Party purposes imposed on Nazis, December 24, 1940
Jews not permitted to be plaintiffs, or witnesses against Christians in the Courts, 3d Lateran Council, 1179, Canon 26	Proposal by the Party Chancellery that Jews not be permitted to institute civil suits, September 91942 (Bormann to Justice Ministry, September 9,1942),
Jews not permitted to withhold inheritance from descendants who had accepted Christianity, 3d Lateran Council, 1179, Canon 26	Decree empowering the Justice Ministry to void wills offending the "sound judgment of the people," July 31, 1938.
The marking of Jewish clothes with a badge, 4th Lateran Council, 1215. Canon 68 (Copied from the legislation by Caliph Omar II [636-644], who had decreed that Christians wear blue belts and Jews, yellow belts)	Decree of September 1, 1941
Construction of new synagogues prohibited, Council of Oxford, 1222	Destruction of synagogues in entire Reich. November 10, l938 (Heydrich to Göring. November 11, 1938)
Christians not permitted to attend Jewish ceremonies, Synod of Vienna. 1267	Friendly relations with Jews prohibited. October 24, 1941 (Gestapo directive)
Jews not permitted to dispute with simple Christian people about the tenets of the Catholic religion. Synod of Vienna. 1267
Compulsory ghettos. Synod of Breslau, 1267	Order by Heydrich, September 21, 1939
Christians not permitted to sell or rent real estate to Jews. Synod of Ofen, 1279	Decree providing for compulsory sale of Jewish real estate. December 3, 1938
Adoption by a Christian of the Jewish religion or return by a baptized Jew to the Jewish religion defined as a heresy. Synod of Mainz, 1310	Adoption of the Jewish religion by a Christian places him in jeopardy of being treated as a Jew (Decision by Oberlandesgericht Königsberg. 4th Zivilsenat. June 26.1942)
Jews not permitted to act as agents in the conclusion of contracts, especially marriage contracts between Christians. Council of Basel, 1434. Sessio XIX	Decree of July 6.1938. providing for liquidation of Jewish real estate agencies. brokerage agencies, and marriage agencies catering to non-Jews
Jews not permitted to obtain academic degrees. Council of Basel, 1434, Sessio XIX	Law against Overcrowding of German Schools anti Universities. April 25, 1933.

(from Hilberg, Raul. The Destruction of European Jews. 1985)

Top of page

FROM NOSTRA AETATE TO THE "NOTES"*

By Eugene J. Fisher
Executive Secretary, Secretariat for Catholic-Jewish Relations
National Conference of Catholic Bishops

The following chart lists several areas in which the wording of the 1975 Vatican Guidelines and the more recent "Notes" have specifically clarified wording left "creatively vague" by the Second Vatican Council, thus determining how Nostra Aetate is today to be read. Many of these, it will be noted, are directly responsive to critiques made of Nostra Aetate and the 1975 Guidelines in the dialogue between Catholics and Jews sparked by the Council It is to be expected that the "Notes" will undergo a similar process of clarification through dialogue.

Nostra Aetate, 1965

Vatican Guidelines, 1975

"Notes for Preaching and Catechesis," 1985

"The Church decries hatreds, persecutions and manifestations of anti-Semitism directed against Jews at any time and by anyone."

*1

- "condemn, as opposed to the very spirit of Christianity, all forms of anti-Semitism and discrimination."

- "The urgency and importance of precise, objective and rigorously accurate teaching on Judaism for our faithful follows too from the danger of anti-Semitism, which is always ready to reappear under different guises." VI 26 reaffirms the condemnation of anti-Semitism.

"- makes no reference to traditional false stereotyping of the Pharisees or to misunderstandings which can arise from reading the N.T. or in the liturgy."

"- mandates an `overriding preoccupation' in liturgy and education to provide adequate background for Scriptural readings `which Christians, if not well informed, might misunderstand because of prejudice,' and specifies John's Gospel and the treatment of the Pharisees."

"Two major sections of the text (III and IV) spell out the issues in detail, e.g., Jesus `extolled respect for 'the Law' and `invited obedience to it.' He shared 'with the majority of Palestinian Jews of that time,' central elements of pharisaic doctrine.

*2

.

.

"... references hostile or less than favorable to the Jews have their historic context in conflicts between the nascent Church and the Jewish community. Certain controversies reflect Christian-Jewish relations long after the time of Jesus."

Makes no reference to the Holocaust of European Jewry.

*3

Refers to the Holocaust as the "historical setting" of Nostra Aetate and the present Jewish Christian dialogue.

Mandates the development of Holocaust curricula in religious education programming:: "Catechesis should... help in understanding the meaning for the Jews of the extermination (Shoah) during the years 1939-45, and its consequences."

No reference to State of Israel.

* 4

No reference to State of Israel.

"Speaks of the `religious attachment' between the Jewish people and the Land of Israel as one that `finds its roots in the Biblical tradition' and as an essential aspect of Jewish covenantal `fidelity to the one God.' Affirms `the existence of the State of Israel' on the basis of `the common principles of international law,' while warning against biblical fundamentalist approach to contemporary 'political options' in the Middle East."

Presents the Church as the new people of God.

*5

Avoids supercessionist implications and states instead: "The Old Testament and the Jewish tradition founded on it must not be set against the New Testament in such a way that the former seems to constitute a religion of only justice, fear and legalism with no appeal to the love of God and neighbor."

Jews are to be presented as "the people of God of the Old Covenant, which has never been revoked by God," and "a chosen people." Both Jews and Christians "are driven...by the command to love our neighbor."

No direct reference to joint witness to the world, though the possibility is implicit in the affirmation that God "does not repent of the gifts he makes or of the calls he issues.

"Jewish and Christian tradition, founded on the Word of God.. will work willingly together, seeking social justice and peace on every level.

*6

"We must also accept our responsibility to prepare the world for the coming of the Messiah by working together for social justice.. To this we are driven by a common hope for the Kingdom of God."

References

1. For additional comments on anti-Semitism and racism, see Analysis of "Notes," Department of Interreligious Affairs, November, 1985, p. 9,10.

2. Ed. note: For additional comments on typology as a method of biblical interpretation, see Analysis of Notes, p. 11-13.

3. Ed. note: For additional comments on Holocaust see Analysis of Notes,,p. 17, 18.

4. Ed. note: For additional comments on Israel see Analysis of Notes, p. 10, ll.

5. Ed. note: For additional comments on Election and Chosenness, see Analysis of Notes, p. 11.

6. Excerpts from this paper, which was presented by Dr. Fisher at a meeting of the International Vatican-Jewish Liaison Committee, October, 1985.

Top of page

Dr. Sanford Lowe

Santa Rosa Junior College

`How dull you are!' he answered. `How slow to believe all that the	25
prophets said! Was the Messiah not bound to suffer thus before entering	26
upon his glory?' Then he began with Moses and all the prophets, and	27
explained to them the passages which referred to himself in every part of	28
the Scriptures.

`I know that you are descended from Abraham, but you are bent on	37
killing me because my teaching makes no headway with you. I am revealing	38
in words what I saw in my Father's presence; and you are revealing in
action what you learned from your father.' They retorted, `Abraham is our	39
father.' `If you were Abraham's children', Jesus replied, `you would do as
Abraham did. As it is, you are bent on killing me, a man who told you the	40
truth, as I heard it from God. That is not how Abraham acted. You are	41
doing your own father's work.'

They said, `We are not base-born; God is our father, and God alone'
Jesus said, `If God were your father, you would love me, for God is the	42
source of my being, and from him I come. I have not come of my own
accord; he sent me. Why do you not understand my language? It is	43
because my revelation is beyond your grasp.

`Your father is the devil and you choose to carry out your father's desires.	44
He was a murderer from the beginning, and is not rooted in the truth:
there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie he is speaking his own language,
for he is a liar and the father of lies. But 1 speak the truth and therefore you	45
do not believe me. Which of you can prove me in the wrong? If what I say	46
is true, why do you not believe me? He who has God for his father listens	47
to the words of God. You are not God's children; that is why you do not
listen.'

On the following Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the	44
word of God. When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealous	45
resentment, and contradicted what Paul said, with violent abuse. But Paul	46
and Barnabas were outspoken in their reply. `It was necessary', they said.
`that the word of God should be declared to you first. But since you reject
it and thus condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life, we now turn
to the Gentiles. For these are our instructions from the Lord: "I have	47
appointed you to be a light for the Gentiles, and a means of salvation to
earth's farthest bounds."'	48

For there is a deep truth here, my brothers, of which I want you to take	25
account, so that you may not be complacent about your own discernment:
this partial blindness has come upon Israel only until the Gentiles have
been admitted in full strength; when that has happened, the whole of	26
Israel will be saved, in agreement with the text of Scripture:

	`From Zion shall Come the Deliverer;
	he shall remove wickedness from Jacob.
	And this is the covenant I will grant them,
	when I take away their sins.'	27

In the spreading of the Gospel they are treated as God's enemies for your	28
sake; but God's choice stands, and they are his friends for the sake of the
patriarchs. For the gracious gifts of God and his calling are irrevocable.	29

MATTHEW 27

When morning came, the chief
priests and the elders of the nation met
in conference to plan the death of
Jesus. They then put him in chains and
led him away, to hand him over to
Pilate, the Roman Governor.

Jesus was now brought before the
Governor, and as he stood there the
Governor asked him, 'Are you the
king of the Jews?' 'The words are
yours' said Jesus; and to the charges
laid against him by the chief priests ,
and elders he made no reply. Then
Pilate said to him, Do you not hent
all this evidence that is brought against
you?'; but he still refused to answer
one word, to the Governor's great
astonishment.
At the festival season it was the
Governor's custom to release one
prisoner chosen by the people. There
was then in custody a man of some
notoriety, called Jesus Bar-Abbas.
When they were assembled Pilate said
to them. 'Which would you like me to
release to you, Jesus Bar-Abbas, or
Jesus called Messiah?' For he knew
that it was out of malice that they had
bought Jesus before him.

While Pilate was sitting in court a
message came to him from his wife:
'Have nothing to do with that innocent
man; I was much troubled on his
account in my dreams last night.'

Meanwhile the chief priests and
elders had persuaded the crowd to ask
for the release of Bar-Abbas and to
have Jesus put do death. So when the
Governor asked, Which of the two do
you wish me to release to you?', they
said, Bar-Abbas. 'Then what am I to
do with Jesus called Messiah?' asked
Pilate; and with one voice they
answered, Crucify him!' 'Why, what
harm has he done?' Pilate asked; but
they shouted all the louder. 'Crucify
''him!"

Pilate could see that nothing was
being gained, and a riot was smarting;
so he took water and wasbhed his hands
in full view or the people, saying, 'My
hands are clean of this man's blood;
see to that yourselves.' And with one
voice the people cried, 'His blood be
on us, and on our children.' he then
released Bar-Abbas to them; but he
had Jesus flogged, and handed him
over to be crucified.

Jesus then addressed the people and
his disciples in these words 'The	2
doctors of the law and the Pharisees
sit in the chair of Moses; therefore do	3
what they tell you; pay attention to
their words. But do not follow their
practice; for they say one thing and do
another. They make up heavy packs	4
and pile them on men's shoulders, but
will not raise a finger to lift the load
themselves. Whatever they do is done	5
for show. They go about with broad
phylacteries and with large tassels on
their robes; they like to have places of	6
honour at feasts and the chief seats in
synagogues, to be greeted respectfully	7
in the street, and to be addressed as
"rabbi".
'But you must not be called "rabbi";	8
for you have one Rabbi, and you are
all brothers. Do not call any man on	9
earth "father"; for you have one
Father, and he is in heaven. Nor must	10
you be called "teacher"; you have one
Teacher, the Messiah. The greatest	11
among you must be your servant. For	12
whoever exalts himself will be humbled;
and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
Alas, alas for you, lawyers and	13
Pharisees hypocrites that you are!
You shut the door of the kingdom of
Heaven in men's faces; you do not
enter yourselves, and when others are
entering, you stop them.
'Alas for you, lawyers and Pharisees	15
hypocrites! You travel oversea and
land to win one convert; and when you
have won him you make him twice as
fit for hell as you are yourselves.

Alas for you, blind guides! You say,	16
"If a man swears by the sanctuary,
that is nothing; but he swears by the
gold in the sanctuary, he is bound by
his oath." Blind fools! Which is the	17
more important, the gold, or the
sanctuary which sanctifies the gold?
Or you say, "If a man swears by the	18
altar, that is nothing; but if he swears
by the offering that lies on the altar, he
is bound by his oath." What blindness!	19
Which is the more important, the
offering, or the altar which sanctifies
it? To swear by the altar, then is to	20
swear both by the altar and by what-
ever lies on it; to swear by the sanctuary	21
is to swear both by the sanctuary and
by him who dwells there; and to swear	22
by heaven is to swear both by the
throne of God and by him who sits
upon it.
Alas for you, lawyers and Pharisees,	23
hypocrites? You pay piles of mint and
dill and cummin; but you have
overlooked the weightier demands of
the Law, justice, mercy, and good
faith. It is these you should have
practiced, without neglecting the others.
Blind guides! You strain off a midge,	24
yet gulp down a camel!

Alas for you, lawyers and Pharisees,	25
hypocrites! You clean the outside of
cup and dish, which you have filled
inside by robbery and self indulgence!
Blind Pharisee! Clean the inside of the	26
cup first; then the outside will be clean
also.

'Alas for you, lawyers and Pharisees:	27
hypocrites! You are like tombs covered
with whitewash; they look well from
outside, but inside they are full of dead
men's bones and all kinds of filth. So	28
it is with you: outside you look like
honest men, but inside you are brim
full of hypocrisy and crime
'Alas for you, lawyers and Pharisees,	29
hypocrites! You build up the tombs
of the prophets and embellish the
monuments of the saints, and you say,	30
"If we had been alive in our fathers'
time, we should never have taken part
with them in the murder of the
prophets." So you acknowledge that	31
you are the Sons of the men who killed
the prophets. Go on then, finish off	32
what your fathers began!
'You snakes, you vipers' brood, how	33
can you escape being condemned to
hell? I send you therefore prophets,	34
sages, and teachers; some of them you
will kill and crucify, others you will
flog in your synagogues and hound
from city to city. And so, on you will	35
fall the guilt of all the innocent blood
spilt on the ground, from innocent
Abel to Zechariah son of Berachiah
whom you murdered between the
sanctuary and the altar. Believe me,	36
this generation will bear the guilt of it
all.
'0 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that	37
murders the prophets and stones the
messengers sent to her! How often have
I longed to gather your children, as a
hen gathers her brood under her wings
but you would not let me. Look, look	38
there is your temple, forsaken by
God." And I tell you, you shall never	39
see me until the time when you say,
"Blessings on him who comes in the
name of the Lord"'

Prophecies and warnings

Jesus was leaving the temple when
his disciples came and pointed to the
temple buildings. He answered, 'Yes,
look at it all. I tell you this: not one
stone will be left upon another; all will
be thrown down.

Nostra Aetate, 1965	Vatican Guidelines, 1975	"Notes for Preaching and Catechesis," 1985
"The Church decries hatreds, persecutions and manifestations of anti-Semitism directed against Jews at any time and by anyone." *1	- "condemn, as opposed to the very spirit of Christianity, all forms of anti-Semitism and discrimination."	- "The urgency and importance of precise, objective and rigorously accurate teaching on Judaism for our faithful follows too from the danger of anti-Semitism, which is always ready to reappear under different guises." VI 26 reaffirms the condemnation of anti-Semitism.
"- makes no reference to traditional false stereotyping of the Pharisees or to misunderstandings which can arise from reading the N.T. or in the liturgy."	"- mandates an `overriding preoccupation' in liturgy and education to provide adequate background for Scriptural readings `which Christians, if not well informed, might misunderstand because of prejudice,' and specifies John's Gospel and the treatment of the Pharisees."	"Two major sections of the text (III and IV) spell out the issues in detail, e.g., Jesus `extolled respect for 'the Law' and `invited obedience to it.' He shared 'with the majority of Palestinian Jews of that time,' central elements of pharisaic doctrine. *2
.	.	"... references hostile or less than favorable to the Jews have their historic context in conflicts between the nascent Church and the Jewish community. Certain controversies reflect Christian-Jewish relations long after the time of Jesus."
Makes no reference to the Holocaust of European Jewry. *3	Refers to the Holocaust as the "historical setting" of Nostra Aetate and the present Jewish Christian dialogue.	Mandates the development of Holocaust curricula in religious education programming:: "Catechesis should... help in understanding the meaning for the Jews of the extermination (Shoah) during the years 1939-45, and its consequences."
No reference to State of Israel. * 4	No reference to State of Israel.	"Speaks of the `religious attachment' between the Jewish people and the Land of Israel as one that `finds its roots in the Biblical tradition' and as an essential aspect of Jewish covenantal `fidelity to the one God.' Affirms `the existence of the State of Israel' on the basis of `the common principles of international law,' while warning against biblical fundamentalist approach to contemporary 'political options' in the Middle East."
Presents the Church as the new people of God. *5	Avoids supercessionist implications and states instead: "The Old Testament and the Jewish tradition founded on it must not be set against the New Testament in such a way that the former seems to constitute a religion of only justice, fear and legalism with no appeal to the love of God and neighbor."	Jews are to be presented as "the people of God of the Old Covenant, which has never been revoked by God," and "a chosen people." Both Jews and Christians "are driven...by the command to love our neighbor."
No direct reference to joint witness to the world, though the possibility is implicit in the affirmation that God "does not repent of the gifts he makes or of the calls he issues.	"Jewish and Christian tradition, founded on the Word of God.. will work willingly together, seeking social justice and peace on every level. *6	"We must also accept our responsibility to prepare the world for the coming of the Messiah by working together for social justice.. To this we are driven by a common hope for the Kingdom of God."