nitrogen wrote:I never understood what incited such hatred in people about Jews.
Nitrogen,
There is a perverse but historical context. I am working from a Swiss cheese memory so forgive any inaccuracies.
I
believe it was under Constatine that, taking the record of Mt 27:25 as an imputus, Jews were required to convert to Christianity or surrender their property and leave the country. Many signed that they had and many left.
The disassociation from all things Judaic spread to the holidays. Easter which is supposed to be a celebration of the resurrection of the Christ was separated from the Passover and replaced the pagan fertility rite which occurs on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the Vernal equinox. Some of the symbols of the rite persist, I.E. Easter bunnies, eggs and so on.
Even the art was affected. The images of Christ were Romanized with nice narrow noses and light skin. The tassles that Christ certainly would have worn on his robe never appear in any images. Some have an exaggerated "Jewish" visage on the Judas characters or tax collectors further associating the Jew with evil. Somehow, the fact that the Christ was Jewish was lost to ignorance...which even persists to this day.
Jealousy became an issue also. Business successes even in lean economic times became a catylist for confiscatory laws aimed at Jews. The further removed from the original antisemetic sentiments, the more perverse the prejudice. Ultimately they were painted as the "different" and the root of evil under the facist regime of Hitler. First they were required to register, some were made to leave, most were "relocated", all of there assets confiscated, and then they were murdered by the millions.
Sadly, there is an evil "neo-nazi" sentiment that is palpable in some areas. There is an Islamic Jihad against Jews for daring to form a national identity (Israel 1948). The prejudice is sadly alive today, but it is not new.
Off Topic, but you asked...I think.
God Bless,
Kyle
