Christian Antisemitism since 1096: Causes, Character, Consequences and Countermeasures

Description

And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. — Jesus

Although the teaching of many of Christianity’s most influential thinkers throughout history intentionally fail to prioritize it, Jesus of Nazareth was unequivocally a devout Jew. From Saul turned Paul to the early Church Fathers, to Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin and modern day monastics and evangelists – the distancing from, and scapegoating of the religion practiced by Jesus has led to unspeakable atrocities. In these sessions we will examine the twisted interpretation and sanctioned misinformation about the Jewish faith and people in regards to Jesus. We will look at the roots of Antisemitism (AS) in Christian scripture and Western Church history; the amplification of mis-information and sanctioned hatred through to the Middle Ages and leading up to WWII and the Nazi Holocaust. We will conclude with an open-eyed perspective and considerations of what to do now.

Stephen Van Evera is Ford International Professor in the MIT Political Science Department. Prof. Van Evera works in several areas of international relations: the causes and prevention of war, U.S. foreign policy, U.S. security policy, U.S. intervention in the Third World, international relations of the Middle East, and international relations theory. He has published books on the causes of war and on social science methodology, and articles on American foreign policy, American defense policy, nationalism and the causes of war, the origins of World War I, and U.S. strategy in the War on Terror. He currently serves as chair of the Tobin Project committee on national security.