by James Roberts, Senior Programme Manager

 

 

The season of Lent is a penitential period for Christians, as we prepare ourselves to mark Easter in a few weeks’ time.

Mirroring Christ’s sojourn in the wilderness, this season in the church’s calendar reflects a sombre, ascetic spirituality. Christians may decide to abstain from certain foods (chocolate and crisps being some of the first to go!), or they might take up a new spiritual practice which requires slightly more effort than normal.

These Lenten practices are about assessing one’s inner life, refining our desires, and preparing to celebrate the joyful feast of Easter.

In this way, Lent can also be a time for education. Churches may have already started Lent courses; discussion groups based around the fundamentals of the Christian faith. Others may be taking up a particular devotional book to study, and for candidates preparing for Baptism on Easter Sunday, Lent is a profound opportunity to engage in catechesis and spiritual formation.

So, the season of Lent can be about self-reflection, reassessment, and realigning, as Christians prepare to encounter the mysteries of Easter.

And there are some big questions for us to ponder in Holy Week, about the nature of God, the person of Jesus, and the faith of the church.

But one area which doesn’t always get as much attention as it deserves is the relationship between Christianity and Judaism.

Why should we be concerned with this, especially in the season of Lent?

Firstly, because Christianity is intimately connected with Judaism, through a shared heritage, scripture, and theology. But, importantly, the two faiths are distinct. As Abrahamic religions, we have a sense of kinship, but we have also diverged in notable ways.

These distinctions present us with big theological questions to grapple with, like what do the covenants mean? What impact does Christ have on the Christian-Jewish relationship? How do we interpret the law? At the heart of these questions is the desire to learn from one another, to decipher and discern where we are similar and where we are different.

The task of doing this (in a respectful and supportive manner) can be deeply rewarding. It is a joy to learn about others, to dialogue, and to deepen understanding.

However, this time of year also reminds us of a history where this ideal of tolerance and difference has not always been respected. As we approach Holy Week, we are reminded of the importance of combatting anti-Judaism within Christian communities.  

Holy Week has historically been a time where the big questions have not been handled with sensitivity and care. In fact, Holy Week has on occasion been an extremely dangerous time for Jewish people, at the hands of Christians.

Before we move into joyful dialogue, therefore, as Christians we need to educate ourselves about the past, repent, and reassess. Just like the movement of Lent to Easter, it is only through this reassessment that we are able to prepare ourselves to encounter the beauty of such a mystery.

The first step for this is to learn about the foundations of Christian anti-Judaism.

Theology of Anti-Judaism

Christian anti-Judaism has ancient roots. In the Scripture of the New Testament, we can see a polemic emerging between Christianity and Judaism, as the ‘parting of the ways’ begins, and two distinct religions develop.

Some of the strongest Christian-Jewish polemic in the New Testament has fuelled anti-Jewish biblical interpretation.

Difficult texts include Paul’s letters and his characterisation of ‘the Law’ in opposition to the Gospel and sweeping references to ‘the Jews’ as the enemies of Christ in John’s Gospel. Indeed, the passion narratives, which recall Christ’s death, are at the root of much anti-Jewish interpretation in Christian theology.  

Inspired by these texts, Christianity has consistently erred by placing the blame for Christ’s crucifixion not on the Roman authorities (or indeed upon Christ’s willing sacrifice), but on the Jewish people. Thus, the Jewish people have been branded by Christians throughout history as ‘Christ-killers’; a trope which can still be recognised in contemporary antisemitic libels.

This accusation of the Jewish people as ‘Christ-killers’ is evident in the patristic period where, in the writings of the church fathers, we see the cry of deicide hurled at the Jewish people. For example, Melito of Sardis (c. 140-85) writes:

‘It is he [Christ] that has been murdered.

And where has he been murdered? In the middle of Jerusalem.

By whom? By Israel.

Why? Because he cleansed their lepers

And brought light to their blind

And raised their dead.’

Melito of Sardis refers to Christ’s crucifixion as a ‘strange crime’, a denial, and dishonouring of Christ, by the Jewish people, and Melito is not alone in this type of rhetoric. Anti-Jewish literature (adversus Iudaeos) was a widespread literary genre in the patristic period where Christian theologians would write against Judaism (again in a polemical style).

Like Melito of Sardis, John Chrysostom (d. 407) supported the belief that it was the Jews who were responsible for the death of Christ. He even wrote that the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans was as a consequence of the Jewish rejection of Christ:

‘You Jews did crucify him [Christ]. But after he died on the cross, he then destroyed your city: it was then that he dispersed your people: it was then that he scattered your nation over the face of the earth. In doing this, he teaches us that he is risen, alive, and in heaven…’ (Adversus Iudaeos 4.6)

Any misfortune or harm which fell upon the Jewish people, according to Chrysostom, was as a result of their rejection of Christ.

This theme is picked up in the writings of St. Augustine.

In a similar way to Chrysostom, Augustine believed that the Jewish people act as witnesses of anyone who rejects Christ; any calamities which fall upon them are therefore signalling this rejection. However, Augustine believed that the Jewish people should not be harmed or persecuted. This is because the Jews, for Augustine, are the ‘satchel-bearers’ for Christianity; they carry the tradition for Christianity (albeit in a fossilised form) and pass it on to Christians, losing their own divine election in the process. They act, therefore, as witnesses to the past, and to the rejection of Christ.

Holy Week

These theological and scriptural bases for Christian anti-Judaism impacted the liturgical and spiritual life of the church.

Historically, Holy Week became a flashpoint in the liturgical year where accusations of Jewish deicide and supersessionism bubbled to the surface of Christian rhetoric due to the nature of reflecting on the death of Christ in this season.

In the medieval period, this occasionally resulted in violence being directed towards Jewish communities during Holy Week, as a form of ‘revenge’ for the death of Christ.

During Holy Week in 1389 in Prague, for example, Jews were accused of throwing a stone at a monstrance being carried in procession. They were accused of seeking to kill Christ once again in this action. Whether or not this happened is hard to determine, but as a result men, women, and children from the Jewish community were murdered in a brutal massacre, and their belongings pillaged, in what has become known as the ‘Prague Pogrom’.

Although this is an extreme example, when the texts of Holy Week liturgies are examined, we begin to sense how such anti-Jewish sentiment can be fostered within the church.  

On Good Friday the words of St John’s Gospel are read. Whilst this Gospel is a much-loved and central piece of Christian Scripture, the sweeping references to ‘the Jews’ (hoi Ioudaioi), and the suggestion that it was these people who were to blame for the death of Christ, further the accusation of deicide against the Jewish people.  

Similarly, the liturgical text entitled ‘The Reproaches’ (Improperia) appears to blame Israel for the death of Christ. Even the prayers during this period (such as the ‘prayer for the Jews’) have referred to the Jewish people as ‘perfidious’, as ‘faithless’ or ‘unbelieving’.

Why does this matter today?

Within the last century, changes have been made to the prayer for the Jewish people, the Reproaches (in some churches), and a greater contextual awareness is emerging about the function of hoi Ioudaioi in John’s Gospel.

Nevertheless, the long history of anti-Judaism within Christian thought and practice can all too easily continue to creep into the words of Holy Week.

This history is embedded in our Christian tradition and can emerge (often in micro ways) in our preaching, teaching, and reflections. This can often be accidental or despite best intentions. Nevertheless, this contributes to the othering of Jews by Christians and can fuel contemporary antisemitism, which is why education around this issue is so vital.

Indeed, it is important to note that antisemitism is still very much alive in our society today. Many antisemitic tropes have their roots in negative readings of Judaism and the Jewish people from the Christian tradition. These have been taken up by all sorts of people; conspiracy theorists, online ‘trolls’ and those who wish to spread systems of hatred.

Positive Signs

However, since the Holocaust, churches have made important steps in correcting this history of anti-Judaism within Christian thought and practice.

In 1960 Pope John XXIII met with Jules Isaac, who introduced the notion of the ‘teaching of contempt’; the understanding that Christianity had taught anti-Judaism in its thought and practice, and that this constituted the root of modern antisemitism.

Spurred on by his meeting with Isaac, Pope John XXIII began the process which would lead to the development of ‘Nostra Aetate’, a seminal document for a more positive relationship between Christians and Jews.

This work has not only been confined to the Roman Catholic Church. In the Anglican Church, most recently important work has been done in the document entitled, ‘God’s Unfailing Word’. Similarly, the Methodist Church have produced valuable guidance for churches during Holy Week, which touches on many of the key issues which can hinder positive Christian Jewish dialogue.

These are just some of the important steps which have been taken to move forward in a positive direction.

But there is still more work to be done.

Looking to the Future

Jewish Christian relations matter today because the shadow of Christian anti-Judaism still falls over contemporary biblical interpretation, theological frameworks, and spirituality for a good deal of Christians.

In Holy Week, this can come to the fore, as Christians reflect on the nature of Christ’s death and resurrection, and grapple with the relationship between Christianity and Judaism.

The season of Lent, where repentance and reassessment are core spiritual practices, presents us with a good opportunity to begin a process of self-evaluation as Christians, and as churches, to address this issue.

When we consider the long-standing connections between Holy Week and Christian anti-Judaism, we see the practical and pressing need to assess our language and intentions at this moment in the liturgical year, ensuring that we avoid Anti-Judaism and strive towards a better understanding of contemporary Judaism.

Only then can we move forward into a brighter future of dialogue.