Anti-Semitism in its broadest form is the “hatred of Jews” (Beller, 1). However, there several forms of Anti-Semitism. From racist beliefs to religious reasons, there are many ways an Anti-Semite can “justify” their hatred for Jews. Although, these arguments all have the underlying message of the dangers of the Jews, each one has a different reason or approach to their anti-Semitism. Unsurprisingly, these arguments speak to the historical events and issues of the time, such as the Enlightenment or the period leading up to the rise of the Nazi’s in the 20th century. It is important to not only know what anti-Semitism is, but the varying reasons behind this ideology. In the Gospel of Matthew, one can see a source of Christian Anti-Semitism.
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For Christians, many saw the Jews as the murderers of Jesus Christ, and held Jews centuries later personally responsible for the death of Christianity’s Messiah. This hatred for the Jews was exacerbated by the accusations of blasphemy from the church which resulted in the attempt to separate Jews from Christians through papal decrees. However, religious beliefs are not the sole reason for anti-Semitic ideology. Voltaire, who also scathingly attacked Christianity and other religions, characterizes the Jews as insolent barbarians who spread hatred throughout the nations. It is clear that this anti-Semitism is not a result of Voltaire’s religious fervor (which was non-existent), but could be described as an anti-Semitism rooted in secularism, an ideology that was popular with Enlightenment writers, like Voltaire. In the late 19th century, we see the types of anti-Semitism that catapulted the Jews into the Holocaust. Adolf Stoecker’s desire to remove the Jews from the major facets of German society, such as written publications (Stoecker, 310), the stock market, and elementary education, in order to preserve a German culture, untainted by Judaism, exemplifies the social and nationalistic anti-Semitism that prevailed during the early 20th century. The racist anti-Semitism in Germany during this time is promoted in Theodor Fritsch’s “The Racist’s Decalogue”, where the Jews are believed to threaten the purity of the Aryan
For Christians, many saw the Jews as the murderers of Jesus Christ, and held Jews centuries later personally responsible for the death of Christianity’s Messiah. This hatred for the Jews was exacerbated by the accusations of blasphemy from the church which resulted in the attempt to separate Jews from Christians through papal decrees. However, religious beliefs are not the sole reason for anti-Semitic ideology. Voltaire, who also scathingly attacked Christianity and other religions, characterizes the Jews as insolent barbarians who spread hatred throughout the nations. It is clear that this anti-Semitism is not a result of Voltaire’s religious fervor (which was non-existent), but could be described as an anti-Semitism rooted in secularism, an ideology that was popular with Enlightenment writers, like Voltaire. In the late 19th century, we see the types of anti-Semitism that catapulted the Jews into the Holocaust. Adolf Stoecker’s desire to remove the Jews from the major facets of German society, such as written publications (Stoecker, 310), the stock market, and elementary education, in order to preserve a German culture, untainted by Judaism, exemplifies the social and nationalistic anti-Semitism that prevailed during the early 20th century. The racist anti-Semitism in Germany during this time is promoted in Theodor Fritsch’s “The Racist’s Decalogue”, where the Jews are believed to threaten the purity of the Aryan