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 ANTI-­‐SEMITISM: CAUSES AND EFFECTS A BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE Lesson 1 I. Introduction A.
The reason for such a class Within the context of biblical studies, one might ask the question: “Why study anti-­‐Semitism since I don’t subscribe to it”? Shouldn’t it be enough to reject anti-­‐Semitism as a whole as we study God’s Word? After all, nowhere in the Bible is there any proof that anti-­‐Semitism might be a justified behavior! Other questions that might be posed to justify that such a class might be irrelevant are: • Didn’t anti-­‐Semitism end when Israel was reborn in 1948? • Why focus on anti-­‐Semitism, isn’t racism as a whole the real issue? • Isn’t anti-­‐Israel sentiment the real issue? • Aren’t the claims of anti-­‐Semitism exaggerated? • Why not simply study only God’s Word? There are indeed several very valid reasons why Bible believing followers of Yeshua the Messiah should study anti-­‐Semitism. All of these reasons individually and /or intertwined, led to the need for this class. I see at least five reasons. 1 1.
Anti-­‐Semitism focuses on the destruction of the people of the Book, the Jewish people. 2.
Anti-­‐Semitism leads to Replacement Theology. 3.
Anti-­‐Semitism is an inseparable part of the fabric of Jewish history and as such must be studied in order to better understand the Jewish people. 4.
Anti-­‐Semitism CAN be used in outreach to Jewish people. 5.
You cannot fight against something unless you understand it. B.
Class Methodology The class will be divided into three sections following a historical order. 1.
The first section will mostly focus of establishing a definition of anti-­‐Semitism from the biblical, extra-­‐biblical account and through the writings of the Church Fathers. 2.
The second section will cover anti-­‐Semitism through the Middle-­‐ages and the post medieval period (6th through 19th centuries). 3.
The third and final section will cover anti-­‐Semitism through the modern period (19th through 21st centuries). 2 The study of anti-­‐Semitism can be approached thematically (themes being religious, social, political or racial), but it can also be approached historically. The historical (and thus chronological approach) looks at anti-­‐Semitism through the ages as Jewish people moved throughout history. Geographical migration (from the diaspora onward) is closely linked to the history of the Jewish people. There are great advantages to a historical study of anti-­‐Semitism as it covers the history of the Jewish people chronologically while also allowing for all the recurring themes mentioned above. II. Anti-­‐Semitism Defined A.
The Semites The word anti-­‐Semitism can also be spelled antisemitism or anti-­‐
semitism. At first glance it would appear that it focuses on anybody who would be of Semitic descent. To be of Semitic origin simply means to be a descendant of Shem (one of Noah’s three sons). Gen. 5:32 And Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Gen. 6:10 And Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. The family of Shem included people groups such as the Akkadians, Ugarites, Chaldeans, Arameans and the Hebrews among many others. All of the descendants of Shem are listed by name in Genesis 12:21-­‐32. To simplify the lineage from Shem, it would be accurate to say that Semites include both Jews AND arabs, yet the term anti-­‐semite NEVER 3 implied a hatred of the Arab people, but simply a hatred of the Jewish people. So in spite of the prefix anti (against), the words semitic and anti-­‐semitic are not necessarily direct opposites. B.
Origins While the actions that can be labeled as anti-­‐Semitic go back thousands of years and are documented in the Jewish Bible as early as the book of Exodus, the word itself is much younger. Many theologians, philosophers, pseudo-­‐scholars and historians published numerous works against the Jewish people throughout history, but it is not until the late 19th century that the word anti-­‐
Semitism was coined. The first usage of such a word was by German journalist Wilhelm Marr who in 1873 published a pamphlet titled: "The Victory of the Jewish Spirit over the Germanic Spirit. Observed from a non-­religious perspective." In the pamphlet, he used the words Semitismus and Judentum interchangeably to describe Jewry and/or Jewishness. The usage of the word Semitismus led to the coining of the word Antisemitismus used in another pamphlet titled The Way to Victory of the Germanic Spirit over the Jewish Spirit", in which Marr clearly sated his feelings about the Jewish people. In 1881, to remove all doubts, Marr founded the first German organization dedicated to fighting the “Jewish threat” to Germany, thus The League of Antisemites was born. The usage of the word continued to spread and was widely accepted by 1885. 4 C.
Definitions There might be as many definition for anti-­‐Semitism than there are for who is a Jew. Once we understand that the word Semites is used differently in anti-­‐Semitism, we get a clearer definition. Following are a few definitions for anti-­‐Semitism: Edward H. Flannery, Catholic Priest and Historian “Antisemitism is attitudes, words, or actions that embody a hatred or contempt of the Jewish people as such”. Mirriam-­‐Webster Dictionary “hostility toward or discrimination against Jews as a religious, ethnic, or racial group” U.S. Department of State 2008 Report on Contemporary Global Antisemitism (used by many organization to date) “Anti-­Semitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of anti-­
Semitism are directed toward Jewish or non-­Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.” Cambridge Dictionary “ The strong dislike or cruel and unfair treatment of Jewish people”. Dan Cohn-­‐Sherbok, Rabbi and Author “Antisemitism is hostility toward both Judaism and the Jewish people”. My Definiiton “Antisemitism is hatred of the Jewish people as such characterized by destructive thoughts, words and/or actions against them ”. 5 Yet, anti-­‐Semitism goes further as it is the only kind of hatred that includes contempt for the People, the Land and the Law. All aspects of Jewish life, customs and culture, along with the Jewish homeland are not exempt from the vitriol of anti-­‐Semitism. III. Additional Necessary Definitions. A.
Racism Mirriam-­‐Webster Dictionary A belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race. Oxford Dictionary Prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against
someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race
is superior.
B.
Anti-­‐Zionism Wikipedia Anti-­Zionism can be opposition to various ideologies within Zionism or opposition to the Jewish state of Israel founded on that concept. C.
Philo-­‐Semitism Wikipedia Philo-­Semitism or Judeophilia is an interest in, respect for, and appreciation of the Jewish people, their historical significance and the positive impacts of Judaism in the history of the western world, in particular, generally on the part of a gentile. (the Greek word philo means brotherly love). 6