The Rise of Antisemitism
Hey Deer Flat Family,
Got a minute? Great. Let’s take a few important minutes to talk about a very ugly word. It’s called, “Antisemitism”. In simplest terms, it is hostility toward or discrimination the Jews. What’s interesting is that it’s only used in context with the Jews. No other people group, only the Jews. It was coined in 1879 by the German Wilhelm Marr. It targeted Jews because of their supposed biological characteristics – even those who had themselves converted to other religions or whose parents were converts.
Antisemitism has existed to some degree wherever Jews have settled outside of Israel. During the Diaspora, the dispersion of AD 70, when the Jews were scattered throughout the world, virtually every place they went, they faced hostility and discrimination…AKA, Anti-semitism.
Antisemitism made its way into the Church shortly after the Church was birthed. As the Gospel went out to the Gentile world, and many Gentiles accepted it and became believers, they brought with them into the Church, their customs, culture, views, opinions and more. When the Church of Acts 2 was birthed, it was Jewish. The people still kept kosher, went to the Temple for their prayer time, observed the Sabbath, etc. It was fully Jewish. The advancement of the Gospel would change that. Within 100 years of the birth of the Church, the leaders made the decision to separate from the Jews.
By the middle of the 2nd century CE, early Christianity was dominated by leaders who no longer had any ethnic or communal ties to Israel or Judaism. The leaders were Gentile converts who had been educated in the various schools of philosophy. Retrospectively dubbed “the Church Fathers” for their contributions to Christianity, the most prolific writers were: Justin Martyr (Rome, 100-165 CE), Bishop Irenaeus (Lyon, 130-202 CE), and Bishop Tertullian (155-220 CE).
The background in Judaism remained crucially important for the 2nd-century Christian Church. Over a short period of time, the contribution of the Jews and Hebrew scriptures were becoming absent from the writings of the Church Fathers which underscored evidence of contemporary relations between Jews and Christians in the communities themselves. Unfortunately, antisemitism began to show up in the Church. (I believe mainly due to ignorance.)
Anti-Jewish attitudes were being expressed and reinforced by the belief that Jews are responsible for the murder of Jesus. Christians imposed ever increasing anti-Jewish measures over the centuries, including acts of ostracism, humiliation, violence and murder – measures which culminated in the Holocaust.
Martin Luther, the great leader of the Reformation, grew to become one of the most high- profile antisemitic Church leaders in Church History. The contribution he made to Christianity and its theology is pretty amazing, which makes it so hard to believe how he could come to a point of such hatred towards, “the Apple of God’s eye.” The last book that Luther wrote was entitled, “The Jews and Their Lies.” It’s beyond belief as you read it that those words would come out of his heart. His admonition was the round up the Jews, lock them in their synagogues, chain the doors, light it on fire, and surround it singing, O God We Adore Thee.”
Friends, the Jews know the history of Christianity better than Christians do. Add to this the Crusades, and the Inquisition by Spain, and you will see the flood of antisemitism flowing from the Church.
Years later, a young politician in Germany was elected its leader – Adolf Hitler. He read Luther’s last book and decided to take a page out of it and write his own book. The world knows it as, Mein Kompf. It was totally based on Luther’s antisemitic book. And, as you know, a large portion of the world bought into it in how the Jews should be treated.
Following the Holocaust and the endeavor’s the extinguish the Jews, there was lots of education, the establishment of modern Israel, Yad Vashem – the Holocaust Memorial in Israel that captures the true happenings of the Holocaust, the Holocaust Museum in DC, and the institution of Holocaust education in most public and private schools.
However, as you and I have witnessed, the hatred toward the Jews has been laying just below the surface, and October 7th awakened it with a hellish fury. We’ve watched the happenings within leaders in our Congress, the unrest and shameless demonstrations on numerous College and University campuses, as well as roads blocked, gatherings interrupted, and so much more. Holocaust education has become a thing of the past, and we are seeing the results of it.
So, what can we do about it? Great question. It’s not that people weren’t making antisemitic remarks in the past, but how they’re broadcast to millions of people through social media today that makes a difference. Here’s some things you can do:
- Pull support financially for any company, business that stands with the protestors and hates the Jewish people.
- Make sure to call out antisemitism and declare that it is unacceptable
- Not doing anything ends up legitimizing or normalizing those kinds of comments and claims about the Jews.
- Don’t give any of these people or groups a platform. This is what lead to such disappointment for the American people when there was nothing said or done by the leaders of these colleges and universities.
- Pray intentionally against the hatred.
I can’t thank you enough for being such an incredible congregation who loves God and His people. He’s got plans for Israel. He’s in control. Take the time to read His Word regarding what those plans are for His first born.
Loving You and Him,
Pastor D