The Anti-Jewish Jesus: Socio-Rhetorical Criticism as Apologetics

Within biblical scholarship proper, one finds two basic positions concerning the historical responsibility for Christian antiJudaism. One position argues that any anti-Judaism is primarily the product of post-biblical Christian interpretation. Representative scholars include Paul N. Anderson and Paula Fredriksen. The other position argues that anti-Judaism is already present in the New Testament writings. Amy-Jill Levine and Adele Reinhartz, for example, explore how the Gospels bear some responsibility for the anti-Judaism of later Christianity. I will argue more emphatically that anti-Judaism can be traced back to Jesus himself, at least as he is portrayed in the Gospels.

See Also: Anti-Semitism and Religious Violence as Flawed Interpretations of the Gospel of John

Jesus as Whippersnapper: John 2:15 and Prophetic Violence

Jesus Was Not Against Imperialism: New Testament Ethics as an Imperialist Project

By Hector Avalos
Religious Studies
Iowa State University
May 2018

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