mr ex nillio-
When did Jewish people put apostates to death?
Back when Judiasm was more robust than the early church, there most certainly were examples of Christian persecution, and persecution unto death for matter. Even as late as the accounts of St. Polycarp demonstrate this kind of violence toward Christianity from certain Jewish authorities-- and I don’t think these instances are examples of anti-Semitism. It seems to have reached it zenith under Simon Ben-Kosiba.
As you probably know, the Jewish revolt against Rome, which began about 66 AD, ended tragically four years later with the decimation of the Jerusalem Temple. It was not, however, the last attempt at Jewish national sovereignty.
Another revolt began in 132 AD, led by a Jewish general by the name
Shimon ben Kosiba. As early as 115 AD Kosiba had defied Emperor Trajan. At that time, and again in 132, Kosiba was successful in his military exploits.
Early on it appeared as though, under Kosiba’s command, the Israeli military might successfully defy Rome. The Jewish people were understandably eager to be free from the oppressive Roman occupation of Israel.
However, this zeal for sovereignty so heightened people’s messianic expectations that, when Kosiba met with initial victories, Rabbi Akiva recklessly declared him “Bar-Kochba” (“son of a star”) - a title taken from Numbers 24, a prophecy which referred to the Messiah.
It is worth noting that, up to this time, Christians had been fighting right alongside their non-messianic brothers. But once Akiva’s pronouncement was made, that became impossible, and the Christians withdrew their support and involvement in the revolt.
They could not, in good conscience, be aligned with one they knew to be a ‘false messiah’. The mighty Roman Empire, however, was not about to permit one of its smallest vassal countries to defy it, and within three years, the Jewish revolt was decisively crushed.
Kosiba was killed. Akiva was tortured and put to death. Thousands of those who fought under the banner of this false messiah were likewise put to death.
Consequently, many Christians were killed during this time because they would not fight alongside Kosiba. In other words, he persecuted Christians when they refused to support his revolt-- and he persecuted them unto death.
Now some anti-Semites would look at these kinds of examples and claim that all Jewish people are evil-- and yet we both know that this is not true. These examples are specific examples within history where ‘some’ Jewish people (not ‘all’ jewish people) behaved poorly.
And, in addition to this, it needs to be noted that, even in the case of Jews who did not accept Jesus as the Messiah, still nonetheless many Jews also rejected Kosiba’s claims as Messiah too. So just because a Jewish person rejects Jesus’s messianic claim does not automatically lump them in with those particularly misguided Jewish people who persecuted Christians under Simon bar Kokhba either.
It’s well known that Christian persecution by ‘certain’ Jewish authorites stopped when the population of Christianity became larger than the population of Judaism. In fact, at least in some circles, quite the opposite happened over the years since Christianity has grown.
Nonetheless, at least in areas where Judaism has become dominant again, such at the re-instated nation of Israel, we do see a returning spirit of Simon bar Kokhba in a sense. Simon bar Kokhba most certainly does not speak for all Jewish people. He doesn’t even speak for Jews who have rejected Christ’s messianic claim-- since even Orthodox Jews within Israel have spoken out against the persecution of the Christian minority within Palestine.
But there are some bad things happening to Christians (and Muslims) there. Quite frankly, non-Jews within Israel face a labyrinth of official discrimination that works to oppress them and ultimately vex them into leaving.
Dr. Israel Shahk, a holocaust survivor from Belsen camp, has spoken out against this kind of discrimination. Although his opinions are not liked, he is – as a resisdent of Israel since 1945, long-time human rights activist, and seasoned student of Jewish Scriptures and Tradition – a vocal protestor from within Judaism against the happenings going on within Israel against non-Jews.
Do you want me to go into detail about what’s been happening within Israel over the last several decades?
