Was the Early Church Anti-Semitic?

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Was the Early Church Anti-Semitic? if so, why? If not how can I prove they weren’t?
 
Depends on what counts as “anti-semitic”. If pointing out the truth that the Jews follow a law that is profitless for salvation is “anti-semitic”, then sure they were and that’s a good thing.
 
veritatisstella said:
Depends on what counts as “anti-semitic”. If pointing out the truth that the Jews follow a law that is profitless for salvation is “anti-semitic”, then sure they were and that’s a good thing.
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I’m talking about targeting Jews and treating them as being less than human
 
Logically, it would seem that the burden of proof would be on the one who tells us that the early church was anti-semitic. But given that logic seems to be a lost art, lost cause, or just plain over most of our contemporaries’ heads, I’d second Jansobieskilll’s answer.

Did someone throw that accusation at you? Or is it like for a class? May the Holy Spirit guide your answers either way.
 
No one in the early church ever specifically targeted Jews that I know of. They all desired the conversion and salvation of Jewish people. It is true that in the Middle Ages during the Crusades there were a few outliers who deliberately slaughtered populations of Jews but those attacks were condemned by the Church.
 
Point out that the Early Church were all Jews. Question answered.
 
theCardinalbird said:
Was the Early Church Anti-Semitic?
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theCardinalbird said:
I’m talking about targeting Jews and treating them as being less than human
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Depends what you mean by “Early Church”. Most scholars use the term to mean before the Edict of Milan (313) or the First Council of Nicaea (325).

While it is true that there were tensions between Christians and Jews during that period, full-blow antisemitism of the type you describe arose after Christians got actual political power, and rather quickly at that.

Ambrose, Augustine, and most especially John Chrysostom had nasty antisemitic streaks, already tinged with racist elements. State sponsored discrimination was already in place by 438, and things only went downhill from there.
 
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I suppose it depends how “early” one is measuring. The Apostles were all Jews and the Church spread first among the Jewish communities of the Roman Empire.
 
theCardinalbird said:
Was the Early Church Anti-Semitic? if so, why? If not how can I prove they weren’t?
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No they weren’t anti-semitic. the early Christians were mostly semite, the entire idea of Judaism being a “race” was still 1900 years into the future.

The early church may have been “anti-Jewish”, in the sense that Christianity and Judaism were at odds. But the idea of hatred toward Jews because of their “race” is something that was alien to early Christians.
 
HolySpirit said:
You shouldn’t be using CAF to cheat on your classwork.
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This has nothing to do with me cheating ,this has everything to do with something my teacher put on a sheet for information which states Christians (when Christianity became legal) were intolerant and hated the Jews.

When I said from a class please do not assume it has to do with homework
 
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No. Absolutely not. But disagreeing with Judaism and the Rabbis? Yes.
 
HolySpirit said:
Are you being helped to complete your homework?
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This thread wouldn’t help me regardless. I’m just wondering what others thought about this idea that when Christianity became legal and socially acceptable and privileged, there was intolerance and hatred for Jews which apparently became normal
 
theCardinalbird said:
I’m just wondering what others thought about this idea that when Christianity became legal and socially acceptable and privileged, there was intolerance and hatred for Jews which apparently became normal
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Well, it happened at some point…the link I put in my first post goes to a 500 page scholarly paper on the subject, with footnotes and references and all that…might be worth a look…
 
Please give your teacher this early days saint.
https://orthodoxwiki.org/Gamaliel
He whipped the Apostles but defended against killing them. Saint Stephen was lapidated in a synagogue though. Considering the conflict that existed then between Christians and Rabbis it is to be expected that some of the Christians then have left not very flattering words about Jews in the religious sense (Jew by body and Judaic). The word Jew did not so much refer to race but religion. Saint Paul said though not to start such a conflict yet it is known it existed.
 
HolySpirit said:
Cheating is receiving any aid that is not authorized by your teacher.
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That is correct
HolySpirit said:
Discussing your assignment after you pass it in is acceptable. Discussing it while you are doing your homework that has not been completed???
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Who said this was an assignment? I’m studying for an exam and this “Christians being anti-Semitic” idea came from a resource my teacher gave us with no work required on my part. Please stop jumping to conclusions about why I am asking this question. I have no reason to be academically dishonest and I find it hard to believe that I would be cheating by simply asking a question about a resource to be used for my personal gain and is not to be handed in
 
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So you mean the Church after St Constantine because he made Christianity legal.
 
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