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supapapa | 00:17 Thu 19th Jan 2012 | History
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Why were jews hated so much?
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But there was no such thing as Christianity in those days - Roman or otherwise.
Think the Jews were hated long before the birth of Christ, but history is not my strong point.
Like every creed of people there are some pretty nasty goings on amongst the jewish sects over the centuries Saphidic and Ashkenazi groups in easter Europe as a start, there's plenty all over the internet.
For many of us the Jewish faith is exorably linked to 20th century Europe and the persecution under the Nazi's, Anti semitism was rife all over the place. The Jews thoyugh became the focus point that Hitler and the Nazi's used to bring the Germanic peoples together dunring the 30s and on into the extermination pogroms og the Final Solution.
Ultimately the Jews were used as a scapegoat for Hitler and the Nazi party, big issue I have is why the Allies never did anything about it when they knew what was going on
The Roman authorities put Christ to death to appease the Jewish Priesthood.

The erudition and balance of the above answers is a pleasure to read.
Another thing, Pontious Pilate get's a bit of a bum rap for the death of Jesus, he offered the Jews in Judea the choice of Jesus or Barrabas....
My theology is hazy on this one, but didn't a fairly recent Pope issue formal "forgiveness" to the Jews for killing Christ?

And the Romans, as in military occupying power of the middle east at the time, aren't the same Romans as in Roman Catholic church. They turned up much later, from all sorts of places, HQ in Rome.
Without going down the religion/anti religion route. Didn't Jesus have to die in order to "save" mankind? Therefore, it doesn't matter whether he was put to death by the Romans or at the behest of the Jewish Priesthood.
Throughout the centuries the Jewish people have been treated as the scapegoats for all of the ills in the world.
I always thought Judas Iscarriot got a fairly tough draw in the role description stakes.
Judea was always a tough place for the Romans to rule. Masada is a prime example, where the Zealots made a last stand and committed mass suicide rather than surrender.
Masada is an incredible place! For anyone who hasn't been there, if you ever get the opportunity, do it!
Regarding Pilate appeasing the Jewish priesthood or giving the jewish crowd a choice I think both of those are very unlikely.

There is no corroborating evidence in the extensive Roman documentation from administrations in Judea or anywhere else.

If the jewish courts had decided to stone someone to death the Romans would probably have left them to it. The Romans used their judicial system and its punishments ie crucifiction on people they wanted to get rid of not to appease the locals.

If the Jesus story ever actually happened (which is dubious) then it was a Roman decision to execute.

That was a problem a few hundred years later when the ambitious leaders of the fledgling christ cult realised that the only way to grow was to become a 'Roman' religion. That's hard if the founder was judged disposable by a Roman system - hence the nonsense of jewish trials was cooked up. For example, one of the gospels has a court of jewish priests meeting at night to condemn jesus so he can be arrested by the Romans - when in fact it was jewish practice never to convene after sunset and Roman officials would never arrest someone on behalf of a jewish court.

The jews were convenient scapegoats for a new, 'Roman' church.
Quite right, Zeuhl. The Jews were stitch-uped. The Romans executed Jesus, and it was their decision to do it, I believe, because they saw him as a trouble-maker.
Oops. That should have been 'stitched up'. :o)
I stand corrected and thanks for the enlightenment Zeuhl.
Must agree with you naomi24 Masada is worth a visit. Very hot there though, a hat was definately called for.
a lot of post-bc anti semitism can undoubtedly be attributed to the fairytale that made the jews look bad and for the faitful to believe it.

but hatred or ill-teatment of the jews goes way back as it would with any other tribal or religous group. the story of antiochus IV tells of the sacking of jerusalem and how acts of judaism or possesion of jewish scriptures were outlawed as capital offences. that goes back to around 170bc.
The Jews were hated in medieval times for the same reasons people hate banks and other money lenders now. People are happy to borrow money, they just resent having to pay it back! For centuries, the only group of people permitted to lend money were the Jews as moneylending for profit was seen as a sin against God. In the same way as there would be celebrations today if a bank burns down and loses all records of their debtors, societies were happy for the local Jews to be attacked for the same reason.

Secondly, Zionism led to much fear and hate, in Europe especially. Until the 19th century Jews had to live separately in ghettos, they weren't permitted to own property, businesses, enter professions etc. Then the European nations scrapped their anti-Jewish laws during the 19th century - Britain in 1869, France and Germany in 1870, Spain in 1898 etc. As soon as Jews were given equal rights many (Zionists) started pressuring European governments for their own land named Israel. Zionists didn't want Israel to be in some tropical hell hole - they demanded that one of the European powers give up land in Europe for Israel from which the residents would have to leave to make way for Jews. For example, Zionists suggested that Kent and Sussex become Israel if it were decided Israel be in the UK. Then all non-Jews would have to leave their homes and land as refugees. For several decades Europeans were terrified who would be expected to leave their homes and make way for Israel.

The issue became known across Europe as 'The Jewish Question' and for decades everyone was hoping for a 'Solution to the Jewish Question'. The whole thorny issue became a vote loser and something to be avoided (like racial issues today) and not talked about.
In Germany people were just as scared of Zionism. In 1932 Adolf Hitler was elected as he was the only politician prepared in that election to offer a 'Solution to the Jewish Question' - which was to bring back all the anti-Jewish laws Germany scrapped in 1870. Hitler was elected on that promise and that's what the Nazis did during the 1930s. Then it was decided at the secret conference at Wansee in 1942 that there had to be a 'Final Solution to the Jewish Question' - that all Europe's Jews had to die. That became known more simply as 'The Final Solution'. After the war the UK granted Jews their mandated territory of Palestine as Israel - with all that entails to this day. It was the Palestinians had to leave their land, businesses and homes as refugees and many are still in those refugee camps today.

Jews were hated for two main reasons - they were money lenders and then there was Zionism which terrified everyone.

The same hatred persists today - especially amongst Muslims. My Muslim neighbour gets quite tiresome as he tells me that Jews aren't human and he continually blames them for the world's woes. He says Jews run the US and Europe, he blames them for the wars, the economic mess of the EU etc. Every topic seems to be turned around to the Jews and I get bored with it. However, he's not alone. I haven't met a Muslim yet who liked Jews and Israel is surrounded by enemies.
typically Jews have a strong work ethic and tend to be successful. This offends the chavs who expect the state to give them everything. Because of historic needs to stay close to sources of kosher food and worship they also formed their own communities. This also caused nervousness like the mohammeden ghettos in Tower Hamlets.

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