Pagans and Early Catholics

  • Robert Michael
Chapter

Abstract

It has been maintained that early Christianity unconsciously adopted pagan hostility toward Jews and that when Christianity conquered Roman civilization in the fourth century, the Christianized Empire reflected and elaborated the preexisting secular antagonism. But widespread pagan antisemitism is a myth. Whereas Greek and Roman writers did provide some material taken by Catholics to use against the Jews, nowhere among the pre-Christians do we find the elemental hatred of the Jewish spirit that we discover among early Catholic writers and Christianized Roman officials. The word “Jew” may have occasionally been employed derisively in the Roman Empire before Catholicism came to dominate it, but it was only after Catholic influence was felt in the Empire that “Jew” was considered almost universally foul and degrading.

Keywords

Fourth Century Jewish People Christian Theologian Jewish Leader Ritual Murder 
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Notes

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© Robert Michael 2008

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  • Robert Michael

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