Anti-Judaism

Anti-Judaism describes a range of historic and current ideologies which are totally or partially based on opposition to Judaism, on the denial or the abrogation of the Mosaic covenant, and the replacement of Jewish people by the adherents of another religion, political theology, or way of life which is held to have superseded theirs as the "light to the nations" or God's chosen people. The opposition is maintained by the appropriation and adaptation of Jewish prophecy and texts, and the stigmatization of the very people who transmitted those texts. According to David Nirenberg there have been Christian,^[1] Islamic, nationalistic, Enlightenment rationalist, and socio-economic variations of this theme.

There are three types of Anti-Judaism according to Douglas Hare: (1) Prophetic Anti-judaism - the criticism of the beliefs and religious practices of the religion; (2) Jewish-Christian anti-Judaism - Jews who believe that Jesus is the Messiah; and (3) Gentilizing anti-Judaism - emphasis on the gentile character of the new movement and claiming God's rejection of the "old" Israel.^[2] Most scholarly analyses appear concerned with the phenomenon described by his third definition.

According to Gavin Langmuir, it is based on "total or partial opposition to Judaism as a religion—and the total or partial opposition to Jews as adherents of it—by persons who accept a competing system of beliefs and practices and consider certain genuine Judaic beliefs and practices inferior."^[3]

As the rejection of a particular way of thinking about God, anti-Judaism is distinct from antisemitism but historically, it has also encouraged the development of racial antisemitism, a racist ideology which was articulated in the 19th century. Some scholars have found intersections between theology and racism and as a result, they have coined the term religious antisemitism.

Other examples of anti-Judaism include the Islamic doctrine of tahrif and other forms of enmity,^[4] and Karl Marx regarding capitalism as essentially Jewish and therefore evil.^[5]

^ Nirenberg 2013, Ch. 3, The Early Church: Making Sense of the World in Jewish Terms.
^ Dunn, James D. G. (1999). "The Question of Anti-semitism in the New Testament". In Dunn, James D. G. (ed.). Jews and Christians (2nd ed.). Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. p. 180. ISBN 0-8028-4498-7. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
^ Langmuir (1971, 383), [1] cited by Abulafia (1998, part II, 77).
^ Nirenberg 2013, Ch. 4, "To every prophet an adversary": Jewish Enmity in Islam.
^ Beatty, Aidan (12 November 2015). "Race, History, and Karl Marx's Jewish Questions". Aidan Beatty Historian and Teacher. Archived from the original on 16 November 2015. Retrieved 17 April 2024.

[FOOTNOTENirenberg2013Ch._3,_The_Early_Church:_Making_Sense_of_the_World_in_Jewish_Terms-1] Nirenberg 2013, Ch. 3, The Early Church: Making Sense of the World in Jewish Terms.

[2] Dunn, James D. G. (1999). "The Question of Anti-semitism in the New Testament". In Dunn, James D. G. (ed.). Jews and Christians (2nd ed.). Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. p. 180. ISBN 0-8028-4498-7. Retrieved 17 April 2024.

[3] Langmuir (1971, 383), [1] cited by Abulafia (1998, part II, 77).

[FOOTNOTENirenberg2013Ch._4,_"To_every_prophet_an_adversary":_Jewish_Enmity_in_Islam-4] Nirenberg 2013, Ch. 4, "To every prophet an adversary": Jewish Enmity in Islam.

[5] Beatty, Aidan (12 November 2015). "Race, History, and Karl Marx's Jewish Questions". Aidan Beatty Historian and Teacher. Archived from the original on 16 November 2015. Retrieved 17 April 2024.

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