This is the 17th part of a series on Christianity and the history of antisemitism. While we are often reminded to “Never forget,” many of us were never taught this history.

The Historical Transformation of Christian Antisemitism: From Religious Doctrine to Secular Ideology

Introduction

For nearly two millennia, Christian antisemitism has shaped Western society—not only within the Church but also in secular culture, political movements, and economic thought. What began as a theological argument about Jewish rejection of Jesus evolved into systemic discrimination, shaping laws, societal norms, and eventually, racial and political ideologies that persist today.

Here we explore how Christian antisemitism moved beyond the Church, influencing major secular thinkers like Karl Marx, Voltaire, and Nazi ideologues and continuing to fuel economic, racial, and political antisemitism in modern society.

I. Christian Roots of Antisemitism: Religious Doctrine Becomes Law

1. Supersessionism (Replacement Theology) and the “Christ-Killer” Myth

• Early Christian leaders sought to separate Christianity from its Jewish roots by claiming that:
  • Jews had forfeited their covenant with God by rejecting Jesus.
  • Christianity replaced Judaism as the true faith.
  • Jews were cursed and blind to the truth (spiritually and morally inferior).
• Key Church Fathers:
  • Tertullian (c. 160–220 AD): Declared that Jews were “permanently cursed” (Against the Jews).
  • John Chrysostom (4th century): Called synagogues “brothels of Satan” and warned Christians against associating with Jews.
  • Augustine (5th century): Advocated the Witness Doctrine—Jews should be allowed to survive but remain humiliated as proof of Christianity’s triumph.
• Biblical Distortion:
  • Matthew 27:25: “His blood be on us and on our children!” was weaponized to blame all Jews for Jesus’ death, fueling centuries of Christian violence.
  • Romans 11:1 contradicts this idea: “Did God reject His people? By no means!”—yet was largely ignored in medieval theology.
• Impact: These doctrines were not just theological arguments—they influenced legal codes, economic restrictions, and cultural narratives about Jews for centuries.

II. The Spread of Christian Antisemitism into Society, Law, and Economics

2. Institutionalized Antisemitism in Christian Europe

• Christian teachings became state policy in medieval Europe:
  • The Fourth Lateran Council (1215): Required Jews to wear distinctive clothing (yellow badges)—a precursor to Nazi laws.
  • Jewish expulsions:
    • England (1290), France (1306, 1394), Spain (1492).
    • Jews were expelled for allegedly “poisoning Christian society.”
  • The Inquisition (15th–18th century): Targeted Conversos (Jewish converts to Christianity) suspected of secretly practicing Judaism.
• Economic Stereotypes Take Root:
  • Usury bans: Christian doctrine forbade interest-based lending, leaving moneylending to Jews.
  • Stereotype: Jews control finance—a belief that persists in modern conspiracy theories.
• Impact: These policies created lasting antisemitic stereotypes—painting Jews as secretive, manipulative, and untrustworthy.

III. The Enlightenment and the Secularization of Christian Antisemitism

3. How Christian Antisemitic Myths Influenced Secular Thinkers

• Voltaire (18th century): While rejecting religious dogma, he retained Christian antisemitic views, calling Jews “backward, superstitious, and deceitful.”
• Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Depicted Jews as “clannish” and incapable of integrating into modern society.
• Napoleon’s Emancipation of the Jews (1806): Triggered secular antisemitic backlash, with critics arguing that Jews were “a foreign, corrupting force” in Europe.
• Impact: The shift from religious to political and racial antisemitism was now underway.

IV. Karl Marx and the Economic Antisemitism of Socialism

4. Karl Marx’s “On the Jewish Question” (1844): Judaism and Capitalism

• Marx, of Jewish descent but raised Christian, internalized Christian economic antisemitism:
  • “Money is the jealous god of Israel, before whom no other god may exist.”
  • “What is the secular basis of Judaism? Practical need, self-interest. What is the worldly cult of the Jew? Huckstering.”
  • “The emancipation of the Jews is ultimately the emancipation of mankind from Judaism.”
• Christian Echoes in Marx’s Work:
  • Martin Luther (16th century): On the Jews and Their Lies accused Jews of financial greed.
  • Marx recycled this narrative in economic terms—blaming Jews for capitalism, just as Luther blamed them for corruption.
• Impact: Marx’s work influenced left-wing antisemitism in socialist movements, including Soviet persecution of Jews under Stalin.
• V. The Racialization of Antisemitism and the Road to the Holocaust

5. 19th-Century Racial Antisemitism: Jews as an “Alien Race”

• Wilhelm Marr (1819–1904): Coined the term “antisemitism”—arguing that Jews were a racial threat to European civilization.
• Houston Stewart Chamberlain (1855–1927): A racial theorist whose writings influenced Nazi ideology.

6. Christian Antisemitic Myths in Nazi Propaganda

• Nazi ideology merged Christian antisemitic myths with racial theories:
  • Jews as racially impure and dangerous (racial antisemitism).
  • Jews as the corrupting force behind capitalism and communism (economic antisemitism).
  • Jews as “Christ-killers” responsible for Germany’s decline (a fusion of Christian and secular antisemitism).
• The Vatican’s Silence:
  • Pope Pius XII never publicly condemned the Holocaust.
  • Christian institutions had laid the groundwork for antisemitic policies centuries before Hitler.
• Impact: Nazi antisemitism did not appear out of nowhere—it was the culmination of Christian antisemitic thought, repackaged in secular form.

VI. Modern Secular Antisemitism: Conspiracies, Politics, and the Globalist Myth

7. Left-Wing and Right-Wing Antisemitism Today

• Left-Wing (Marxist and Anti-Zionist Traditions):
  • Marxist movements blame Jews for capitalism, echoing Christian economic antisemitism.
  • Anti-Zionist rhetoric mirrors Christian supersessionism, denying Jewish self-determination.
• Right-Wing (Christian Nationalism and Conspiracies):
  • The “Globalist Elite” myth—blaming Jews for controlling media, banks, and world governments—has deep Christian antisemitic roots.
  • The Protocols of the Elders of Zion (1903) was a modern political version of medieval Christian myths.
• Impact: Antisemitic narratives from Christian history continue to shape both far-left and far-right ideologies today.

VII. Conclusion: Confronting the Christian Roots of Secular Antisemitism

1. Antisemitism is not just a religious or secular issue—it is both.

   • Religious antisemitism became political and racial antisemitism.
   • The Holocaust was not just Nazi hatred—it was the culmination of centuries of Christian persecution.

2. Understanding history helps dismantle modern antisemitic myths.

   • Financial conspiracy theories about Jews come from medieval Christian economic restrictions.
   • Anti-Zionist movements reflect traditional Christian supersessionism.

• Final Thought:
  “Antisemitism mutates. It started in theology but spread into politics, economics, and culture. Unless we confront its Christian roots, it will continue poisoning society in new forms.”