JWST327 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Anthropomorphism, Messiah In Judaism

• School: University of Delaware
• Department: Jewish Studies
• Course: JWST327
• Professor: Polly Zavadivker

Document Summary

Chapter 2 & 3: everyone knew that the devil and the jews worked together (pg. 43: satan was the jewish messiah , the anti-christ was born jewish to a jewish mother, and the coming of the anti- Christ scares the catholics: jesus was thought of having horns and a tail. Wrote that jews have horns at all times, they"re just hidden: jews were accused of having an odor unless they"re baptized. Story/legend of mother immersing child in sewer repeatedly to undo baptism. Very widespread belief that the jews were in relation with the devil, within religious communities as well as secular communities. People were very willing to believe and to go against whatever isn"t like them. The idea that jews aren"t humans at all, they"re creatures: if a jew converts to christianity and is baptized, how do you change a creature to a human. The imagery of jews drinking blood of christians became very relevant in antisemitic thought.