27
May 1096 A.D. Terrible
Outbreak of Anti-Semitism
Graves, Dan. “Terrible Outbreak of Anti-Semitism.” Christianity Today. Apr 2007. http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/901-1200/terrible-outbreak-of-antisemitism-11629795.html. Accessed Apr 24, 2014.
Tension developed early between
Jew and Christian. Christianity was at first a Judaic sect.
Christ was a Jew and so were the apostles. The first converts were also Jews.
But Peter, Paul, and other apostles extended the gospel to Gentiles. The
willingness of Christians to accept Gentiles without
requiring them to obey the Mosaic laws infuriated Jews, who were also jealous
of the Christians' growing numbers.
Early on, the Jews persecuted
Christians. Paul, one of the persecutors, became a convert to the new faith and
its greatest spokesman. His decision to take the gospel to Gentiles was
received with bitterness in Jerusalem. Paul was subsequently often arrested and
imprisoned. The gap between Christian and Jew widened when Christian Jews
refused to support rebellion against Rome; Christians were seen as unpatriotic.
Truly Christ's words were fulfilled. "I have not come to bring peace but a
sword," for division widened. Christians for their part, increasingly saw
the Jews as hostile to and deliberately rejecting God's light.
After Christianity became the
official religion of the Roman empire in the late 4th century, Jews were
discriminated against. Church and state alike deprived this Semitic people of
their rights. Increasingly, as the Middle Ages progressed, Jews were harassed. Anti-Semitism
became overt. Jews were accused of murdering Christian children. Isolated
incidents such as the sixth century massacre of 20,000 Yemeni Christians in a
fire-pit by the Jew Dzu Nuwas did nothing to ease tensions. Christians maligned
Jews as Christ-killers. Some of their customs rankled their Christian
neighbors. Despite a few papal bulls that spoke out against anti-Semitism,
persecution against the Jews erupted again and again.
One of the worst outbreaks
occurred at the time of the First Crusade. Godfrey of Bouillon, leader of the
crusade, announced his determination to either convert or wipe out all Jews in
Europe. He marched into the Rhine Valley where Jews were numerous, pious, and
prosperous and began a butchery not without economic incentives. Many Jews
consented to conversion; those who refused were executed. A few brave Jewish
women killed their children and themselves rather than violate their
consciences.
This day, May 27, 1096, may have witnessed the worst atrocities. Archbishop
Ruthard of Mainz, unwilling to be a party to a massacre of the descendants of
Jacob, hid 1,300 of them in his cellars. The mob learned of it, broke in, and
killed over a thousand. The archbishop saved the rest by taking them into his
cathedral.
One Christian who raised his
voice against mistreatment of Jews was Bernard of Clairvaux. He was not
completely alone. A few other Christians showed Christ-like love toward their
Jewish neighbors. This was especially true in Cologne where the common folk hid
them in their homes or helped them into the countryside. Unfortunately, the
marauders went seeking their victims in the villages and killed hundreds more.
1096 was a bitter year for Jews.
Bibliography:
1. Beit, Andreas Ludwig. Mainzer
Domberren. Kirkheim, 1924. Source of the image.
2. Various histories of antisemitism
and of Jews.
3. Various histories of the
Crusades.
4. Various encyclopedia and internet
articles on Ruthard and Mainz.
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