1. Per said:

This is the crux of political wisdom.
Impressive!

2. t said:

This article is sooo wrong I don t even know where to begin! First of all the Jews won at least 4 wars, from 48 to 73. Next, it isn t the liberal free thinking ideals as claimed by the author that creates the climate of anti semitism, it is the simple fact of jew hatred! There are lots of free thinking liberals, some good some bad. People hate the Jews for not comforming to their ideals yet at the same time tolerant of their ideals!

3. KEITH DAWID said:

ISRAEL WILL NOT BE DESTROYED!THE HOLY ONE OF JACOB WILL SHIELD HIS CHOSEN NATION!

4. Bill Narvey said:

If the crux of Francisco Gil-White's reasoning for the existence of anti-Semitism is bound up in this posting, then his premise cannot be accepted.

Mr. Gil-White appears to exclude from his analysis the seminal cause of anti-Semitism which is still at work today.

Anti-semitism is part of Christian theology which had its beginnings in the New Testament. Anti-semitism has found expression in Christian writings since. The success of Christianity especially since being adopted by Emporer Constantine as the state religion of the Roman Empire in 300 a.d. and his bringing unity of fundamental beliefs to Christianity by the 325 a.d. Nicean Creed, which also anathemized all non-Christian believers to be cursed. Anti-semitism has been woven deep into the fabric of Christianity.

Christianity has been slow to confront its anti-semitism and resist its influence. It seems greater strides have been made by Christians to confront and resist their own anti-Semitism since Vatican II's 1968 promulgation and acceptance of Nostrae Aetate. It was a good beginning to jump start trying to turn 2 millenia of anti-semitism around, but there is still so much further to go in that regard.

While Francisco Gil-White's premise may be fair, it seems to be a rationalization for behaviour more than a reason for anti-Semtism.

The reason for Western anti-Semitism in the world today can very simply, without rationalizations, be traced back to its Christian roots. Those Christian anti-Semitic roots have flourished without restraint until only recently when Christians themselves began to try to restrain it.

5. Francisco Gil-White said:

To Bill Narvey,

I agree that Christianity has been the major producer of antisemitism since the first century. But antisemitism is older than that. I believe my explanation also accounts for Christian antisemitism, but in order to see the full demonstration of *that* you will have to wait for volume 2. In the first volume, I cover all the way up to the beginning of the first century, and then I stop, so Christianity is not discussed.

Best,

Francisco

6. Bill Narvey said:

Francisco,

First, I appreciated your response to my comment regarding your post. I look forward to your volume 2.

Given your explanation that you were speaking of pre-Jesus history, I am still puzzled at your premise, which I understand is that B.C.E. Middle Eastern nations, the Greeks and the Romans recoiled against Jews because Judaism was "the original mass movement of the political left. It is the original movement of progressive politics, preaching freedom, justice, equality, ethics, and compassion."

I gather that what you are saying is that those Judaic religio/politico/societal ideas would have been at odds with the then prevailing religio-societal structures of other Middle Eastern nations, the Greeks and the Romans. I am also guessing that you are saying that Judaism and the ideas that flowed from that religion would have been perceived as a threat by these other nations to their own established order.

My puzzlement is that in your explaining how Judaism would have been perceived pre-first century, you are couching that explanation in modern political and cultural understanding, which I am guessing would be far too sophisticated for the minds of people at that time to grasp, at least not in that way.

References in ancient Egyptian writings which have been interpreted to mean the ancient Jews described them as the stiff necked people, conventionally interpreted to mean they recognize no ruler but their God. I seem to recall the writings of other Middle East nations at the time, spoke of the Jews similarly.

From that snippet of history, I can see where other nations with completely different religions and societal structures might see Judaism and Jewish society, if it ever caught on, as a threat to their own societal structure and order.

Jews and ancient Israel have relatively speaking never been strong, except perhaps from time to time in the immediate region. I wonder therefor whether the existence of ancient Israel and its Judaism could ever have been seen as enough of a threat that other nations in the Middle East, Greece or Rome would care all that much about some small weak nation and their then very strange beliefs and from that develop a universal hatred of Jews that was later picked up by and captilalized on by the breakaway Jewish sect that ultimately became Christian.

Your further insight in this regard would be helpful.

However one frames the issues of anti-semitism, its causes and its continued impact in the world, I do agree that Jews and Israel remain a threatened people and nation and are at risk for worse to come.