Language:
German
Year of publication:
2011
Titel der Quelle:
Münchner Beiträge zur jüdischen Geschichte und Kultur
Angaben zur Quelle:
5,1 (2011) 46-66
Keywords:
Christianity and antisemitism History To 1500
;
Christianity and antisemitism History 1500-
;
Blood accusation
Abstract:
Argues that the recurring depiction, from antiquity until the 20th century, of Jews as impure dogs testifies to a central Christian concern with bodily purity and pollution. Catholic doctrine matches physical purity with ritual purity. The purity is that of the "one loaf" spoken of by Paul, i.e. the Eucharist and the collective Christian Corpus, the body of the faithful. Paul views this loaf as physically corruptible, and John Chrysostom argues that the Jews are the greatest threat to it. They are the dogs that wish to steal the bread that belongs to Christian children. From the 12th century on, Jews were said to attack the "loaf" through ritual murder and host desecration. Notes the persistence of the fear of Jews as polluters of the Christian Corpus. In 1871, Pope Pius IX still spoke of Jewish dogs barking throughout the streets of Rome. Catholic encyclopedias entered questionable articles regaring blood libels as late as 1965.
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