The fact that 1st century AD Jews often considered Christians to be heretics and Christians considered Jews to be Christ-murderers does tend to make for strained relations between the two.

In the 1st Crusade when Jerusalem was captured, the Christian Crusaders put virtually the entire Jewish and Muslim population there to the torch.

Yes, this is very true. Apparently it is still quite common in Eastern Europe.

P.S. I don't think it is a 'historically valid point' to say the Romans were persecuting Christians "heavily". This is appears to be a common Christian exaggeration. Yes, the Romans persecuted Christians at various times. They persecuted Jews too at the same time (cf. the Judean Revolt of 79AD). For the most part, religious persecutions under Rome were few and far between. That was until the Empire turned officially Christian three centuries later - that's when the blood really began to flow (mostly Christian 'heretics' as victims).

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[I]Remember what the dormouse said, 'feed your head'. [/I]

I must have written it poorly. I meant that jews were being suppressed by the roman authourities due to the ongoing turbulence in the area - including the Judean Revolt you mention. The fact that Jews were regarded by the roman authorities as a thorn in their side meant that it behooved early christians to make crystal clear their separation from the troublemakers. At the time the romans could not really be bothered to differentiate between jews, christians, essenes, or any other of the jewish or jewish-related splinter groups in the area.

I think usury was a sin according to christians - but not to Jews.

perhaps Michael could enlighten us to the historical accuracy of that - but certainly I remember reading Sir Walter Scott when I was a kid, and how Isaac the Jew was important because of his capacity to lend money, but despised nonetheless. There's also of course the merchant of venice, and there have been other historical novels I have read that have the same theme of Jews being moneylenders and while necessary, very much despised.

I think within the context of the times ... the materialism of the money lender was seen far more disparagingly than it would be at later times ... but perhaps the feeling continued.

Also - I remember hearing that martin Luther made some pretty awful statements about jews - including something along the lines of it being a christians duty to despise the jew - and possibly worse. payment for their forefathers crimes against Jesus.

Personally, most people I have met who identify as Jewish are nice people. It would be stupid to deny yourself the opportunity to get to know such people just because they are Jewish.

Yes, and it is to be noted that Roman State persecutions of religious folks appear to be entirely politically driven rather than religiously driven (with the notable exception of Caesar's extermination of the Druids in Gaul).

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[I]Remember what the dormouse said, 'feed your head'. [/I]

I don't think people hate the Jews anymore than they hate other groups. For example, I doubt that Jews are unpopular in sub-Saharan Africa, China or India. In the West as well as in Eastern Europe and Russian the Jews have, however, been very good a promoting their role as victims (when compared to other victims Gypsies, Meshketian Turks, Chechens, Zulu etc.).

Yes, this is correct to my knowledge.

And as I noted above, enforcement of this 'religious law' varied from place to place over time. In medieval Italy, like most religious laws, it was rarely ever enforced (medieval Italy was the least religious place in Europe). Usury laws were far more likely to be enforced and punishment inflicted for it in France, Germany, the Low Countries and England where religious fervor (and thus religious political power) was much higher than Italy.

Without a doubt, the Jews dominated banking/lending practices in Europe up until the 15th century. After that, the highest levels of banking were usually non-Jews (usually Italians), but the Jews continued to dominate low-level commercial/private banking right up to the 19th century in Europe when the English and the Swiss began to dominate the banking game.

Yes, Luther was a party to the old accusation that the Jews murdered Christ, and thus, Luther was an anti-semite. This view was highly prevailent (if not dominant) throughout medieval Europe.

And as far as I know, Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice is a highly accurate social commentary upon the common view of Jews in Rennaissance era Europe.

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[I]Remember what the dormouse said, 'feed your head'. [/I]

Yes - that confirms pretty much what i thought. the Italians pretty much invented banking as a legitimate activity - prior to that the moneylender had been an outsider to society - it was one of the roles the 'wandering jew' could play in christendom, where he was unpopular for religious reasons.

I know there were several massacres of Jews in England at various times, around the 11th Century in York I think was one of the most notable. And religious persecution later caused spanish Jews to flee - many went to Morocco where they lived under the protection of the Islamic king. The inquisition was not a good time to be a Jew. It appears that anti semitism was more a christian/european characteristic than anything else....

The original Zionist movement really began after the Dreyfuss affair, which highlighted the extent to which anti semitism was part of mainstream European society in the 1880's/90's (ithink it was then) . this anti semitism continued well into the last century - obviously with the holocaust, but also with the many pogroms that took place.

I have heard quotes from Luther that were really quite extreme. They were virtually an incitement to harm Jews.

It is also true, as someone remarked, that not only Jews were marginalised and persecuted however - certainly the Gypsies had a rotten time throughout Europe - even up until the 1970's - and in Eastern Europe possibly to this day.

it appears to be so. I have seen other texts that indicate that the attitude to Shylock was certainly 'normal' - that even cheating the Jew was a kind of sport.

Yes. All Jews were expelled from England in 1290 by order of the Crown. Likewise in Spain in 1492.

Yes.

And it was precisely at this time that the infamous Protocols of the Elders of Zion popped up - a re-writing of an old piece that had already undergone a couple of renditions. The original (I believe) was a French pre-Revolutionary screed against the Catholic Church.

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[I]Remember what the dormouse said, 'feed your head'. [/I]