Anti-Judaism Issues in the Scriptures for Holy Week

Anti-Judaism Issues in the Scriptures for Holy Week

Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music of the Episcopal Church

[MARCH 19, 2013] One of the consequences of Jewish-Christian dialogue in recent decades has been a growing awareness of the role played by the New Testament lectionary readings for Holy Week. Consciously or unconsciously, interpretations of these readings in the preaching of Christian pastors have fostered anti-Jewish attitudes among Christians over many centuries. Preachers have propagated the idea, from the earliest times and continuing into our own day, that the Jews as a people bear responsibility for the death of Jesus.

Although this effect was at times unintended, we have explicit evidence of preaching in which the Jews were demonized from the pulpits …Continue Reading