Transcript Document

Jews, Christians
and Muslims
in History
Marek Čejka
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Middle East today gives the impression that it is
a place of mutual hatred and conflict of the
three great religions
Middle East disputes are often presented as an
interfaith intolerance, "clash of civilizations",
etc.
But these are simplistic argument, the reality is
far more complex
Until the early 20th century were among
Muslims, Jews and Christians in the Middle East
no major problems
The common basis of three
"Abrahamic" religions
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JUDAISM is the foundation - the oldest of the three
religions
70. AD beginning of the Jewish Diaspora - Jews expelled by
the Romans
CHRISTIANITY was established initially as an offshoot of
Judaism, and later separated and significantly changed
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Christianity started to be dominant in the Middle East
ISLAM - the last in line - his birth linked to the life of
Prophet Muhammad (570-632)
Islam is considered to be the heir of Judaism and Christianity,
but it also considers itself the most perfect of the whole
series. Islam accepts both previous religion, but considers
them to be imperfect and attributed a different meaning for
many phenomena (Jesus)
Similarities
Common for Judaism - Christianity - Islam
 Monotheism
 The worship of the patriarchs, kings and prophets of the Old
Testament - Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Elijah, David and
Solomon
Common for Islam - Judaism
 The similarity between is apparently higher than between
Judaism and contemporary Christianity
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kosher-halal,
systems of law (Halacha-Shari`ah)
clothing, beards, skullcaps
circumcision
The similarities
of Christianity and Islam
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prayer, fasting, alms, pilgrimages
The Quran in many places recognizes Jesus and
his teachings
Sura 19 of Koran is devoted to the Virgin Mary
Contentious issues:
 Mohammed, Holy Trinity, the Incarnation of
Christ and his resurrection
Islam and Jesus
Muslims contend that crucifixion did not occur. The
basis of all of these beliefs is the following verse in the
Qur'an:
That they said (in boast), "We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary,
the Messenger of Allah"- but they killed him not, nor crucified
him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ
therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only
conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not: Nay,
Allah raised him up unto Himself; and Allah is Exalted in
Power, Wise
Qur'an, sura 4 (An-Nisa) verses 157-158
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Situation in the Middle East until
emergence of Christianity
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The presence of monotheism - Judaism,
Zoroastrianism
The presence of various religions and polyteistic cults
Egypt, the Assyrian Empire (9th to 7th century BC is)
Biblical Jewish State of Israel (1020 - 926 BC)
Babylon (from 1900 BC)
Persian Empire (550-330 BC)
Empire of Alexander the Great (from 330 BC)
The Roman Empire (70 BC – 395 AD)
Byzantine Empire (395 AD – 1453 AD)
Christianity in the Middle East
the Byzantine Empire
from 4. to 7. Century
The expansion of Islam and the
emergence of the Caliphate
(since the 7th century)
Islamic Caliphate
Hundreds of thousands of Jews and Christians
living in the Muslim Middle East
Polytheism is inhibited by Muslims, but Abrahamic monotheisms
(Judaism, Christianity) are usually recognized and their supporters
usually not forced in the Muslim environment to convert.
 Tolerance especially in the so-called "golden age of Islam" (8th13th cent.)
 Christians and Jews in subordinate position of Islam - the dhimmi
status
Some restrictions:
 special taxes
 could not wear a certain color of clothing, special signs
 not allowed to marry Muslim women
 limited ability of their testimony in court
 Could not hold some offices.
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Quran and tolerant relationship
to „the People of the Book"
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Do not argue with the people of the scripture
(Jews, Christians, and Muslims) except in the
nicest possible manner - unless they transgress and say, "We believe in what was revealed to us
and in what was revealed to you, and our god and
your god is one and the same; to Him we are
submitters.
Quran - Sura 29: Spider,verse 46
The status of other religions in Islam is
usually better than that of the Muslims
and Jews in Christianity
Christian antisemtism and antijudaism
 Basic charges: murder of Jesus and the resulting
collective responsibility of Jews for his crucifixion.
 pogroms, torture, accusations of ritual murder,
desecration of hosts, poisoning wells
 Anti-Semitism is particularly strong in the Catholic
lands, Protestants are usually more moderate
 Forced conversion of Jews and Muslims in Spain
 After the "Reconquista" (1492) Jews flee from Spain
to Muslim North Africa
Exspulsion of Jews
The intellectual foundations
of Christian Antisemitism
Some maintain that a number of early and influential works by the Church
Fathers — such as the dialogues of Justin Martyr, the homilies of John
Chrysostom, and the testimonies of Cyprian — are anti-Jewish. Others, like
Augustine, argued that the Jews should be left alive, to suffer as a perpetual
reminder of their murder of Christ.
Thomas Aquinas (1225 – 1274)
"as the laws say, the Jews by reason of their fault are sentenced to perpetual servitude and
thus the lords of the lands in which they dwell may take things from them as though they
were their own — with, nonetheless, this restraint observed that the necessary subsidies of
life in no way be taken from them...[and that] the services coerced from them do not demand
things that they had not been accustomed to do in times gone by. "
Reformation: Martin Luther (1483 – 1546)
in his book „On the Jews and their Lies“: „Jews are … venomous beasts, vipers,
disgusting scum, canders, devils incarnate. Their private houses must be destroyed and
devastated, they could be lodged in stables. Let the magistrates burn their synagogues and let
whatever escapes be covered with sand and mud. Let them force to work, and if this avails
nothing, we will be compelled to expel them like dogs in order not to expose ourselves to
incurring divine wrath and eternal damnation from the Jews and their lies."
Christianity versus Islam
The Crusades (1095 - 1291)
Reconquista of Spain
(finished 1492)
Turkish expansion
Ottoman empire, 1299–1922
Ottoman Empire
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The peak during reign of Suleiman I. Magnificient (1520 - 1566)
At the same time the first symptoms of stagnation - Empire
loses in many aspects breath to Europe, the effort to modernize
Conflict with Persia and Russia, the defeat at Vienna (1683)
The loss of European territory in the Balkans
The alliance with European superpowers (France, Britain) and
later with Germany
"Sick man on the Bosphorus"
Politically – the harsh centralization, repression, bureaucracy
From a religious perspective relative tolerance
The Middle East
on the eve of the WW1
For more see:
http://blizky-vychod.blogspot.com
Marek´s books:
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Judaism and politics in Israel (2002, 2009)
Israel and Palestine (2005)
Encyclopedia of the Middle Eastern Terrorism (2007)
Rabbis of our Time (2010, co-author)
History of Modern Israel (2011)