Dr. Sarah E. Rollens, Professor of Religious Studies, Rhodes College
Dr. Eric Vanden Eykel, Professor of Religious Studies, Ferrum College in Virginia
A Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies (CAMS) lecture. In-person attendance at 102 Weaver Building, remote attendance via Zoom; registration required.
Abstract
“The New Testament is not antisemitic. In part, this is a truism because this term comes out of nineteenth-century ‘race science’ and so is not a category that ancient Christ followers would have understood—nor does it make particularly good sense regarding the ways ancient ethnicities were constructed and negotiated. But it is also not antisemitic in another sense: Christianity is a product of Judaism, and therefore, inherits and reworks its theology and worldview for its specific ends. Modern people are used to seeing Judaism and Christianity as discrete religions, but these boundaries were not always so clear in the ancient world. Our presentation today will take a wide angle on the question of antisemitism—or as we prefer for reasons that will become clear, Judeophobia—and the New Testament, looking first at myths that must be dispelled about the origins of Christianity before one can hope to read the New Testament in an ethically responsible way. We also explore case studies such as the historical Jesus, the Pharisees, and the apostle Paul to demonstrate how these anti-Jewish myths have long informed the history of interpretation. As we then illustrate with a range of examples, how unreflective Judeophobic stereotypes still unfortunately manifest in contemporary popular culture and political debates (among other places!). Since these stereotypes often have their roots in (mis)readings of the New Testament, it is important for New Testament scholars to expose and discuss the interpretative practices that sustain them.”