Shalom. This video is about one of the most serious problems the Jewish people ever face which is the New Testament charge that Jews were involved in the death of Jesus. Now, I know that there are many people that take the New Testament literally and say that it is completely true. And not much I can say to people like that, other than most scholars reject this idea completely. It has led to the death of millions of Jews, Vatican too rejected it after Vatican too, saying that it was a sin to say that against the Jews. And I will just tell you what the responses are.
Number one, now this is an interesting issue, not a Jewish issue at all, but I think based on Christian thinking Jesus was supposed to have died and certainly, a lot of the supposed truths for Jesus from the Hebrew Bible are that he suffered. So that was part of God's plan, how can you blame anyone.
Second of all, even if it is true that Jews were involved 2000 years ago, I didn't do anything and my parents didn't do anything and my grandparents didn't do anything. So how can you blame Jews who didn't participate actively in it? What kind of group responsibility is it? That's ridiculous. I don't blame a German today for what the Nazis did. It is completely immoral to do that.
Third, the charge itself is completely wrong and I will just tell you from my notes what is generally taught by scholars. The Gospel accounts which were composed during 65-100 which is at least 30 years or more after Jesus died, place the primary responsibility for the death of Jesus on the Jews and that has been an excuse to force to antisemitism ever since.
Most Jewish scholars and Christian scholars agree that Jesus was arrested, tried and executed in the Roman manner by Roman authorities. He was regarded as a political rebel and a threat for Roman Rule, because he was claimed to be king of the Jews. Since the trial narrative was not written from a historical perspective as we understand it today, it is in consisting with the little that is known of the period from the sources other than the New Testament.
I will get to why the New Testament would change the facts of the truth in a minute. Jesus's trial before the Sanhedrin, the Jewish court could not have happened as described in the New Testament for many reasons. First, the regular assembly met during the day and never can meet at night on the Sabbath of Jewish holidays or in the day preceding the Sabbath or Jewish Holidays.
Meeting at night before a holiday and reaching a verdict of guilty on the first day of the trial, punishment by a crucification, all would have been violation of the Jewish law. It is impossible. Two, many safeguards make in Jewish law make it so difficult that at Sanhedrin would issue a single death penalty in seven years was regarded as a Bloody Sanhedrin according to the mission.
It is also unlikely that Sanhedrin would have turned over to a Jew to Roman authorities to be killed. If such a supposed court did meet, as described in the New Testament it could not have been a regular Sanhedrin. It would have been a King of rule court, maybe a group of wealthy Jews anxious to cooperate with Roman authorities disposing their threat but certainly any establishment of the Jews.
Then you have to look at Pontius Pilate. Historians record that he slaughtered Samaritans and Galileans. Since he was known for his violent and cruel treatment of the people, his portrait in the Gospels is unrealistic and incompatible with the facts. It is likely the responsibility for the deicide of Jesus was shifted from Pilate for political purposes to allay the suspicion of the Roman authorities regarding Christianity. Placing responsibility for death on the Jews would also serve theological purposes, for the message of the New Testament was now directed towards gaining 03:38.
So clearly, the New Testament changed the deal so that the Christians would be accepted more by Rome. We have the same experience in Judaism where our Rabbis changed the meaning of Hanukkah in the Talmud to appease the Roman authorities. Also, the author of the book of Daniel, changed the story of Daniel from the time of the Greeks to pretend that was in the time of the Babylonians to not upset the Greek authorities. This happens all the time. Since, to this day, Jews are still being accused of deicide.
You have to pay attention to this and teach the world that the Jews were not responsible for the death of Jesus and even if there were a couple of Jews involved, what does that have to do with Jews after the fact, or any Jew we have today? It is a complete sin as the Catholic churches taught now to talk about this nuisance of the basis of antisemitism. And to the extent that it is part of the Christian liturgy on Easter and reading the Gospel or - for example or anything else in the Christian Liturgy, it is sinful. It is simply historically wrong, we understand why we are said, but to hurt Jews after that shows us the terrible, terrible immoral position. This is what I have to say about that charge of who killed Jesus.
We care deeply about the question and about the historical persistent Christian that lays the blame at Jewish doors. So I hope that Christians will seriously look at this issue and know that we love every human being who lives a righteous life and even though we don't think Jesus was the Messiah, the Savior as the Christians do, certainly no problems with Christians worshiping him. Do it to your heart's content and please don't be antisemitic and use this as a charge to hurt Jews.
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