THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Friday, December 11, 1982 21
'Deacon and the Jewess' Renews Debate on Deicide
By DR. MILTON J.
STEINHARDT
A surprise awaits the
reader, who will find that a
book with the rather in-
nocuous title of "The De-
acon and the Jewess: Ad-
ventures in Heresy"
(Philosophical Libaray) is
packed with a scholarly and
profound analysis of the
origin and manifestation of
anti-Semitism.
This volume by Samuel
Meyer is comprised of sev-
eral essays that delve into
the relations of Christianity
and the Jews, starting with
Christ and ending with the
Holocaust nightmare.
It presents a non-
orthodox approach, as it is
based on newly-found evi--
dence and documents that
illuminate the cloudy
period between the life of
Jesus and his crucifixion to
the Roman Emperor Con-
stantine who declared
Christianity a state religion
and forced it on the populace
at the point of a sword —
turning former victims into
unrelenting oppressors.
4 One can only speculate
at developments — if the
interplay of religious
ideas and ethical con-
cepts were allowed free
play and not manly) ,
ulated by those who were
eager to destroy Israel
and its culture spiritually
as well as physically.
The first essay, which
gives the book its title, is a
forefunner of the other his-
torical data that follows: It
is presented simply as a
_ quotation by the legal histo-
rian Frederick Maitland,
published in 1886, thus:
"In the year 1222 Ar-
chbishop Stephen Langton
held at Oxford a council,
and of this council one re-
sult was that a deacon was
burnt, burnt because he
had turned Jew for the love
of a Jewess."
The author Meyer notes
how Maitland treats the
above as a purely legal prob-
lem. "No tears well up at the
tragic episode of thig ill-
fated love." The deacon is
not even mentioned by
name nor is the ultimate
fate of the Jewess given.
The 19th Century his-
torian Maitland added
that no one in England
doubted that the deacon
ought to be burned. The
embarrassment for
Christians would be too
much of a reminder to
have the deacon convert
to Judaism and remain
alive.
Perhaps it is relevant to
point out the self-
righteousness of the Vati-
can that in 1311 brothels
were maintained at the door
of the Pope's palace as a
source of livelihood for the
marshals.
The essay elaborates the
anti-Semitism of the 19th
Century by Teitchke,
Richard Wagner, Otto
Gierke and Gobineau who
introduced the idea of
rasicm that became the
basis of the Holocaust
tragedy.
The essay "Stained Glass
Window" is without doubt
the most significant. Here
Meyer traces the unrelent-
ing hostility of the Church
to Judaism, exceeding
bounds of religious dif-
ferences. Typical is a ser-
mon of Chateaubriand,
1768-1848: "The people
cried out. His blood be upon
us and our children and God
answered their prayers."
One cannot help noting
that there was no statute
of limitations for nearly
2,000 years while the Nazi
apologists claimed 20
years' limitation for the
deliberate murder of six
million Jews.
The ferocity of anti-
Semitism in duration and
intensity is unique and re-
presents a chronic disease of
Western culture. The above
sentiment was expressed by
Roy Eckhardt (1973).
There always was a pauc-
ity of historical data about
the life of Jesus. (Most
likely he was not considered
important at the time.) For
that reason it became possi-
ble for the Church
chronicles to present a ver-
sion that borders more on
fantasy than truth.
In the interest of brevity,
the reviewer will abstract
some of the facts particu-
larly relating to the Passion
and take note of what is cre-
dible and what is vague;
contradictory and deceitful:
• Crucifixion was not a
Jewish custom but a Roman
method to intimidate and
instill fear.
• The identity of the
High Priest as well as the
time of the Passion vary
with different chronicles.
• The false witness
charge is clearly spurious.
Why wasn't the false evi-
dence presented during the
trial?
• Jewish Law prohibits
the Sanhedrin to meet on
the Sabbath or Holy Days;
yet Jesus was tried on the
night before Passover which
was on the Sabbath that
year.
• If the offense of Jesus
was religious the Sanhedrin
could have condemned
Jesus to death without re-
ferring him to Pilate. Obvi-
ously the offense was out-
side Jewish jurisprudence
since he was accused of
treason. It was that latter
embarrassing fact that had
to be suppressed.
• John's Gospel does
not even make mention of
a Jewish trial of Jesus --
a very unlikely omission
if true — and the early re-
cords of the Passion
place responsibility di-
rectly upon the Roman
Procurator.
• After the defeat of
Jerusalem the followers of
Jesus wanted to wash Pi-
late's hands clean. Jesus
was portrayed as a victim of
Jewish complicity. "Let his
blood be on us and our chil-
dren." The above is not only
incompatible historically,
but psychologically invalid
as no people would so bur-
dery their progeny. It is a
contemptible curse.
• As recently as 1947,
Catholic schools considered
"punishment of the deicide
Jesus would be a martyr, whole Jesus story. If indeed,
not a traitor.
he was the "Son of God" and
• That Pilate submitted could perform miracles,
to the pressure of a mob is even capable of resurrec-
historically untenable. tion, why did he not smite
According to Philo and his enemies down? If on the
Josephus, Pilate was a other hand it was predeter-
brutal ruler. It is ironic mined that he should die for
that this man should the salvation of mankind,
cater to the whim of a why blame anyone for aid-
mob demanding the re- ing a predetermined divine
lease of a criminal plan?
charged with sedition
This reviewer is tempted
and murder and to ask to paraphrase — Never in
"what evil has he done?" the history of mankind have
Untenable is also the so few people succeeded in
washing of his hands ab- perpetrating a "hoax"
Manicures for
solving him of responsibil- (deicide) on so many mil-
DR. STEINHARDT
Gentlemen
ity, as Roman procedure lions for so many genera-
never demanded that a tions with such pernicious
(by the) Jews as justified."
by
• It is apparent that the judge be held liable for er- consequences (genocide).
(Editor's note: A
founding of the state of Is- rors. If Pilate knew Jesus
IS NOW AT
rael and its continuance be- was innocent why did he follow-up article on this
KING'S KLIPPER
lies the curse of deicide and permit the execution? This subject by Dr. Steinhardt
19925 EVERGREEN
may account for the hostil-, was obviously a transparent will appear in a forth-
at 12 Mile
coming issue of The
ity of the Vatican, whose misrepresentation.
The question "Are you Jewish News.)
557-2005
leader John Paul only re-
cently shook the bloody King of the Jews" clearly
hand of the terrorist Arafat. points to a political charge.
That Mark should cleverly
Also, in 1964 when the shift the blame unto the
Vatican Council negated priests is explained by his
the deicide charge, it was eagerness to absolve Rome.
challenged by the Arab One must ask how could the
bishops in Damascus priests suddenly change the
who insisted that "it is the minds of the multitude in
dogma of the Church that such a short period?
the guilt of the crucifix-
• Pilate's offer to release
ion fall on the Jewish one prisoner, with the im-
people till the end of the plication that this was cus-
world." Pope Paul caved tomary, is not historically
in on the flimsy excuse corroborated. Another sig-
(New York Times) that nificant point is that the
this correction cast doubt crowd clamored for the re-
on the divinity of Christ. lease of "bar abba," no per-
While the Christian aim sonal name given. In He-
was conversion or death, the brew it means the son of the
Muslims favored conversion father (or God) which was
exactly what Jesus was
or politicide.
America's most advanced
called by his followers. It is
One is tempted to quote therefore likely that the
THERMAL
VENT DAMPER
the author: "To have crowd wanted the release of
Sure saving on fuel bills.
crawled out of the sewers of Jesus. Here too the
Stops heat from escaping
Warsaw, the barracks of Chronicles distorted the
up your chimney. Fully
Auschwitz, the forests of Po- truth in order to place the
automatic without elec-
land, and to give birth to a blame on the Jews.
tricity. Never needs
people is a marvel that no
maintenance. Have it in-
• The all-inclusive com-
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tion of history can possibly including the pious, the pat-
cope with."
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riotic, the idlers, the scof-
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• There is an inexplicable fers, suddenly became
ALLEN'S
HEATING
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COOLING
radical shift in the mood of enraged against Jesus is tm-
30035
Greenfield
the crowd in a matter of likely.
This reviewer cannot help
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