060030 SE The Roots of Christian and Muslim Antisemitism in Antiquity (2022W)

The number of antisemitic incidents doubles in many countries every year. In the online world, Jew hatred explodes to an extant that was last seen during the Nazi period. Today, Jew hatred can be found both in the western world and in the world of Islam. It has a very long history and is rooted in ancient traditions that go back to antiquity. In particular, ancient and late ancient Christian traditions form the fundament on which today's antisemitism rests both in the western world and the world of Islam. To combat antisemitism today, can only be successfull if the ancient heritage it draws on is properly understood. This class will show how the ancient beginnings of antisemitism in the Graeco-Roman world as well as ancient and late ancient Christian literature impact and authorize not only the Jew-hatred of the twentieth century but also contemporary antisemitism in the Western world and the world of Islam.