The readings over the past few class periods seem to be following the same trend; whether it is Cathars, Waldensians, Templars, or Jews we continue to read about persecution and demonization of these minority groups. Yet again these weeks readings provided a number of vivid descriptions paralleling those of witches. In Roper we read that "Jews stole Christian children to torture and kill them so that they could use their blood in Jewish holy rites" (Roper 41) Another image that stands out to me in Roper's reading is the Jewish woman giving birth to twin piglets (Roper 42) Are there any other images or descriptions that stand out or further parallel imagery of witches or witchcraft?
In the Robert Chazan reading in our course packet was the increasing humanization of Jesus. As Jesus became more and more humanized it is easy to understand how Christians would begin to sympathize for his suffering and that animosity for his assailants would grow. Chazan writes of the depiction of the Crucifixion of William of Norwich (CP 99), which I have provided below. This image showed Christians just how gruesome the death of Christ had been further depicting Jews as tormentors and aggressors. I believe that the humanization of Christ is one of the the leading factors behind the persecution of Jews. What other factors could have helped lead to the persecution of Jews?
Chazan wrote a lot about Jewish enterprise. While most Europeans were sticking to an agricultural way of living, Jews were able to make lots of money through money-lending business as well as (I'm assuming) more mercantile business. Their financial affluence combined with their relationships with political leaders made them an easy target for resentment, especially when one considers that they were, for all intents and purposes, outsiders in these English and French communities.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely the Jews success in business combined with the differences in religious beliefs and the fact that Jews were the physical assailants of Christ contributed to the negative view given by European Christians. I find it interesting that pictures and humanization always seem to play such a significant role in people's opinions. Much like our media in today's world, images such as the one above as well as descriptive writings stirred up people's emotions against a real or perceived threat. No doubt we will see the further role that imagery played in shaping later persecutions and witch hunts. Thanks for the blog Zach!
ReplyDeleteGood image, Zach. You also hit on some important points in Chazan reading.
ReplyDeleteThe economic success that the Jewish community was able to achieve at the time - coupled with the lack of success experienced by the European Christians - heavily contributed to the negative views held against them. One would think that the ECs would be able to understand that their subsistence agriculture practices wouldn't lead to economic prosperity. It's only natural that the Jews were more successful. Jealousy heavily fueled the fire.
ReplyDeleteI think you included a great photo! It shows just how far they were willing to go to paint the portrait that the Jews were this barbaric, horrible group of people. It really helps bring their views to life, so to speak.
I thought your emphasis on Chazan's point about the increasing humanization of Jesus is a really interesting way to approach the reasons for which Jews were persecuted. And like everyone else, I agree that you brought forth a great photo as evidence.
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