William R. Farmer, ed. Anti-Judaism and the Gospels. Harrisburg: Trinity, 1999. Pp. 319 $24.00 (Paper).

Abstract

"This volume represents the fruits of a three-year project, featuring Southwestern American New Testament scholars who discuss their research on anti-Judaism and three canonical gospels, Matthew, Luke, and John. [2] The essay contributors and their respondents are aware of the potentially inflammatory nature of their work on anti-Judaism and the gospels, and their prefatory and closing remarks are ecumenical in tone. Without exception, the scholars recognize that the definition of "anti-Judaism" necessarily governs their hermeneutical presuppositions when working with gospel texts. The project's research committee issued the following working definition for the term "anti-Judaism": "As distinct from the term Anti Semitism, Anti-Judaism is a specifically Christian, theologically driven attitude toward Jews, including concepts of the divine rejection and punishment of Jews, as well as Christian supersessionism and triumphalism" (49). Most of the contributors argue that the gospels were composed in the context of intra-Jewish disputes about the Law, the Temple, messianic expectations, and specifically, the mission and identity of Jesus of Nazareth, a first-century Jew. Generally, these scholars conclude that the gospels are not anti-Jewish, but may be interpreted, and indeed have been interpreted as such. [3] Amy Jill Levine's essay, in contradistinction to the majority opinion, has as its thesis that Matthew's Gospel is not "prophetic polemic," an in-house dispute among Jews, but it may be characterized as "subordinating polemic" leading to "abrogating anti-Judaism." She argues that anti-Jewish readings of Matthew have persisted in a variety of cultural contexts and across geographical boundaries, and states that "even in Matthew's own community, the Gospel would have stirred up hostility toward any Jew who favored the synagogue over the church, the teachings of the Pharisees over those of Jesus, the sacrifices of the Temple or deeds of loving-kindness over baptism and eucharist" (35)."(pg 1)