The Church and the Jews

Catalog description

This course will examine the range of Christian attitudes to Jews and Judaism over the centuries, from the first century to our own time. It will focus on major events and themes. These include the foundational teachings of Paul and the Church Fathers; the growth of the Western Church; the First Crusades; forced disputations; late medieval demonization of the Jews; the impact of the Protestant and Catholic Reformations; the emergence of the ideas of tolerance; and the issuing of “Nostra Aetate” (Vatican II).