“Matthew 27:25 arguably stands out as one of the most misunderstood and misinterpreted passages in all of Holy Scripture. Of the proposed interpretations for Matthew 27:25, the anti-Jewish interpretation is the oldest and most frequently cited in the history of the Church. This view says the Jewish people are permanently guilty and condemned in the eyes of God for their murder of Jesus Christ. As such, the cry of “His blood be upon us” means that the Jewish crowd in Jerusalem admitted full guilt for killing the Lord Jesus Christ and thereby invoked God’s curse upon themselves and their descendants until the end of time. This interpretation first surfaced in the writings of the early church fathers in the second century AD. It became universally accepted by the Middle Ages. The result, among other things, was the slanderous accusation that all Jews were “Christ killers” and “murderers of God.” Sadly, this is still a widespread belief in the Church today.

“…The true meaning of Matthew 27:25, like any other Bible verse, is found within the context in which it is written. When looking at the context of Matthew’s Gospel (specifically, chapters 26 and 27) it is quite obvious that the entire Jewish race was not totally responsible for having Jesus crucified. Matthew 26 and 27 informs the reader that one individual and three distinct groups were responsible for the death of Jesus Christ. They are (1) Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus into the hands of the Jewish authorities (Matt. 26:14–16; 47–50); (2) the Jewish leaders. This group was made up of Caiphas the High Priest, the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes. They united to form the Sanhedrin of Jerusalem which tried Jesus on the charge of blasphemy (Matt. 26:47, 57–67; 27:1–2, 5, 18, 25); (3) the Romans, comprised of the Procurator Pontius Pilate who handed Jesus over to be crucified and the Roman soldiers who actually nailed Jesus to the cross (Matt. 27:11–37); (4) the Jewish mob of Jerusalem. Though their role in Matthew 27 seems passive and subordinated under the control and influence of the chief priests and elders, their guilt in the death of Christ cannot be overlooked. They had the opportunity afforded them by Pilate to have Jesus released, but they chose instead a criminal named Barabbas (Matt 27:17, 20–26).

“From the context of Matthew 26–27 Jewish guilt for the death of Jesus applies only to Judas, the religious leaders of Jerusalem, and the mob of Jerusalem before the judgment seat of Pilate. It was the unbelieving Jews of Jerusalem and Israel, not all Jews in general, whom Matthew and the New Testament indict for their failure to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and their complicity in His death.”

Excerpt from the essay, “Blood Libel” by Todd Baker Th.M at
http://www.levitt.com/essays/bloodlibel

The ‘trashbin of history’?

Oh dear, somebody’s is for a shock…

The Old testament is so much more fun with its incitment to stone women adulterers, cut the thorat of your own child to sacrifice to G-D, kill the husband of the woman you want to sleep with…

How else to explain Orthodox Jews in Jerusalem spitting in the faces of Christian clergy, as reported more than once in Ha’reetz? (How often have Christians come up and spit in your face?)

How else to explain that Gentile tears for Holocuast victims are mandatory, whereas Jewish tears for Christian victims are simply not offered?

How else to explain that 20 million Christians can be exterminated in the Soviet Union and their murderers to this day retain anonymity?

Then there’s the fundamental question, In a society that calls itself civilized, why should literature from any of the world’s religions be banned or destroyed? (Short answer: it shouldn’t be.)

Dan, how come your notion of “showing respect” doesn’t seem to work both ways? Why can you spit in my face but I can’t spit in yours? Is it possible that by “showing respect” to Jews in Israel you mean Christians around the world must submit to each and every velleity expressed by organized Zionists . . . or be declared Jew Haters?

Come to think of it, Dan, why would you even want to spit in my face?