A History of Catholic Antisemitism: The Dark Side of the Church

by R. Michael

Overview

In recent years, the Catholic Church has come under censure for its inaction during the Holocaust and for its similar passivity in the face of contemporary antisemitism. However, as Robert Michael shows in this comprehensive study, the Church's involvement in the history of antisemitism goes back to its founding and to the essence of the Christian scriptures. Moving from the Church's origins through the Roman era, Middle Ages, and Reformation to the present, Michael provides a definitive history of Catholic antisemitism.

About the Author:
Robert Michael is an Emeritus Professor of European History at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781349371945
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan US
Publication date:	11/08/2015
Edition description:	1st ed. 2008
Pages:	282
Product dimensions:	5.51(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

ROBERT MICHAEL Professor Emeritus of European History at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, USA. Listed in Who's Who in America, Professor Michael was a 1997 recipient of the American Historical Association's James Harvey Robinson Prize for the 'most outstanding contribution to the teaching and learning of history.' A founder of the scholarly e-mail lists H-Antisemitism and H-W-Civ, Dr. Michael has published more than fifty articles and ten books on the history of antisemitism and the Holocaust.

Table of Contents

Preface     ix
Introduction: The Catholic Church and the Jews     1
Pagans and Early Catholics     9
Value Inversion and Vilification     23
Roman Law     33
Medieval Deterioration     39
Crusades and Defamations     67
Papal Policy     75
Germany and Austria-Hungary     101
France     119
Poland     145
Modern Papal Policy     163
Postscript: Catholic Racism     193
Notes     205
Index     267

Editorial Reviews

"Michael's work is path-breaking, in that few before him have tackled both the historical and theological foundations of Catholic antisemitism and, at the same time, traced its path from biblical times all the way through to Auschwitz. In this, Michael is brave; but, as this outstanding work shows, his bravery is vindicated. His treatment of such topics as the Church s age-old and ongoing dehumanization of the Jews, coupled with its failure to confront that supreme manifestation of evil that became manifest in the Nazis, is an important contribution to an already massive literature on antisemitism and the Holocaust." - Paul R. Bartrop, Head, Department of History, Bialik College, Melbourne, Australia

From the Publisher