Is The Gospel of John Anti-Semitic?

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The Gospel of John is one of the most puzzling books of the New Testament, especially when it comes to understanding its view of Jews and Judaism. On one hand, Jesus is clearly described as a Jew who understands and teaches the law of Moses and who keeps Jewish customs and festivals. On the other hand, the Gospel condemns Jews, makes them guilty for the execution of Jesus, and even declares that their "father" is not Abraham, let alone God, but the Devil. How can one book so fully embrace Judaism and yet condemn it. And importantly, is this kind of vitriolic opposition to Jews and Judaism appropriately called "anti-semitism"? The answer will surprise many listeners.

In this episode, Bart addresses:

-How to define our terms - what do we mean by “anti-semitic”, and how does it relate to “anti-Judaism”?

-When we consider how the Jewish people are treated and depicted in the gospels, there are three different groups to consider; the Jewish authorities, the people they governed, and Jesus and his followers. Do these seem like reasonable distinctions?

-The Gospel of John doesn’t treat the first two groups kindly. Throughout the Gospel, the Jewish authorities are depicted as constantly trying to catch Jesus breaking the Mosaic law - are they just looking for any excuse to justify their attacks on him?

-Does John's gospel differentiate between the Jewish people and the Jewish *authorities*?

-John shows the Jewish people as being against both God and Jesus, for example in chapter 8:31-59, which is a conversation between Jesus and a group of unidentified Jewish people in the Temple, in which he calls them the children of the Devil. What should we make of this passage?

-Are there exceptions to John’s apparent anti-semitism?

-How did apocalyptic thinking feed into the response of John’s community after they were kicked out of the synagogue?