Editing Religious antisemitism (section)

===Early Christianity===
Many early and influential Church works—such as the dialogues of [[Justin Martyr]], the homilies of [[John Chrysostom]], and the testimonies of the church father [[Cyprian]]—are strongly anti-Jewish.

During a discussion on the celebration of [[Easter]] during the [[First Council of Nicaea]] in 325 CE, Roman emperor [[Constantine I (emperor)|Constantine]] said,<ref name="Eusebius">[[Eusebius of Caesarea|Eusebius]]. [http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/25023.htm "Life of Constantine (Book III)"], 337 CE. Retrieved March 12, 2006.</ref> <blockquote> ... it appeared an unworthy thing that in the celebration of this most holy feast we should follow the practice of the Jews, who have impiously defiled their hands with enormous sin, and are, therefore, deservedly afflicted with blindness of soul. ... Let us then have nothing in common with the detestable Jewish crowd; for we have received from our Saviour a different way.</blockquote>

Prejudice against Jews in the [[Roman Empire]] was formalized in 438, when the ''Code of [[Theodosius II]]'' established Christianity as the only legal religion in the Roman Empire. The [[Justinian Code]] a century later stripped Jews of many of their rights, and Church councils throughout the 6th and 7th centuries, including the Council of Orleans, further enforced anti-Jewish provisions. These restrictions began as early as 305, when, in Elvira (now [[Granada]]), a Spanish town in [[Andalucia]], the first known laws of any church council against Jews appeared. Christian women were forbidden to marry Jews unless the betrothed Jewish male first converted to Catholicism. Jews were forbidden to extend hospitality to Catholics. Jews could not keep Catholic Christian [[concubine]]s and were forbidden to bless the fields of Catholics. In 589, in Catholic [[Iberian Peninsula|Iberia]], the [[Third Council of Toledo]] ordered that children born of a marriage between Jews and Catholics be baptized by force. By the Twelfth Council of Toledo (681), a policy of forced conversion of all Jews was initiated (Liber Judicum, II.2 as given in Roth).<ref name=Roth>Roth, A. M. Roth, and Roth, Norman. ''Jews, Visigoths and Muslims in Medieval Spain'', Brill Academic, 1994.</ref> Thousands fled, and others converted to Roman Catholicism.

====Accusations of deicide====
{{Main article|Jewish deicide}}
Although never a part of [[Christianity|Christian]] [[dogma]], many Christians, including members of the [[clergy]], held the Jewish people under an [[antisemitic canard]] to be [[collective guilt|collectively responsible]] for [[deicide]], the [[Jewish deicide|killing of Jesus]], who they believed was the son of God.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/jubilee_2000/magazine/documents/ju_mag_01111997_p-31_en.html|title=Nostra Aetate: a milestone - Pier Francesco Fumagalli}}</ref>  According to this interpretation, some Christian traditions historically attributed responsibility for Jesus’ death to the Jewish people present at the time, as well as collectively over generations, labeling it as the sin of deicide, or God-killing. This belief played a significant role in fueling antisemitic attitudes and actions in various Christian societies throughout history.<ref>Perry & Schweitzer (2002), p. 26.</ref>

[[Passion play]]s are dramatic stagings representing the trial and death of [[Jesus]], and they have historically been used in remembrance of Jesus' death during [[Lent]]. These plays historically blamed the Jews for the death of Jesus in a [[polemic]]al fashion, depicting a crowd of Jewish people condemning Jesus to death by [[crucifixion]] and a Jewish leader assuming eternal [[collective guilt]] for the crowd for the murder of Jesus, which, ''[[The Boston Globe]]'' explains, "for centuries prompted vicious attacks—or [[pogrom]]s—on Europe's Jewish communities".<ref name=Sennott>Sennott, Charles M.[http://www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2004/04/10/in_poland_new_passion_plays_on_old_hatreds/ "In Poland, new 'Passion' plays on old hatreds"], ''[[The Boston Globe]]'', April 10, 2004.</ref>

====Blood libel====
{{main article|Blood libel}}
[[File:Sandomierz katedra - mord rytualny.jpg|thumb|Painting in [[Sandomierz Cathedral]], Poland, depicts Jews murdering Christian children for their blood, ~ 1750]]
Blood libels are false accusations that Jews use human blood in religious [[rituals]].<ref>"Blood Accusation", Jewish Encyclopedia, retrieved 7 May 2007.[http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=1173&letter=B Jewish Encyclopedia]</ref> Historically, these are accusations that the blood of [[Christians|Christian]] children is especially coveted. In many cases, blood libels served as the basis for a blood libel [[cult]], in which the alleged victim of human sacrifice was elevated to the status of a [[martyr]] and, in some cases, [[canonized]].

Although the first known instance of a blood libel is found in the writings of [[Apion]], who claimed that the Jews sacrificed [[Greeks|Greek]] victims in the Temple, no further incidents are recorded until the 12th century when blood libels began to proliferate. These libels have persisted from then through the 21st century.<ref>"The World: Saudi Editor Retracts Article That Defamed Jews", Los Angeles Times, March 20, 2003, fetched 19 the April 2008, [https://web.archive.org/web/20110524212539/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/110674395.html?dids=110674395:110674395&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Mar+20,+2002&author=MICHAEL+SLACKMAN&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&edition=&startpage=A.3&desc=The+World%3B+Saudi+Editor+Retracts+Article+That+Defamed+Jews]</ref>

In the modern era, the blood libel continues to be a major aspect of antisemitism. It has extended its reach to accuse Jews of many different forms of harm that can be carried out against other people.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://antisemitism.uk/recognising-antisemitism/blood-libel/|title=Recognising Antisemitism: Blood Libel|date=2016-02-15|language=en-GB|access-date=2016-07-23}}</ref>