Editing Religious antisemitism (section)

===Medieval and Renaissance Europe===
{{Main article|Medieval antisemitism|History of European Jews in the Middle Ages}}
Antisemitism was widespread in Europe during the [[Middle Ages]]. In those times, the main cause of prejudice against Jews in Europe was the religious one. Although not part of [[Roman Catholic]] [[dogma]], many Christians, including members of the [[clergy]], held the Jewish people [[collective guilt|collectively responsible]] for the death of Jesus, a practice originated by [[Melito of Sardis]].

Among socio-economic factors were restrictions by the authorities. Local rulers and church officials closed the doors for many professions to the Jews, pushing them into occupations considered socially inferior such as accounting, rent-collecting, and [[moneylending]], which was tolerated then as a "[[consequentialism|necessary evil]]".<ref name=Paley>Paley, Susan and Koesters, Adrian Gibbons, eds. {{cite web|url=http://moses.creighton.edu/JRS/pdf/ViewersGuide.pdf |title=A Viewer's Guide to Contemporary Passion Plays |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110301033826/http://moses.creighton.edu/JRS/pdf/ViewersGuide.pdf |archive-date=2011-03-01}}&nbsp;{{small|(74.4&nbsp;KB)}}. Retrieved March 12, 2006.</ref> During the [[Black Death]], Jews were accused of being the cause and were often killed.<ref name="Black">See Stéphane Barry and Norbert Gualde, ''La plus grande épidémie de l'histoire'' ("The greatest epidemics in history"), in ''[[L'Histoire]]'' magazine, n°310, June 2006, p.47 {{in lang|fr}}</ref> There were expulsions of Jews from England, France, Germany, Portugal and [[Antisemitism in Spain|Spain]] during the Middle Ages as a result of antisemitism.<ref>{{cite book |title=Holocaust and Return to Zion: A Study in Jewish Philosophy of History |last=Spero |first=Shubert |year=2000 |publisher=KTAV Publishing House, Inc. |isbn=0-88125-636-6 |page=[https://archive.org/details/holocaustreturnt00shub/page/164 164] |url=https://archive.org/details/holocaustreturnt00shub/page/164}}</ref>

[[File:Judensau Frankfurt.jpg|thumb|left|18th century Frankfurt Judensau]]
German for "Jews' sow", ''[[Judensau]]'' was the derogatory and dehumanizing imagery of Jews that appeared around the 13th century. Its popularity lasted for over 600 years and was revived by the Nazis. The Jews, typically portrayed in [[obscene]] contact with [[unclean animals]] such as pigs or owls or representing a [[devil]], appeared on [[cathedral]] or [[church (building)|church]] ceilings, pillars, utensils, etchings, etc. Often, the images combined several antisemitic motifs and included derisive prose or poetry.
<blockquote>"Dozens of Judensaus... intersect with the portrayal of the Jew as a Christ killer. Various illustrations of the murder of [[Simon of Trent]] blended images of Judensau, the devil, the murder of little Simon himself, and the [[Crucifixion]]. In the 17th-century engraving from Frankfurt...<ref>Cohen's book includes an earlier variation of the same image.</ref> a well-dressed, very contemporary-looking Jew has mounted the sow backward and holds her tail, while a second Jew sucks at her milk and a third eats her feces. The horned devil, himself wearing a [[Yellow badge|Jewish badge]], looks on and the butchered Simon, splayed as if on a cross, appears on a panel above."<ref>Jeremy Cohen (2007): ''Christ Killers: The Jews and the Passion from the Bible to the Big Screen.'' Oxford University Press. p.208 {{ISBN|0-19-517841-6}}</ref></blockquote>

In [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]]'s ''[[Merchant of Venice]]'', considered to be one of the greatest romantic comedies of all time, the villain [[Shylock]] was a Jewish moneylender. By the end of the play, he is mocked on the streets after his daughter elopes with a Christian. Shylock, then, compulsorily converts to Christianity as a part of a deal gone wrong. This has raised profound implications regarding Shakespeare and antisemitism.<ref>[http://www.berens.org/tikkun.html On Beyond Shylock] by Bradley S. Berens</ref>

During the Middle Ages, the story of Jephonias,<ref>[http://www.christusrex.org/www1/ofm/pilgr/sources/TransVirginis.html#46 Transitus or Dormitio Virginis] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629004339/http://www.christusrex.org/www1/ofm/pilgr/sources/TransVirginis.html#46 |date=2011-06-29}}, the original 5th or 6th century text</ref> the Jew who tried to overturn Mary's funeral bier, changed from his converting to Christianity into his simply having his hands cut off by an angel.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sicsa.huji.ac.il/99an2a.html|title=Discussion|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721133805/http://sicsa.huji.ac.il/99an2a.html|archive-date=2011-07-21}}</ref>

[[File:Descreationofhost.gif|thumb|right|A 15th-century German woodcut showing an alleged host desecration.<br />''1:'' the hosts are stolen<br />''2:'' the hosts bleed when pierced by a Jew<br />''3:'' the Jews are arrested<br />''4:'' they are burned alive.]]
On many occasions, Jews were subjected to [[blood libel against Jews|blood libels]], false accusations of drinking the blood of Christian children in mockery of the Christian [[Eucharist]].
Jews were subject to a wide range of legal restrictions throughout the Middle Ages, some of which lasted until the end of the 19th century. Jews were excluded from many trades, the occupations of which varied with place and time and were determined by the influence of various non-Jewish competing interests. Often, Jews were barred from all occupations except money-lending and peddling, with even these at times forbidden.