A Study Of Jewish Policy In Medieval Western European Christianity

In medieval, the western Christian Church has the right to handle religious affairs, especially to the Jews. So the church’s policy to the Jews is of great significance to Jews and christians in middle ages.In medieval, the western Christian church’s policy to Jews has influenced by the early church doctrine and the policy of the Roman Empire government apply on the Jews. Early church doctrine had a negative word on the Jews, and the early religious meetings also add restrictions to Jews; But the Bible has promoted the thought of "benevolence" and mercy, the apostle Paul and Saint Augustine also try to express their maintenance to the Jews. Therefore, the early church’s attitude towards the Jews is both of praise and blame. During early Roman Empire, Judaism has always been the only legally recognized religion besides the official religion, the government implements tolerance and protection to Judaism, and gives its special rights. Although after the Christian dominance, the government began to limit the rights of Jews, they acknowledge the privilege of the Jews which the law allows to them. It has paved the way for the medieval church’s policy to the Jews.To Middle Ages, the western Christian church’s policy becomes more and more stable through the popes’efforts. Pope Gregory the Great inherited Saint Augustine, and developed his views of the Jews. Finally, it became the basis of the medieval church official policies to Jews. Then after the development of Alexander II and Calixtus II, the policy had been riped, the enactment of Sicut Judaeis provided an official law basis to protect Jews in middle ages. During Innocent III, the authority of the church reached for her best, in order to deal the contradictions between Christians and Jews in economic and social life, he strengthened the limit to Jews, but he didn’t go against the official protection policy. After the dead of Innocent III, the church began to decline. In general, during Medieval, Church’s policy has developed its official attitude to Jews, that is, the church protect Jews privilege which the law allows to them and keep them from the offend of the Christian.However, during the late Medieval, the policy had been hindered by various kinds of anti-semitism movements, such as the Crusades, Ritual Murder, Blood Libel and the Black Death, these all destroy the peaceful situation that the Christian church has maintained, then there comes to many crazy persecution. But due to the limitations of church’s rights, the Christians’hostility to the Jews, the instability of the government’s attitude, and the restriction factors of medieval European feudal system, finally, the church failed to protect the Jews well.However, although the protection policy hasn’t been enforced efficiently, it leaves significant influences to the Medieval and Later Europe. To a certain extent, the western Christian Church’s protection policy havs played an important role in religious and social calls when the Jews began to return to Europe and in the late medieval, European began to accept the Jews. But, the dense color of Christians’hostility leaves a strong element of anti-semitism for Later and Modern Europe.