Jeremy Cohen

This is a scholarly work that traces the evolution of the image of the Jews as Christ-killers, and discusses the legacy of violence that accompanied that legacy. The author does not spend any time on the burning question of who actually killed Jesus, and to his credit, he does not begin with the a priori assumption that the Gospels present accurate history exactly as it happened; in fact, he is well aware of the late date of composition of the gospels, and operates on the idea that they are story and polemic more than historical fact. He is more interested, however, in how the image of the Jew has developed over time, and does a good job tracing the history through the evolving nature of the Catholic church, and on into Protestantism, ending with Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ. He spends a good deal of time on Vatican II, and explores the implications of the changes that occurred in the face of Catholicism, as well as the backlash against the reforms. Overall, a good treatise that is lucid and concise, without a lot of jargon that would leave the interested lay person face down in the mud by the side of the road. Highly recommended.… (mehr)