From Judeophobia to Antisemitism: The Ancient World and the Birth of Cultural Antisemitism

Abstract

The Tragedy of the Holocaust (the ferocity of persecution, violence, and genocide directed against the Jewish population in Europe) cannot be understood without grasping the historical and cultural background of European antisemitism. This background is where multiple “traditions,” some millennia-old and others more recent, intersect, and their circulation was accelerated by the mass communication means specific to the 20th century (press, printed material accessibility, and an abundance of brochures and pamphlets). It was also facilitated by the literacy of a significant portion of the population. Following the immense socio-political crisis generated by World War I, especially in the defeated countries, this antisemitic background became the fuel that allowed the creation of the explosive mixture represented by the Nazi ideology. The Nazi policy and the chauvinistic nationalism of associated countries were able to thrive successfully in this specific European antisemitic mental framework, which can be historically outlined in several successive historical patterns: cultural antisemitism, religious antisemitism, economic antisemitism, political antisemitism, and racist antisemitism. This work describes and problematizes the “cultural” origins of antisemitism (Judeophobia) in the ancient Greco-Roman world, which laid the roots upon which other justifications for hostility towards Jews and Judaism were constructed.