An essential resource for understanding the troubling role of the Christian scriptures in anti-Semitism
This eye-opening collection of essays is essential reading for anyone concerned about the ways that Christian scripture has been used--both in the past and the present--in service of anti-Semitism. The authors seek to identify, contextualize, and problematize New Testament "Judeophobia," a broad heading that encompasses anti-Semitism, supersessionism, and various discriminatory practices against Jews at different points in history.
In the first half of Judeophobia and the New Testament: Texts and Contexts, readers engage with the subject matter through thematic essays. In the second half, readers engage with text-based essays that focus on individual books of the New Testament as well as relevant non-canonical literature. Throughout, the book's goal is to educate readers about the ways that New Testament texts have been used to engender Judeophobia from the early church to today. While the book is designed primarily as a resource for teachers and students, it also aims to help New Testament scholars account for Judeophobic interpretations, take responsibility for them, and encourage the discipline to work against its own role in rising anti-Jewish rhetoric and violence.
Contributors
Matthew R. Anderson
Jeremiah Bailey
Mary Ann Beavis
Chance E. Bonar
Tom de Bruin
Christy Cobb
Cavan Concannon
David L. Eastman
Scott S. Elliott
Sarah Emanuel
Emily Gathergood
Mark Godin
Jill Hicks-Keeton
Meira Z. Kensky
Kyu Seop Kim
Brian Yong Lee
Harry O. Maier
Shelly Matthews
James F. McGrath
Hugo Méndez
Mark D. Nanos
Sara Parks
Shaily Shashikant Patel
Adele Reinhartz
Michael Scott Robertson
Sarah E. Rollens
Justin Jeffcoat Schedtler
Nathan Shedd
Shayna Sheinfeld
Ekaputra Tupamahu
Eric Vanden Eykel
Alana M. Vincent
Meredith J. C. Warren
Taylor M. Weaver
Catholic Media Association (CMA) Book Award Academic Studies First Place (2026)
About the Author :
Sarah E. Rollens teaches religious studies at Rhodes College. She is the author of Framing Social Criticism in the Jesus Movement: The Ideological Project in the Sayings Gospel Q. Eric M. Vanden Eykel teaches religion at Ferrum College. He is the author of The Magi: Who They Were, How They've Been Remembered, and Why They Still Fascinate and "But Their Faces Were All Looking Up" Author and Reader in the Protevangelium of James.
Meredith J. C. Warren teaches biblical and religious studies at the University of Sheffield. She is the author of Food and Transformation in Ancient Mediterranean Literature and co-author of Jewish and Christian Women in the Ancient Mediterranean.
Review :
"This book achieves its aims and will be an invaluable resource for educators in undergraduate courses on the NT. The discussion questions and activities at the end of each chapter are perfect for seminars and small-group discussions as well. Beyond the classroom, clergy and laypeople who are interested in the legacy of Judeophobia in the Christian tradition will also benefit greatly from this volume. It is accessible and easy to read and successfully invites the reader to confront difficult passages and their complicated legacy."
--Religious Studies Review
"[Judeophobia and the New Testament] is designed for the undergraduate classroom, with questions and activities provided after each chapter. But other readers, including preachers, would benefit from this accessible introduction to a difficult and disturbing topic. . . . The New Testament does not conform to the norms of interfaith dialogue; but rather vilifies those who simply decline to affirm Christian beliefs. Standing up to its Judeophobic rhetoric is a complex and soul-searching task. This book is a good place to start."
--The Expository Times
"What should be the response to New Testament Judeophobia? Exploration of the ethical, philosophical, and theological foundations of monotheistic Jewish and Christian faiths that yields trends of individuality and support for pluralism. . . . Recommended."
--CHOICE
"The scholars assembled here have not only issued a clarion call to colleagues to name and to resist this toxic inheritance. They have given us the tools to do so."
--Paula Fredriksen in Review of Biblical Literature
"It is a shame that we still need a book like this, but need it we do. We Christians should be able to read the New Testament without making Jews and Judaism a dark foil for our own religious views. But until we learn to do so, we need wise instruction from the likes of Rollens, Vanden Eykel, Warren, and their excellent contributors. Judeophobia and the New Testament is a hermeneutical appeal to the better angels of our nature."
--Matthew V. Novenson, Princeton Theological Seminary
"Hostility to Jews and Judaism from the far right to the far left can be expressed in ways that draw, knowingly or unknowingly, on the New Testament and its reception. Judeophobia and the New Testament is a teaching tool that will enable those of good faith to more effectively spot and respond to this phenomenon."
--Tzvi Novick, University of Notre Dame
"There is no 'one-size-fits-all' approach to assessing the degree to which the New Testament manifests what is sometimes called 'Judeophobia.' The strength of this volume is the dedication of its many contributors to examining specific texts in specific contexts. Whether the desire is to condemn or to excuse or to problematize the rhetoric of early Christian writers, truth is not served by overgeneralizations."
--Patrick Gray, Rhodes College
