‘Ungrateful Jews’: The Roman Empire and early Christian anti-Semitism

Nathanael Vette

doi:10.1017/9781009198431.016

‘Ungrateful Jews’: The Roman Empire and early Christian anti-Semitism

Nathanael Vette

School of Divinity

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (peer-reviewed) › peer-review

Abstract

Vette traces the anti-Semitic image of the ‘ungrateful Jew’ through its usage in early Christian literature to its origin in the imperial rhetoric of the first-century CE. Vette describes how imperial rhetoric employs racial stereotypes to demarcate dominator and dominated, thereby inscribing hierarchy and difference. Then, as now, gratitude can become weaponized in the service of Empire; but as the first-century Jewish author CE Josephus explains, gratitude can also disrupt imperial discourse.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	A Theology of Gratitude
Subtitle of host publication	Christian and Muslim Perspectives
Editors	Mona Siddiqui, Nathanael Vette
Publisher	Cambridge University Press
Chapter	11
Pages	157-170
Number of pages	14
ISBN (Electronic)	9781009198431
ISBN (Print)	9781009198400
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009198431.016
Publication status	Published - 22 Dec 2022

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

ingratitude
anti-Semitism
early Christianity
The Book of Acts
Josephus
colonial criticism

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10.1017/9781009198431.016

Cite this

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abstract = "Vette traces the anti-Semitic image of the {\textquoteleft}ungrateful Jew{\textquoteright} through its usage in early Christian literature to its origin in the imperial rhetoric of the first-century CE. Vette describes how imperial rhetoric employs racial stereotypes to demarcate dominator and dominated, thereby inscribing hierarchy and difference. Then, as now, gratitude can become weaponized in the service of Empire; but as the first-century Jewish author CE Josephus explains, gratitude can also disrupt imperial discourse.",

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AB - Vette traces the anti-Semitic image of the ‘ungrateful Jew’ through its usage in early Christian literature to its origin in the imperial rhetoric of the first-century CE. Vette describes how imperial rhetoric employs racial stereotypes to demarcate dominator and dominated, thereby inscribing hierarchy and difference. Then, as now, gratitude can become weaponized in the service of Empire; but as the first-century Jewish author CE Josephus explains, gratitude can also disrupt imperial discourse.

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KW - anti-Semitism

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KW - The Book of Acts

KW - Josephus

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‘Ungrateful Jews’: The Roman Empire and early Christian anti-Semitism

Abstract

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

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A Theology of Gratitude: Christian and Muslim Perspectives

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