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Page 3 of 8 1800 YEARS AGO
Jews add important books to their already impressive theological and historical writings
Christians, mainly Roman and around Constantinople add to their texts which set out the rules for treating Jews as second class citizens
The Roman Empire begins to collapse
Jewish Theological developments.
There now commenced a period of Jewish religious consolidation.
- AD 210 - Completion of the Mishnah, an early code book of Jewish laws.
- AD 390 - Completion of the Jerusalem Talmud. A detailed commentary on the Mishnah.
- AD 500 - Completion of the Talmud written in Babylon. A much longer commentary which enjoys greater authority.
And around the same time, newly converted Roman Christians set the scene for continuous persecution of Jews by Christians.
- AD 313 - The edict of Milan. (Milan is now the main city in the Western Roman Empire.) Joint Emperors Constantine and Lucinius state that the Pagan Roman Empire will now tolerate both Christianity and Judaism. However after Constantine has murdered Lucinius
- AD 325 - The Roman Empire under Emperor Constantine accepts Christianity as the sole official Faith. The theological conference in Nicea not only produces the Christian Creed (“I believe” etc) but also the ruling that from that date that no Jews can have Roman Citizenship which excludes them from the Roman economy where slaves do all manual labour notably in agriculture. This confirmed the practice already in existence in many parts of the Roman Empire.
The Christian Church, very much driven by the Roman theologians in Constantinople was concerned that Christianity and Judaism were still not clearly separated. Hence the additional changes were made.
- The rest day for Jews and Christians alike was the Sabbath. (Saturday) This was moved to Sunday for Christians
- The date of Easter (for Christians) would no longer be tied to the Jewish Passover
- Intermarriage was forbidden
- Reconversion was forbidden
- Christians were forbidden to eat meals with Jews
THE FALL OF THE WESTERN ROMAN EMPIRE
Jews find they have new pagan masters in Western Europe
- AD 235 to 464 - The Jews who had spread throughout the East and West Roman Empires witnessed the huge upheaval which followed attacks from all their enemies from the north and east (north of the river Rhine and the river Danube) culminating in the elimination of Roman rule in the West but the survival of the then stronger Roman economy centred in Constantinople known as the Byzantium Empire. The order of events was as follows;
- AD 256 to 271 - Saw attacks on the Roman Empire from the German tribes; Saxons (NW Germany) into the Normandy beaches, Franks over the Rhine from Dortmund/Cologne to Paris area, Alemanni and Visigoths from the Frankfurt area into the whole of Gaul (France) and Spain, the Iuthungi from Munich area crossed the Alps and attacked Rome. And in the Eastern Roman Empire the Goths from Ukraine attacked Roman Greece and the old enemy the Persians attacked the modern day Israel, Palestine, Syria and Lebanon areas. At the same time all southern areas of the Roman Empire were attacked by Arab and Berber nomads.
- AD 410 to 476 - The Western Roman Empire came to an end when the Visigoths sacked Milan and Rome. In the East the Romans, headquartered in Constantinople, beat back the Persians.
The points to note are;
- The Jews remained intact as distinctive ethnic minorities during these invasions and change of ruler and sometimes found their new rulers more tolerant than the Romans. This was particularly so in Spain and Gaul (France) under the Visigoths
- The Nicene empire wide restrictions on the Jews dated from AD 325 when the western territories were collapsing so initially enforcement only occurred in the east.
1500 YEARS AGO
- Jerusalem changes hands again and again
- The Islamic faith is born in Arabic Arabia and their founder Mohammed lives amongst Jews
- The Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium) comes under attack from Arabs but they are repelled
- Later under Turks and Mongol organised Arab Islamic armies it is a different story
The Middle East
AD 500 - The Byzantium rulers in Constantinople continue to persecute the Jews and expel them from some key cities notably Antioch.
AD 614 - Jews in Palestine help an invading Persian army to capture Jerusalem from the Byzantium Romans
AD 630 - Byzantium Romans from Constantinople, under Heraclius retake Jerusalem and massacre or expel all the Jewish inhabitants
AD 632 - Mohammed the founder of Islam dies.
AD 640 - Jerusalem taken by Muslim Arabs.
Mohammed 571 to 632 never visited Jerusalem. The Muslims claim Jerusalem is a holy city for them as well as Jews and Christians as Mohammed visited Jerusalem in a dream where he was escorted to heaven to meet the former Jewish prophets.
AD 750
Under Caliph Abbasid, Islamic headquarters are moved to Baghdad were they obviously come into contact with the centre of Judaism. There is no bloodshed, Jews are allowed to share theologies with their Muslim rulers. Hebrew is now written with the Arabic script and many new Arabic words to describe new thinking are adopted in the Hebrew language. Most importantly the Muslims find that the Jews have an expertise for international trade, translation and finance and many a Jew rides with the Arabic trade caravans as they travel and spread Islam to other countries in the East notably India and Indonesia. This commences a new Judeo-Islamic culture which is surprising as many parts of the Koran are specifically anti Jewish.
In Spain
AD c. 420 - Germanic Visigoths rule in Spain and initially accept the presence of the Jewish minority.
AD 694 - Visigoths outlaw Judaism
AD 711 - Muslim North Africans (Moors) enter Spain, conquer the Visigoths and allow Jews to practice their religion. This commences a 700 year mainly golden age for Jews who were permitted by their Islamic rulers to integrate into the business and intellectual worlds. Indeed this was a Golden place for Muslims and Christians also, as in Cordova, soon to have 150,000 inhabitants became the largest and richest city in Europe where the three religions lived together freely exchanging ideas on Religion Philosophy and Astronomy. 700 years later Christians, King Ferdinand and devout Queen Isabella bring this wonderful period for Jews to an end with the Spanish Inquisition.
AD 797 - Jews are already integrating into society at the highest level. For example the Frank Charlemagne, who has been appointed head of the military arm of the Roman Christian church, has a Jewish interpreter when negotiating territory deals with the Spanish Islamic ruler Caliph Harum al-Rashid.
1000 YEARS AGO
We now see the commencement of 1000 years of persecution of European Jews mainly orchestrated by the Christian Roman Catholic Church.
Jews have now spread throughout Europe save for England and Ireland.
In Spain
1090 - A new Islamic Arab dynasty enters Spain from North Africa, the Berbers, which is hostile to Jews many of whom flee to southern France where they are treated with respect for some 300 years.
In England
1066 - Norman King William (the Conqueror) invades England and brings with him a team of Jews to help develop local trade and finance.
1290 - Life for the Jews in England is short lived and they are expelled by King Edward 1st . (English historians see Edward as a model medieval king.) He was indeed reluctant to expel the Jews who he saw as a huge asset. Unfortunately because of their special status as a royal protected minority the barons and the Christian church became jealous and the King bowed to popular discontent fuelled by the following: In 1144 rumour was rife, starting in Norwich, that Jews killed Christians in ritual sacrifice and drank their blood. (“Blood Libel”). In 1190 there was a massacre of Jews in York also following a Blood Libel charge. (In fact a blood sacrifice of babies was the least likely crime Jews would commit because of their religious laws about the consumption of blood.) Indeed enemies of the Jews stuck this odious label on the Jews for about 2000 years.
In the rest of Europe, Asia Minor and the Middle East.
- Muslim Arabs organised by their Seljuk Turkish military commanders become firmly established in Jerusalem
- The Christian Crusades are organised by the Pope in Rome in an attempt to regain Jerusalem for the Christians
- This also becomes an excuse to kill a few Jews
- The Plague
Middle East
1070 - Jews expelled by Christians from within the city walls of Constantinople and make a new settlement called Pera just outside.
1073 - The horse mounted archers of the Seljuk Turks (from modern day Turkmenistan) attack and take Jerusalem.
1096 - The first Crusade. German Rhineland Jews massacred by “Christian” Crusaders on their way to Jerusalem.
1099 - Crusaders retake Jerusalem and massacre all local Jews and Muslims. Christian Crusaders herd the Jews into their Synagogue and burn them alive.
1189 - Richard the Lion Heart becomes King of England and hundreds of Jews are massacred at his coronation. Richard and the King of France, Philip embark on the third Crusade, but cannot take Jerusalem from Saladin. A deal is struck by Richard to allow Christian pilgrims to enter the city.
England
1290 - Jews expelled from England.
France
1306 - Jews expelled from France.
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