Trace the rise of anti-Judaism in early Christianity from the Gospel of Matthew through Melito's Passover homily. What do you think caused the escalation of anti-Jewish sentiment?

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The Answer is In the Gospel of Matthew, the Jewish leaders are the ones who are responsible for Jesus' death. Matthew is careful not to indict the Jews as a whole, but to show how the religious leaders led the crowd to call for Jesus' crucifixion. (Even though Matthew narrates the Jews proclaiming, "His blood be on us and on our children," the larger context of this Gospel is the continuity of Jesus and Judaism. Matthew places the responsibility of Jesus' death squarely on the religious leaders.) The anti-Jewish sentiment grows in the Gospel of John, where the blame is placed on "the Jews," those people who knowingly reject the messiah. Hebrews presents Judaism as good but not as perfect as Christianity. Barnabas denies any relationship between Judaism and Christianity, positing Judaism as a false religion. By the time Melito delivered his paschal homily in the second century, anti-Judaism had risen to the point that the Jews were accused of killing God himself. Anti-Jewish rhetoric was tied up with Christian self-identity, and it served to distinguish Christianity from Judaism.

Trace the Rise of Anti-Judaism in Early Christianity from the Gospel