** 27-Mar-2023 World View: Cum Nimis Absurdu
The Catholics (and, I assume, the
Orthodox Christians as well) have for
centuries blamed the Jews for the death
of Jesus Christ. This was stated
explicitly by Pope Paul IV Papal bull on
July 14, 1555.
That Papal bull has never been
withdrawn, and was considered by many to
be the teachings of the Church well into
the 20th century, well through the time
of Hitler and the Holocaust.
It was finally repudiated on April 13,
1986 by Pope John Paul II.
I do not know whether or not Orthodox
Christians still blame the Jews for the
death of Jesus Christ.
In 2014, I wrote a lengthy article
describing these issues:
** 25-May-14 World View -- Pope Francis visits Mideast to reconcile with Jews, Orthodox, and Muslims
** http://www.generationaldynamics.com/pg/ ... tm#e140525
The following paragraphs are some brief
excerpts from that article:
For centuries, the Catholics have blamed
the Jews for the death of Jesus, and
have justified discrimination against
Jews for that reason. The most explicit
statement of this was a Papal bull
issued by Pope Paul IV on July 14, 1555.
It applied mainly to the city of Rome.
It established a ghetto with only one
entrance and exit, and prescribed severe
economic restrictions. It begins with
the words, "Cum Nimis Absurdu" ("As it
is completely absurd"), and goes on to
explain that though they are condemned
to eternal servitude through their own
fault (killing Jesus), it is absurd that
they should be allowed to live freely
with Christians.
Here's the beginning:
"As it is completely
absurd and improper in the utmost
that the Jews, who through their own
fault were condemned by God to
eternal servitude, can under the
pretext that pious Christians must
accept them and sustain their
habitation, are so ungrateful to
Christians, as, instead of thanks
for gracious treatment, they return
contumely, and among themselves,
instead of the slavery, which they
deserve, they manage to claim
superiority: we, who newly learned
that these very Jews have insolently
invaded our City Rome and a number
of the Papal States, territories and
domains their impudence increased so
much that they dare not only to live
amongst the Christian people, but
also in the vicinity of the churches
without any difference of dressing,
and even that they rent houses in
the main streets and squares, buy
and hold immovable property, engage
maids, nurses and other Christian
servants, and commit other and
numerous misdeeds with shame and
contempt of the Christian
name. Considering that the Church of
Rome tolerates these very Jews is
evidence of the true Christian faith
and to this end [we declare]: that
they, won over by the piety and
kindness of the See, should at long
last recognize their erroneous ways,
and should lose no time in seeing
the true light of the catholic
faith, and thus to agree that while
they persist in their errors,
realizing that they are slaves
because of their deeds, whereas
Christians have been freed through
our Lord God Jesus Christ, and that
it is iniquitous for it to appear
that the sons of free women serve
the sons of maids.
1. Desiring firstly, as much as we
can with God, to beneficially
provide, by this. that will forever
be in force, we ordain that for the
rest of time, in the City as well as
in other states, territories and
domains of the Church of Rome
itself, all Jews are to live in one
and if there is not that capacity in
two or three or however many
quarters may be enough; they should
reside entirely side by side in
designated streets and be thoroughly
separate from the residences of
Christians, by our authority in the
City and by that of our
representatives in other states,
lands and domains noted above, and
that there must be only one entrance
and exit from this
quarter."
The paragraph above explicitly describes
how the ghetto is to work. The bull
goes to list enormous restrictions on
Jews, including where they may earn a
living. ...
The Papal bull "Cum Nimis Absurdu" has
never been withdrawn, and was considered
by many to be the teachings of the
Church well into the 20th century, well
through the time of Hitler and the
Holocaust.
It was only fully repudiated finally on
April 13, 1986, when Pope John Paul II
made a dramatic visit to the Great
Synagogue of Rome and gave an address
that fully repudiated the terms of "Cum
Nimis Absurdu":
"We are all aware that,
among the riches of this paragraph
no. 4 of Nostra Aetate, three points
are especially relevant. I would
like to underline them here, before
you, in this truly unique
circumstance. The first is that the
Church of Christ discovers her
"bond" with Judaism by "searching
into her own mystery" (cf. Nostra
Aetate, ibid.) The Jewish religion
is not "extrinsic" to us, but in a
certain way is "intrinsic" to our
own religion. With Judaism therefore
we have a relationship which we do
not have with any other
religion. You are our dearly beloved
brothers and, in a certain way, it
could be said that you are our elder
brothers.
The second point noted by the
Council is that no ancestral or
collective blame can be imputed to
the Jews as a people for "what
happened in Christ's passion"
(cf. Nostra Aetate, ibid.) Not
indiscriminately to the Jews of that
time, nor to those who came
afterwards, nor to those of
today. So any alleged theological
justification for discriminatory
measures or, worse still, for acts
of persecution is unfounded. The
Lord will judge each one "according
to his own works," Jews and
Christians alike (cf. Rom 2:6)
The third point that I would like to
emphasize in the Council's
Declaration is a consequence of the
second. Notwithstanding the Church's
awareness of her own identity, it is
not lawful to say that the Jews are
"repudiated or cursed," as if this
were taught or could be deduced from
the Sacred Scriptures of the Old or
the New Testament (cf. Nostra
Aetate, ibid.). Indeed, the Council
had already said in this same text
of Nostra Aetate, but also in the
Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium,
no. 16, referring to Saint Paul in
the Letter to the Romans (11:28-29),
that the Jews are beloved of God,
who has called them with an
irrevocable calling."
In particular, for the first time, the
Pope specifically and unambiguously
repudiated the claim that the Jews were
at fault for the death of Jesus.