The theological charge that transformed a historical event into a collective curse

History · Published 19 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: For centuries, the accusation of deicide—the killing of God—fueled systemic violence and expulsions against the Jewish people. While rooted in early Christian writings, the charge has been increasingly dismantled by modern scholarship and church declarations, revealing a complex history of political redaction and theological evolution.

The concept of Jewish deicide emerged as early as the 2nd century in the writings of figures like Justin Martyr and Melito of Sardis. Melito's work, 'Peri Pascha' (c. 167 AD), is notable for explicitly framing the death of Jesus as the murder of God himself by the 'Israelite right hand.' This theological shift transformed a local execution into a cosmic crime. By the 4th century, John Chrysostom became the first to apply the term 'deicide' to the Jewish people collectively, arguing that no pardon or indulgence could ever expiate this act.

Central to this trope is the 'blood curse' found in Matthew 27:24–25, where a crowd demands that Jesus's blood be on them and their children. Amy-Jill Levine, a specialist in the Bible, contends that Jewish people have endured greater historical pain from this particular text than from any different New Testament excerpt. However, many scholars suggest this account may be 'redactional fiction' intended to downplay the role of the Romans or to reflect the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. Some even argue the 'crowd' referred to only specific supporters of the rebel Barabbas, rather than the Jewish people as a whole.

In the modern era, the Catholic Church has formally repudiated the charge. The Council of Trent (mid-16th century) first rejected collective deicide, and the 1962–1965 Second Vatican Council issued 'Nostra aetate,' declaring that the accusation cannot be made against all Jews, then alive or today. While some Protestant denominations like the Episcopal and Presbyterian churches have issued similar declarations, the history of the trope remains a primary example of how scriptural interpretation can be weaponized to justify systemic persecution, including the Crusades and the Inquisition.

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