Reconciling the Antisemitism of the Church Fathers with Their Devotion to Messiah

Introduction Throughout history, those who have presented themselves to society as devout Christians have taken some very undevout positions. Many slave owners in America were not only born-again Christians but held services for their slaves. And after slavery, many white Christians continued to harbor racist sentiments against blacks. In the Middle Ages, the bishops forbade the people from reading the Bible.1 Many in the Roman Empire assumed that Rome was the eternal city and equated it with the kingdom of God—until it was sacked by the Visigoths in 410 CE. But what about how the Church vi