An Early Anti-Jewish Narrative

Soon after, the Jews renewed their malevolent and impious practices against the Christians and were punished as they deserved. At a place called Inmestar, located between Chalcis and Antioch in Syria, the Jews were amusing themselves in their usual manner with a variety of sports. In this way they indulged in many absurdities and at length, motivated by drunkenness, were guilty of mocking Christians and even Christ himself. Deriding the cross and those who put their trust in the Crucified One, they seized a Christian boy and having tied him to a cross began to laugh and sneer at him. After a while they were so transported with fury that they scourged the child until he died at their hands. This conduct brought about a sharp conflict between them and the Christians. As soon as the emperors were informed of the circumstances, they issued orders to the governor of the province to investigate and punish the delinquents. And thus the Jewish inhabitants of this place paid the penalty for the wickedness they had committed in their impious sport.

Adapted from the translation ofA. C. Zenos.