Early Conflicts between Christians and Jews in the Late Roman Period

Without exception, the following texts were written by Christian authors and so from a Christian perspective. This is not to say that the events they describe did not occur. Rather, it is to say that they tell only one side of the story. Each of these early narratives takes an anti-Jewish tone and describes the Jews quite negatively—as schemers, liars, and faithless deniers of Christ.

It would be incorrect to conclude that this collection of narratives reflects the overwhelming experience of Jews of the ancient world. Unfortunately, we do not have any Jewish records of these events. In addition, we should heed the warnings of historians against reading these incidents in light of each other or assuming any causal relation between one and the next. Each event must be understood on its own terms, in its own context, and as the result of its own contingent and local factors. It also bears noting that a number of these texts attest to power struggles between temporal and religious leadership and to how the Jews were used as pawns in such contests.