Nadene Goldfoot
- It was Haman of Persia;, the king's advisor, who had started killingJews back in Queen Esther's day, before 330 BCE. In those days, Persia covered much land. That was about 2,355 years ago.
1492 was the date given for the Spanish Inquisition when King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella put out a statement that Jews had to leave their country or convert. Actually, the government had been coming down on Jews even before that date.
In 1492, during the reign of Pope Alexander VI (Rodrigo Borgia), the Spanish Inquisition was already well-established, having been authorized by Pope Sixtus IV in 1478 at the request of Spain's Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, to enforce Catholic orthodoxy, especially after the conquest of Granada and the expulsion of Jews, with the Pope granting the monarchs power to appoint inquisitors to root out heresy and enforce religious uniformity.
- Grand Inquisitor: Tomás de Torquemada(Oct 14, 1420-Sept 16, 1498), a Dominican, became the most famous, leading the charge against heresy. Any hidden Jew was charged with heresy and tortured to death. Tomás de Torquemada (born 1420, Valladolid, Castile [Spain]—died September 16, 1498, Ávila, Castile) was the first grand inquisitor in Spain, whose name has become synonymous with the Christian Inquisition’s horror, religious bigotry, and cruel fanaticism. A torture chamber where you must admit you are a Jew; then death, possible at the stake by fire, or in the torture chamber itself
- As it happened, there were Jews with businesses or older relative who could not pick up and leave quickly. They were not interested in becoming Catholics. They had to go through baptism but practiced Judaism on the sly.They became the Marranos, conversos or anusim. Jews were even trackeddown who had immigrated to Mexico much later.
When did Protestant Christianity enter the picture? Protestantism officially started on October 31, 1517, when German monk Martin Luther posted his "95 Theses" in Wittenberg, Germany, challenging Catholic practices like indulgences and sparking the Protestant Reformation, though its ideas grew from earlier reform movements and took time to develop into distinct denominations.
This was only 25 years after the Spanish Inquisition that was still in force.25 years is a long time. Think of a baby girl born in 1492. She can be awife and mother of 5 children by 1517.
Martin Luther, a German monk and theologian, is credited with leading the Protestant Reformation starting in 1517 by challenging the Catholic Church's practices, particularly the sale of indulgences, with his 95 Theses, sparking a movement that reshaped Christianity and led to new Protestant denominations like Lutheranism. Other key figures like John Calvin also became crucial leaders, but Luther was the catalyst.
Martin Luther's views on Jews shifted significantly over his lifetime, moving from an initial hope for their conversion to Christianity to later extreme hostility when this did not occur. His later writings are considered virulently antisemitic and have been widely condemned for their influence on German antisemitism and their use by the Nazi regime.
- Early Period (until approximately 1536): Luther expressed a more favorable view, criticizing the mistreatment of Jews by the Catholic Church in his 1523 essay That Jesus Christ Was Born a Jew. He believed that presenting the "pure" Gospel could lead to their conversion. This viewpoint is still being viewed by many. This viewpoint was introduced 31 years after the Inquisition.
- Later Period (after approximately 1537): Following the failure of his conversion efforts, Luther became increasingly hostile. This period is marked by harsh anti-Jewish treatises, most notably On the Jews and Their Lies (1543). This conclusion took place 51 years after the inquisition. He called Jewis
- h defense of the Old Testament, etc, lies, as they only accepted the New Testament. 51 years covers grandparents still alive after the Inquisition.
- On the Jews and Their Lies is a significant work in which Luther proposed a plan of persecution. His suggestions to German princes included destroying synagogues and homes, confiscating religious texts, forbidding rabbis from teaching, and seizing their property. He also made statements advocating violence against Jews. In another work from the same year, he employed derogatory language and associated Jews with the Devil.Legacy and Modern CondemnationLuther's anti-Jewish rhetoric is widely acknowledged by historians as a major factor in the rise of antisemitism in Germany. Centuries later, his writings were utilized by the Nazi Party to justify their ideology and actions, including the 1938 Kristallnacht pogrom. Time from 1492 is 446 years. Anti-Semitism brought about by the Spanish Inquisition has been active for about 500 years up to Nazi period.
- The United States will be only 250 years old in 2026. A lot has taken place.
- We have been burdened with 500 years of anti-Semitism. From Kristsalnacht to today has been 87 years. So we can figure about 600 past years of dealing with anti-Semitism. Today, the Nazis havebeen replaced by fundamental terrorists of the Middle East, who areaiming to kill all Jews.
- Today we have several Christian groups backing Israelis. CUFI is one. CBN is another. Also, so far, we have the American President on our side,Trump, who Netanyahu is trying to work with.
