Was the Medieval Church Anti-Semitic?

[@IzzysIssues]

When it comes to a history lecture I much appreciate the longer-form content since a lot of it is more subjective and requires more clarification than an MtG analysis

[@terryschwimmbacher2314]

I got into your channel through your MTG content but I'm really stoked you're doing these videos - medieval history is a great passion of mine and it's hard to well-presented content. Looking forward to seeing more.

[@NizzahonHistory]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@IIxIxIv]

I like the longer content but maybe add timestamps and break up the video a little Also your screen reflects in your glasses and it makes it a little harder to watch you. I think the video is very informative though and you have a good speaking voice

[@mayaklein2995]

Love the longer video. It's definitely needed to flesh out such a topic

[@M0stlyH3lpful]

Ahhh yes 30 min of Nizzahon. It’s what I needed today

[@dankinmcspankin3123]

I swear the longer the better

[@moleculeman27]

I personally like the longer format. But I'll happily watch any medieval history videos you produce.

[@gabrielkay6866]

Nizzahon Magic: An objective look at the history of MTG Nizzahon History: same thing but for our plane of existence I like it

[@bobsmirnoff]

We need top 10 legendary people from planet Earth based on empirical competitive data

[@gustavrider5561]

This plane is terrible, it is objectively a worse Homelands.

[@gabrielkay6866]

To be fair, we've got a higher percent of Planeswalkers native to our plane than most of the others we've seen so far... Don't get any ideas, WotC

[@666Metalbassist]

Very cool. I'm happy to see this topic discussed. I myself am not Jewish, but I find the increasing prevalence of anti semitic conspiracy theories deeply disturbing. A better understanding of history is important. Love your magic channel. Love this. Have a good day!

[@路易斯アルバート]

In Poland, you got arrested because use hammer sickle and nazi logo. support communist and nazi that means support FAKEstine.

[@feri7mble]

Thanks for the video! As a PhD student in medieval history, I've had to teach this subject a little even though I'm no specialist at all, and it is indeed quite a complex and fascinating theme.

[@olinayoung6287]

The length is great, shorter ones are fine too, whatever works for you. I just save and finish watching later if i need more time which I did with yours 😁! Excellent video, really appreciate the amazing quality content. Thank you!

[@josephanselmi5592]

Fantastic explanation. I so appreciate the measured research and fair examination from all sides. Well Done!!

[@NizzahonHistory]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@MyDj56]

I didn't know this existed until The Viking video, but I love these. These topics you've been covering are super important in providing context to a wider world and I love it

[@NizzahonHistory]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@pbrenzink]

This is much better than mtg content, dont get me wrong, love both, but history is a passion! Pls post more here! Much love from Brazil!

[@atlanntis8064]

Nice, I remember many years ago you've mentioned your interest in history in one of your top 10s, great to see you finally came around to doing it. Another fine addition to the KZbin history community.

[@NizzahonHistory]

Thanks!

[@rogaahn1587]

Great Video. The 30 min. format works really nice aswell...

[@NizzahonHistory]

Awesome, thank you!

[@markwahl2027]

I loved this video! This channel is a great weekly addition to my KZbin regiment. Keep up the amazing work!

[@kilgoretrout9523]

I love this! I never would have watched a history video if I wasn't led here by mtg, but now that I am I think I've found a new passion! This approach is so different from what I experienced in school. I really see the parallels between modern day and ancient times and am amazed at how much we know about events/culture so long ago. Keep it up and I love the longer videos!

[@NizzahonHistory]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@nezzivancic3644]

Just found out about your second channel and am really enjoying it so far. Personally, I like the longer form video format, however, I'll watch regardless.

[@NizzahonHistory]

Thanks!

[@petermiller8727]

I'm interested in the unspoken decision you've made to equate the Church with the decisions and proclamations of the its highest officials rather than the common people who were members of said church. My own research focus is in Late Antiquity, but there seem to be plenty of popular (though not canonized into Scrupture) documents such as the Epistle of Barnabas that fit closer to the antisemitic side of the scale based on the definition you've chosen to work with here. Maybe a more precise statement is that while the official position of Church leadership at the highest levels was more anti-Jewish than antisemitic, there was a rhetoric and strain of thought that lent itself to antisemitism within the Medieval church's members? Fun video, I enjoyed the longer format and would like to hear more.

[@NizzahonHistory]

Thanks for the great comment! While people like Melito of Sardis, and documents like the Epistle of Barnabas do collectively blame the Jews for the crucifixion of Jesus and use that to claim that Christianity supercedes Judaism as "the chosen people", I would argue that the big difference in those two cases is that the argument is based (to some degree) on Scriptures (Matthew 27), while the accusations that emerge later in the Middle Ages aren't based on anything. So, while I do focus primarily on the Church higher-ups in this video, I would argue that with a few exceptions, anti-Semitism (as I defined it here) isn't really around for the members of the Church either before the eleventh century. Ideas of supercessionism is certainly there, but I don't see that as anti-Semitic either. Theology is still the basis of these thoughts. Though, of course, all of these anti-Jewish rhetoric provided a good atmosphere for anti-Semitism to emerge from.

[@tyscott4677]

@@NizzahonHistory bro can I ask you a question I a born Christian everyone including atheist are saying that Hitler was a Christian and that Christianity caused his anti semitism thank you and very good video good job

[@markk6060]

Enjoying your new channel! I think 30 mins or less is good but I wouldn't worry about time too much. If we can deal with 2 hours of drafting Ikoria , we can handle this

[@NizzahonHistory]

Good to know!

[@nyanfish1]

The longer the better! So excited for you to try new things, good luck!

[@moleculeman27]

Also, I'm from York and was surprised that 1190 here was not mentioned, but I bet there's a mention next week!

[@Guyu]

Can we get a top 10 worst anti-Semitic churches?

[@froggywoggy473]

Do you happen to have a take on Dante's portrayal of Jews? I'm midway through the Divine Comedy at the moment and I'm finding it very difficult to parse exactly how he felt about us. It seems significant that the sections of Inferno about usury and heresy don't feature Jews, and there's a line in Paradiso where he urges good behavior among Christians so "the Jews among you do not deride you" (I'm paraphrasing). It's interesting that probably the most widely read Christian in medieval literature didn't really partake in what at the time was such a popular form of bigotry, but I'm not totally sure I haven't misread or missed something.

[@jimmytyson6726]

Great video, and awesome channel. I am not super familiar with medieval history (my academic focus is more colonial/Cold War history) and I am looking forward to learning more. The only serious book I’ve read on medieval history is The Caliban and the Witch by Silvia Federici and really enjoyed it. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the book if you are familiar with it. Keep doing what you’re doing king.

[@elnatanbitensky8314]

Another thing to look forward to on Thursdays.

[@SightsNScapes]

Hey bellman! Loving your channel!!

[@NizzahonHistory]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@gustavrider5561]

I don't know bro, I am not particularly fond of this plane, too much grimdark bullcrap and everything revolves weenie humans and artifacts, they only had dinosaurs ONCE.

[@NewSelf7]

I really like the longer format videos, I feel they give us a chance to explore the subject in more detail. I think longer videos for subjects like this and shorter ones for the top ten-style videos would work great. I love your the MTG channel and this history one is also great. Keep the good work coming!

[@RichardSorel-r1c]

Simple answer: what started out as theological differences (especially contempt for the talmud) ultimately morphed into a full-blown ethnic disdain of Jewish people collectively.

[@PlasticSiding]

Great video, I liked the length it gave you time to flush out all the context

[@tau.r.u]

This is very enlightening. I love how you distinguish between antijudaism and antisemitism. Even though I have read a little on the problematic history of the behaviour of the church towards Jewish people, (I am a teacher of religion and I go into this topic for 15-16 year old students) it's the first time I've come across that distinction. The video is well worth the watch even on that point alone. Maybe it's all too speculative for you to give a definitive answer to, but that distinction got me thinking about the way Innocent III (who I like less the more I learn about him) handled these beliefs. Do you think he - and/or the people around him, even if he was, in my understanding, arguably one of the mightiest popes in history doesn't mean he could solo these decisions - really believed in the possibility of a Jewish conspiracy? Or could it have been a sort of realpolitik, leaning into folkloristic beliefs that happened to gain popularity, as to consolidate his own power? Or must we consider personal drives and considerations like that as lost in the mists of history? On the note of what I thought about this video conceptually: while I think this video was more engaging to me than the previous ones - I noticed I was listening and following more closely, on the strength of you basically arguing a single point, rather than bringing up a series of anecdotes - I very much like the two forms next to one another: more anecdotal, quick overviews next to some proper deepdives. (Maybe anecdotal sounds a bit weird for how specific the videos about crusader culture are, but I don't know how I'd express the difference in my appreciation in another way.)

[@froggywoggy473]

To the point of Innocent III - there has been no group of people (with the possible exception of the Roma people) of whom it has been more convenient for so many political leaders to make a scapegoat as the Jews. Whether or not Innocent III really believed in the looming threat of a Jewish conspiracy, there's no doubt that many of his constituents did, and he was perfectly happy to lead the flock down that path for what he believed would be his own (and the Church's) benefit in the short term. I wouldn't doubt he believed in the stories himself - we have very good evidence that the blood libel, for example, was regarded as factual among the enormous majority of European Christians through, like, the eighteenth century - but certainly spreading the discrimination was to his political benefit.

[@Mop-Tollsy]

Thank you so much for the education, and a great jumping off point for more reading and learning

[@markadkins1842]

I really enjoyed this video! And longer videos are perfect for car rides, so I dont have any issue with the length!

[@NizzahonHistory]

Good to know!

[@jaydenthompson7300]

is there a reference list for this?

[@BigTranquil]

when taking to camera, you could have better backgrounds... but the content is great

[@albaniaalban]

Very interesting video! I love the exploration of these very charged times (not least today, with interfaith relations being strained in many countries) in an objective and analytical manner! What do you know about anti-semitism in muslim cultures? As far as I understand, Islamic-Jewish relations have historically been more peaceful than the Christian-Jewish ones, but there have also been great atrocities committed against Jewish people during the middle ages by Muslim rulers - what was the overall trend? How did the daily Muslim see the dhimmi? Thanks again for the content you make!

[@edelweissaven3780]

For complex matters, longer videos are always preferable.

[@patharnett-marshall4173]

I'm going to watch all these videos; I hope a great many people who watch your mtg videos do too.

[@NizzahonHistory]

Thanks!

[@iam9991000]

I don't care if the videos are long or short.

[@n3croticism]

Great video! Question: did the church actually excommunicated someone as punishment for the attacks against the Jewish communities? Or was it just an empty threat?

[@NizzahonHistory]

People were excommunicated for breaking the rules, but as powerful as the Church was in the Middle Ages, there were plenty of times when it wasn't enforced. Just hard to control everyone on an entire continent.

[@georgem7502]

Absolutely go for the long academic videos - Lindeybeige, Let’s Talk Religion and Religion for Breakfast all do good long scholarly videos with great success! Go for it 🥰

[@mikepeterson4248]

Seriously.....no mention of the destruction of the second temple?

[@NizzahonHistory]

Why would I mention it here?

[@waaaaaaah5135]

As a Jew, I find this all extremely fascinating.

[@NizzahonHistory]

I'm also a Jew, that's part of why I ended up studying it!

[@alaraplatt8104]

great video

[@nickbalmes6640]

"Hi everyone, Im Jacob L-" Still gotta get used to that intro 😅

[@bethmaxwell7834]

This was interesting and included many tidbits that I’ve never heard of like ritual desecration and blaming Jews for the plague.

[@NizzahonHistory]

Glad you liked it!

[@Jewish_Israeli_Zionist]

Not only the medieval. Also the ancient and the new.

[@JustPokey]

Longer=better

[@guylortie5238]

Not gonna lie, I first read the title as Was the Medieval Church Anti-Simic... I'm stupid...

[@paulcolour3030]

Nice intro

[@maync1]

I am glad you are reading these comments. Great content, lots of clarification, thank you. But presentation is poor. Like a rattle gun. Maybe you are only paid to do so. You are reading off a script and it shows. No breaks and pauses, lack of gravity where it should be found, spaces between sentences meticulously edited out. All sacrificed to get it over and done with. What a shame because the distinction you are drawing and following up over the centuries is a good one. But what's the rush? The personal element, conviction, is lacking. No subdivision as is quite mandatory with paragraphs in written work. I find this quite a lot in YT videos, more often than not in American ones; perhaps history is regarded there in a different way, like more of a facts compilation and that's it. Obviously it is regarded as independent from oneself. But there are also other videos where the presentation of the story is personal and a delight.

[@RedOctober_]

I wish you were my history teacher My history teacher plays cringey beegees music at the start of class ):

[@NizzahonHistory]

That's rough.

[@LindaMerchant-dw1sw]

Rhe Spanish inquisition Torquemada

[@kaydenchapman3094]

I remember learning about how an English King evicted all Jews from England and took their wealth

[@NizzahonHistory]

Yep! In 1290. It is a pretty interesting event, since the king's motivations are pretty complicated.

[@TheGloriousLobsterEmperor]

@@NizzahonHistory Would love to learn more about these motivations some time. Got any good sources?

[@OrbGoblin]

Kind of weird see how long crazy conspiracy theories have been around.

[@NizzahonHistory]

Yep, there is something about the human condition that has led people in that direction pretty much from the beginning.

[@charliebrownie4158]

No they weren't Anti-Semitic, the wood and fires and other implements of torture those things were/are Anti-Semitic.

[@corradoalamanni179]

Most massacres were in germany mmm ... It makes One thinks

[@FuzzyWalrus123]

Do Is Judaism anti-Christian? next.

[@NizzahonHistory]

Sometimes it certainly is. When Jews started receiving worsening treatment from their Christian neighbors in the twelfth century, we also see the rise of Anti-Christian Jewish polemic, which were basically books written by people that intended to show them how to argue with Christians against their (from the Jewish perspective) false beliefs. However, this is not the equivalent to anti-Semitism, because these books are based on actual theological differences, and not chimerical or fantastical accusations. So, anti-Christian positions taken by Jews are the equivalent of anti-Jewish positions taken by Christians, but their is no equivalent to anti-Semitism.