Aquinas and the Jews

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that, while Aquinas' work may be remembered by many for its original thought, his arguments in the case of Jews lost their credibility because of frequent dualities. The author points out that, while, on the one hand, Aquinas tried to be sympathetic and tolerant; on the other hand, he created an undesirable duality when he refused to resist some stereotypical images of Jews as usurers and murderers of Christ. The paper states that, when he had the opportunity to dispel some old beliefs and add a new and refreshing angle to the age-old prejudice held against Jews, Aquinas failed miserably. Many quotations.

From the Paper:

"The works of Saint Augustine were one of the major sources for Aquinas' writings. His views on Jews are largely a response to Augustine's arguments. Thus, we must not deny the influence of other thinkers and philosophers on Aquinas' work but we must also admit that his work bore a distinctive mark that indicated originality and independent thinking. Aquinas was particularly interested in Pharisaic Judaism. This sect was responsible for calling Jesus a Samaritan- a term they used for someone who was seen as unclean. Samaritans were usually classed with the Philistines and Edomites as Mishna declares: "He that eats the bread of the Samaritans is like to one that eats the flesh of swine.""

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