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fortfive t1_j304gzp wrote

Reply to comment by SpindriftRascal in A family finds swastikas in the lawn as antisemitism surges by Shaul_Ishtov

Is there really antisemitism before the middle ages? I mean before that, they were conquered a few times, but the conqerors weren’t attacking just because they were hebrews, or treating them any worse than their other conquerees.

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domino2064 t1_j30avko wrote

>Is there really antisemitism before the middle ages? I mean before that, they were conquered a few times, but the conqerors weren’t attacking just because they were hebrews, or treating them any worse than their other conquerees.

Considering that the seleucids attempted what we'd consider genocide during the Maccabean Wars; the policies of the Roman and then Byzantine empires banning conversion to Judaism by death and then various, antisemitic policies since...

Yeah, it's been around for a long time.

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fortfive t1_j30za07 wrote

So maybe i’ll adjust my starting line to the formation of the catholic church, but things like genocide prior to that was just ancient geopolitics, and societies and warlords wiped each other out all the time. I mean, even the hebrews did it to the canaanites. Even in the egyptian slavery, it wasn’t really their jewish nature that led to oppression, pharaoh just wanted to keep exploiting cheap labor.

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SpindriftRascal t1_j309z92 wrote

Conquered a few times. Had the Temples sacked a couple times. Chased out of their homes repeatedly over the centuries around the continents. Had to adapt or assimilate to survive. I won’t spend time trying to understand the motives of those who would kill us. Res ipsa loquitur.

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fortfive t1_j30yuaa wrote

Prior to when christianity became the roman religion, though, it was just normal geopolitics right? Like the folks who who sacked and conquered weren’t singling out jews for being jewish, they were just conquering a rival society.

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[deleted] t1_j308bl2 wrote

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fortfive t1_j30zrg6 wrote

Because I don’t see any history to suggest it. Prior to the time when christianity was made state religion, The romans didn’t treat hebrews any differently than their other subjects, like the greeks or the cartaginians. The babylonians didn’t really care who was occupying palestine, they just wanted the land and ports. Ancient societies were constantly wiping each other out, taking each other’s women, and imposing religion on their subjects.

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