hristian theoligists, Hippolytus and Origen, elaborated on theory the Jews killed God. By the fourth century, this idea dominated Christian thinking. (Flannery)In the Edict of Milan (313CE), Emperor Constantine legalized Christianity throughout the Roman Empire. He declared that the land of Israel no longer belonged to the Jews. Instead, it belonged to the Christian Church. This reintroduced the replacement of the covenant. After Christianity became official, theology was translated into government policy, and the synagogue came under repressive measures. (Flannery) Constantine tried to keep all his bases covered, and practiced all the cults of his realm, even after he converted to Christianity. Ironically, he wasn’t even baptized until he was on his death bed. Some believe this is because of the growing political power of the Christians in the empire. ("The Great Heresies…")Chrysostom (344-407), a highly esteemed church father, denounced the Jews in the strongest language: ‘most miserable of all men’, ‘lustful, rapacious, greedy, perfidious bandits’, ‘inveterate murderers, destroyers, men possessed by the devil’, ’they have surpassed the ferocity of wild beasts, for they murder their offspring’. He didn’t stop there. Chrysostom explained the Jews fate as a result of their murdering: ‘no expiation possible, no indulgence, no pardon; their odious assassination of Christ was the origin of all their woes…God hates you.’ (Flannery)Augustine (354-430), Chysostom’s contemporary, also influenced Jewish hatred. He did reaffirm Paul’s attitude that we have a duty to love the Jews, but he shared the view that Judas was the image of the Jewish people. His theory was that the Jews are a witness-people destined to live as testimony to both evil and Christian truth, but who were not to be killed, for like Cain they bore a sign. "Let them live ...
