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How Fake News Launched the Persecution of Jews for Two Thousand Years

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Why would a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl betrothed to a Jewish carpenter in Galilee be pictured in a Christian ceremony in a palatial Renaissance setting?

Betrothal of the Virgin (1495-1498) by Michael Pacher
Betrothal of the Virgin (1495-1498) by Michael Pacher
(Image by (Not Known) commons.wikimedia, Author: Author Not Given)
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And why is this Jewish family that is traveling to Egypt to escape King Herod's order to kill all Jewish boys under the age of two, displaying a cross?

The Rest On the Flight Into Egypt (1509) by Fra Bartolomeo
The Rest On the Flight Into Egypt (1509) by Fra Bartolomeo
(Image by (Not Known) commons.wikimedia, Author: Author Not Given)
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These and thousands of other artworks powerfully convey the idea that Jesus and his family may have been born Jewish but they were really Christians. And this fake message in artworks was everywhere in European settings--in churches, homes, and public places. And again, no sources for facts, as we have today with a free press.

The truth is that anti-Semitism was so deeply entrenched in European society that no artist would dare picture a Jewish Jesus. I once illustrated that point with this example: "Imagine if the artist Raphael presented his patron with a scene of Jesus in a synagogue with a Jewish prayer shawl (tallit), wearing tassels (tzitzit), donning phylacteries (tefillin) for morning prayer, and surrounded by other Jewish worshipers in similar attire--with Jesus pictured affectionately kissing his beloved Torah. "Raphael, what have you given me?" the startled patron would surely ask. "Sir," Raphael might respond, "this is a painting of the authentic Jesus. That's what Jesus did every morning. Don't you want to experience the real Jesus?"

Even if so inclined, artists had little decision-making about the content of their paintings, which was determined by the patrons who commissioned their artworks. And patrons demanded totally Christian depictions to impress church officials and the public, with their pious devotion and celebration of Christianity.

Most puzzling is why art historians, art critics, and curators continue to ignore or rationalize the flagrant fake news that falsifies biblical history in religious artworks. Telling the truth would take nothing away from the works' artistic magnificence and their contribution to the development of art.

It's sad that art-world professionals believe they have to defend fake news in order to preserve the beauty of Renaissance art and its valuable contribution. Avoiding the truth is a missed educational opportunity for enriching the experience of viewing these artworks with an understanding of their historical context.

We can't change history but we can profit from preserving and understanding it. Acknowledging the fake news in artworks would be especially valuable today in view of current efforts toward a rapprochement between Christianity and Judaism to honor the historical common foundation of the two faiths--a view that has been expressed by Pope Francis: "Inside every Christian is Jew."

(Article changed on August 15, 2018 at 17:22)

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Bernard Starr, PhD, is author of The Crucifixion of Truth, a drama set in 16th century Italy and Spain. Starr is a psychologist, journalist, and professor emeritus at CUNY, Brooklyn College. At Brooklyn College Starr taught developmental (more...)
 

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