Editing Antisemitism in Christianity (section)

=== Papal restrictions and persecution of Jews ===
[[File:Pope Paul IV – Palma il Giovane (1586–87).jpg|thumb|[[Pope Paul IV]], the author of ''[[Cum nimis absurdum]]'']]
While some popes offered protection to Jews, others implemented restrictive policies and actions that contributed to their marginalization and persecution. A key role was played by [[Pope Innocent III]] who justified his calls for lay and Church authorities to restrict Jewish "insolence" by claiming God made Jews slaves for rejecting and killing Christ. He proclaimed them to be the enemies of Christ, who must be kept in a position of social inferiority and prevented from exercising power over Christians.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Tolan |first=John |url=https://hal.science/hal-00726485/file/Of_Milk_and_Blood.pdf |title=The Legal Status of Religious Minorities in the Euro-Mediterranean World (5th – 15th centuries)}}</ref>

'''Devaluing testimony of Jews:''' The [[Third Council of the Lateran|Third Lateran Council]], convened by [[Pope Alexander III]] in 1179, declared the testimony of Christians should be always accepted over the testimony of Jews, that those who believe the testimony of Jews should be [[Anathema|anathemized]], and that Jews should be subject to Christians.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Lateran Council: On Jews |url=https://history.hanover.edu/courses/excerpts/344latj.html |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=history.hanover.edu}}</ref> It forbade Christians serving Jews and Muslims in their homes, calling for the excommunication of those who do.

'''Prohibitions on holding public office'''. The [[Fourth Lateran Council]], of 1215, convened by [[Pope Innocent III]], declared: "Since it is absurd that a blasphemer of Christ exercise authority over Christians, we ... renew in this general council what the Synod of Toledo (589) wisely enacted in this matter, prohibiting Jews from being given preference in the matter of public offices, since in such capacity they are most troublesome to the Christians"<ref name=":3"/> These prohibitions remained in effect for centuries.<ref name=":0">Stow, Kenneth R. (2001). "Theater of Acculturation: The Roman Ghetto in the 16th Century". University of Washington Press. p. 18-19.</ref><ref name=":1">Chazan, Robert (2010). "Reassessing Jewish Life in Medieval Europe". Cambridge University Press. p. 137-138.</ref><ref name=":2">Grayzel, Solomon (1989). "The Church and the Jews in the XIIIth Century". Jewish Publication Society. p. 60-61.</ref>

'''Distinctive clothing and badges:''' The [[Fourth Lateran Council]] required Jews to wear distinctive clothing or badges to distinguish them from Christians. The reason given for this was to enforce prohibitions against sexual intercourse between Christians and Jews and Muslims.<ref name=":3" /> This practice of requiring Jews to wear distinctive clothing and badges was reinforced by subsequent popes and became widespread across Europe.<ref name=":2"/> Such markings led to threats, extortion and violence against Jews.<ref>{{Cite web |last=PLACEHOLDER |first=REPRINT AUTHOR |title=The Long History of Forcing Jews to Wear Anti-Semitic Badges |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-long-history-of-forcing-jews-to-wear-anti-semitic-badges-180981829/ |access-date=2025-04-14 |website=Smithsonian Magazine |language=en}}</ref> This requirement was only removed with the [[Jewish Emancipation]] following [[Age of Enlightenment|the Enlightenment]], but the Nazis revived it. The council also forbade Jews and Muslims from appearing in public during the last three days of Easter.

'''Condemnations and burning of the Talmund:'''  In 1239, [[Pope Gregory IX]] sent a letter to priest in France with accusations against the [[Talmud|Talmund]] by a [[Franciscans|Franciscan]]. He ordered the confiscation of Jewish books while Jews were gathered in synagogue, and that all such books be "burned at the stake.” Similar instructions were conveyed to the kings of France, England, Spain, and Portugal. 24 wagons of Jewish books were burned in Paris. Additional condemnations of the Talmud were issued by Popes [[Pope Innocent IV|Innocent IV]] in his bull of 1244, [[Pope Alexander IV|Alexander IV]], [[Pope John XXII|John XXII]] in 1320, and [[Antipope Alexander V|Alexander V]] in 1409. [[Pope Eugene IV|Pope Eugenius IV]] issued a bull prohibiting Jews from studying the Talmud following the Council of Basle, 1431–43.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Burning of the Talmud |url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/burning-of-the-talmud#:~:text=Condemnations%20of%20the%20Talmud%20were,a%20condemnation%20of%20the%20Talmud. |access-date=2025-04-14 |website=www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org}}</ref>

'''Spanish Inquisition:''' In 1478 [[Pope Sixtus IV]] issued a bull which authorized the Spanish Inquisition.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=Spanish Inquisition {{!}} Definition, History, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Spanish-Inquisition |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> This institutionalized the persecution of Jews who had converted to Christianity (''[[converso]]s''), due to mass violence against Jews by Catholics (e.g. the [[Massacre of 1391]]). The Inquisition employed torture and property confiscation, thousands were burned at the stake. In 1492 Jews were given the choice of either baptism or expulsion, as a result more than 160,000 Jews were expelled.<ref name=":5" />

'''Portuguese Inquisition:''' In 1536 [[Pope Paul III]] established the [[Portuguese Inquisition]] with a papal bull. The major target of the Portuguese Inquisition were Jewish converts to [[Catholicism]], who were suspected of [[Crypto-Judaism|secretly practicing Judaism]]. Many of these were originally [[Sephardic Jews|Spanish Jews]] who had left Spain for Portugal, when Spain forced Jews to convert to Christianity or leave. The number of these victims (between 1540 and 1765) is estimated at 40,000.<ref>{{cite book |last=Saraiva |first=António José |title=The Marrano Factory: The Portuguese Inquisition and Its New Christians |publisher=Brill |year=2001 |location=Leiden |translator-last=Salomon |translator-first=Herman Prins |translator-last2=Sassoon |translator-first2=Isaac S. D.|p=9}}</ref>

'''Ghettos:''' In 1555, [[Pope Paul IV]] issued the papal bull ''[[Cum nimis absurdum]]'', which forced Jews in the [[Papal States]] to live in [[ghetto]]s. It declared "absurd" that Jews, condemned by God to slavery for their faults, had "invaded" the Papal States and were living freely among Christians. It justified restrictions by asserting that Jews were "slaves" for their deeds, while Christians were "freed" by Jesus, and that Jews should see "the true light" and convert to Catholicism. This policy was later adopted in other parts of Europe. The [[Roman Ghetto]], established in 1555, was one of the best-known Jewish ghettos, existing until the Papal States were abolished in 1870, and Jews were no longer restricted<ref>Stow, Kenneth R. (2001). "Theater of Acculturation: The Roman Ghetto in the 16th Century". University of Washington Press. p. 18.</ref>

'''Forced conversions and expulsions:''' Some popes supported or initiated forced conversions and expulsions of Jews. For example, [[Pope Pius V]] expelled Jews from the Papal States in 1569, with the exception of Rome and Ancona. In 1593 [[Pope Clement VIII]] expelled the Jews from the [[Papal States]] with the bull, ''[[Caeca et Obdurata|Caeca et Obdurata Hebraeorum perfidia]]'' (meaning ''The blind and obdurate perfidy of the Hebrews''<ref>Roth, Cecil. 1966. ''The Jewish Book of Days''. Hermon Press.</ref>) [[Pope Innocent III]] in 1201 authorized the forced baptism of Jews in southern France, declaring that those who had been forcibly baptized must remain Christian.<ref>Chazan, Robert (2006). "The Jews of Medieval Western Christendom: 1000-1500". Cambridge University Press. p. 49-50.</ref>

'''Restrictions on Jewish economic activities:''' Various popes imposed restrictions on Jewish economic activities, limiting their professions and ability to own property. In 1555 [[Pope Paul IV]], in his bull ''Cum nimis absurdum'', prohibited Jews from engaging in most professions, restricting them primarily to moneylending and selling second-hand goods. This bull also forbade Jews from owning real estate and limited them to one synagogue per city. Previously the Fourth Lateran Council, sought ''"to protect the Christians against cruel oppression by the Jews",'' who extort Christians with "oppressive and immoderate" interest rates.<ref name=":3" />