Monsters and Madonnas : The Roots of Christian Anti-Semitism

by GOLD JUDITH TAYLOR

• ISBN13: 9780815605836
• ISBN10: 0815605838
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-06-01
• Publisher: Syracuse Univ Pr
• More Book Details
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Summary

In Monsters and Madonnas, Judith Taylor Gold challenges traditional views that trace the source of Christian anti-Semitism to the presentation of Jews in the first four books of the New Testament. She contends that the unflattering depiction of Jews in the gospels and other Christian writings is the result -- not the cause -- of Christian anti-Semitism. Traversing widely ranging subjects such as pre-Christian religion, New and Old Testament scripture, horror literature, incest and pornography, she invokes an imperative "exchange of dialects" between the unconscious mind and the hidden content of the Christ story as the birthplace of Christian anti-Semitism.

Table of Contents

Introduction	ix
Monsters and Their Attributes
Mythical monsters and those of the new technology, their origins and attributes.	1	(10)
Construction of the Horror Story: Setting
From hostile nature to haunted houses, the settings of tales of horror create an unconventional state of time.	11	(8)
Construction of the Horror Story: Characterization
The triad configuration of characters and their relationships. Variations in characterization and auxiliary characters.	19	(9)
Construction of the Horror Story: Plot
Encounters: earthly meets unearthly.	28	(3)
Madonnas
Mother goddesses to the Virgin Mary.	31	(14)
Background of the Christ Story: Historical
Diaspora and conquest shape the history of the Holy Land.	45	(7)
Background of the Christ Story: Political
The religiopolitical parties of Palestine: Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes and Zealots.	52	(6)
Background of the Christ Story: Philosophical
The Divine Mission unfolds against a turbulent confluence of syncretistic ideas and beliefs.	58	(11)
The Intertestamental Writings
The bridge between the Old and New Covenants.	69	(7)
The Messiah
Superhero to supernatural being.	76	(7)
The Christ Story: Setting, Characterizations and Plot
Apocalyptic and natural settings, the Holy Traid, Divine encounters.	83	(10)
A Comparison of the Horror Story and the Christ Story
Shared similarities of the apparently dissimilar.	93	(27)
Horror in the Horror Story
When common relationships turn uncommon.	120	(17)
Horror in the Christ Story
The nature of the uncommon encounter.	137	(10)
Incest
The prerogative of the gods.	147	(17)
Pornography
Contemporary expression for a psychological antiquity.	164	(6)
Anti-Semitism
The paradox of Jesus: Jewish man and Christian God.	170	(15)
Epilogue	185	(6)
Notes	191	(20)
Bibliography	211	(6)
Index	217