Medieval Christian scholars’ blame of Jews matched contemporary anti-Semitism, not history

Evidence

In connection with the Cluniac attitude (see esp. Poitiers, capitula, 1v.v) d’Ancona says that the Cluniac inclination to blame the Jews should be related to a contemporary outbreak of anti- Semitism, rather than to their perception of historical reality. Yet many modern scholars have thought they could identify Talmudic and other influences upon Islam and it seems more reasonable to allow the Cluniacs the same liberty of speculation. — Norman Daniel, Islam and the West, 2046

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the broader theme in my library of how moral panics and scapegoating target out-groups based on contemporary anxieties rather than actual evidence. — connects to: Christian anti-Semitism is rooted in hostility toward Jews as those who know better — Theodor W. Adorno, Max Horkheimer, Dialectic of Enlightenment, 136