Crucified: The Christian Invention of the Jewish Executioners of Jesus 

Reviewed by:

G. Connor Salter, Professional Writing alumnus from Taylor University, Upland, IN.

Title:

Crucified: The Christian Invention of the Jewish Executioners of Jesus

Author:

J. Christopher Edwards

Publisher:

Fortress Press

http://fortresspress.com

Format:

Hardcover

Publication Date:

October 3, 2023

Length:

237 pages

OVERVIEW

One of the sadder misconceptions the church repeatedly faces is the idea that the Jews killed Jesus. The claim comes up in many discussions, from debates about the movie The Passion of the Christ to critiques of the Oberamaggau Passion Play to scholarly discussions about the gospel of Barnabas. The narrative that skips over the fact that the Romans executed Jesus, and blames the Jewish race instead of individual Jewish leaders for plotting Jesus’ death, has created much pain. J. Christopher Edwards looks at the narratives’ early history by exploring ancient texts about Jesus’ death, from the canonical gospels to second- to fourth-century Christian texts. As he surveys the texts chronologically, he argues that over time, they put more emphasis on the Jews that Jesus clashed with than on his Roman executioners—more emphasis on the Jews collectively killing Jesus. He also considers some issues that the “Jews killed Christ” narrative still creates today.

Edwards raises some excellent points about this anti-semitic narrative. For example, he points out the way that anti-semitic accounts conflate a few Jewish individuals (Caiphas and the Sanhedrin, etc.) with Jews as a people group. He also highlights how this narrative conflate generations of Jews—which allows people to associate contemporary Jews they dislike with ancient Jewish people who were present at Good Friday. In this anti-semitic vision, Jews today become no different from “the Jews who killed Christ.” Edwards also makes a compelling case for why we should consider how post-gospel texts like the Gospel of Barnabas affected how later Christians saw the world. These texts were never accepted into the biblical canon, but they were widely read in the ancient church. We are more influenced by traditions (orthodox and heretical ones) than we care to admit.

Edwards does take a mainline view of scripture that many readers will not agree with. For example, he attributes some material in the Gospel of Luke that quotes from earlier gospels in odd ways to “editorial fatigue” rather than asking whether quirks fit into a larger design that readers have missed. He also argues that if we read the gospels chronologically (earliest composed to latest composed, from Mark to John), we see the texts progressively taking a more anti-Jewish tone as the church becomes more concerned about appealing to Gentile audiences. For example, he notes that John, the last composed gospel, gives readers the crowd telling Pilate, “May his blood be on us and our children!”

More conservative readers may not agree with Edward’s view that this example shows that the gospels increasingly blame the Jewish race as a whole for Jesus’s death. One could argue that since the text says it’s a small crowd (not everyone in Jerusalem) and a crowd that the Jewish leader have manipulated, it’s more of a statement about those individual leaders’ guilt than about the Jews as a race.

While Edwards’ ideas present problems for readers who believe the text is divinely inspired and inerrant (however they define that term), his points always raise good questions. Whatever readers’ beliefs about the canonical gospels, his material on the early church narratives that still inform us today is well worth considering.

At its best, a worthwhile discussion about one of the messiest stains on the church’s record.

ASSESSMENT

Rating (1 to 5 stars):

3.5 Stars

Suggested audience:

Readers researching how early church narratives inform how we read the gospels today, seeking new narratives to avoid antisemitism.

Christian impact:

Even conservative readers who dislike Edwards’ approach to the four gospels can learn from his emphasis on returning to the sources, thinking about what happened on Good Friday, and whether our Passion Week narratives blame the wrong people to fit our biases.

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