Constantine and Jews After 325 CE

 Nadene Goldfoot                                             

  Constantine, 4th century,  head in Capitoline museum, Rome

When Constantine the Great came to power in 306, he worked to stop the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire. However, this led to a large split in the treatment of Christians and Jews.

Jews living in the Roman Empire were legally obliged to pay the Fiscus Judaicus tax since the destruction of the Jewish Temple in 70 CE. This tax continued during his reign and some historians credit the emperor Julian with abolishing this in 362.

It was noted that Judaism was “an abominable sect”  Naturally;  we wouldn't convert;  we wouldn't bow to Roman god statutes.  

As for Easter, Constantine's comment was that ""... it appeared an unworthy thing that in the celebration of this most holy feast we should follow the practice of the Jews, who have impiously defiled their hands with enormous sin, and are, therefore, deservedly afflicted with blindness of soul ... Let us then have nothing in common with the detestable Jewish crowd; for we have received from our Saviour a different way."

  Now, according to the book I checked out from the Catholic college inPortland called University of Portland,  Constantine said he loved his polytheistic religion and went along only for his mother, Helena, on pushing for Christianity.  Evidently, as he was toldmore of Christianity's stories, he developed a dislike for Jews as he thensaid, "Let us, then, have nothing in common with the Jews, who are our adversaries. ... Let us ... studiously avoiding all contact with that evil way. ... For how can they entertain right views on any point who, after having compassed the death of the Lord, being out of their minds, are guided not by sound reason, but by an unrestrained passion, wherever their innate madness carries them. ... lest your pure minds should appear to share in the customs of a people so utterly depraved. ... Therefore, this irregularity must be corrected, in order that we may no more have any thing in common with those parricides and the murderers of our Lord. ... no single point in common with the perjury of the Jews."

This was made laws in further decrees.  

Resource:

https://goldfoot_genealogy.blogspot.com/2022/04/tracking-down-kalonymos-descendants.html

https://goldfoot_genealogy.blogspot.com/2023/03/our-origins-and-dna-of-jewish-history.html

https://www.ccjr.us/dialogika-resources/primary-texts-from-the-history-of-the-relationship/roman-laws

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_the_Great_and_Judaism#:~:text=Constantine%20supported%20the%20separation%20of,are%20necessarily%20blinded.%20...

https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/on-decrees-that-spilled-jewish-blood-the-evil-legacy-of-the-nicene-council/#:~:text=The%20Council%20of%20Nicaea%20rang,hostile%20rabble%20of%20the%20Jews.%E2%80%9D