A MODERN ORTHODOX-CHRISTIAN RITUAL MURDER LIBEL: St. Philoumenos of Jacob’s Well

David Gurevich

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

Christian antisemitism in Medieval Europe spread the libel that Jews engaged in the ritual murder of non-Jews, supposedly secretly crucifying them and draining the blood of their victims for making Passover bread (also known as ‘the blood libel’). The libel spread to Eastern Orthodox Christianity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This chapter examines a contemporary blood libel - the case of Saint Philoumenos, supposedly ‘ritualistically’ murdered by ‘Zionists’ and ‘Jews’ in Nablus in 1979, and subsequently glorified as a Saint by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem in 2009. This ritual murder libel still circulates today in the Orthodox churches, parts of the contemporary Palestine solidarity movement and even in academic publishing, each having instrumentalised rather than challenged a narrative that is demonstrably false.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationMapping the New Left Antisemitism
Subtitle of host publicationThe Fathom Essays
PublisherTaylor and Francis
Pages184-192
Number of pages9
ISBN (Electronic)9781000960686
ISBN (Print)9781032344737
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 2023

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 selection and editorial matter, Alan Johnson; individual chapters, the contributors.

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Social Sciences

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