In Jewish theology, God deemed the Jews his “chosen people.” Ironically, in their four-thousand-year history, Jews have frequently been chosen as a target for persecution by the societies in which they reside. Jews and the teachings of Judaism have almost always been seen as the “other”— whether as a monotheistic anomaly in pre-Christian times or as a suspiciously successful minority in the modern era, particularly in the largely Christian West. While violent anti-Semitism has mostly disappeared, many observers insist that anti-Semitism persists in less virulent forms. Although this anti-Semitism is not based wholly on theological disputes, examining the role of non-Jewish religions in fomenting anti-Jewish attitudes can deepen one’s understanding of the nature and the extent of modern anti-Semitism. One religion that has played a key role in the spread and subsequent decline of anti-Semitism is Catholicism.

From its inception, the...