Primary Texts from 100 to 1000 CE

In the second - third centuries, Christianity was not recognized as a legitimate religion in the Roman Empire, whereas Jewish traditions and rituals had legal recognition. Threatened by the Synagogue’s high social status, the claim of Christian leaders to understand the Hebrew Scriptures better than Jews seemed incredible to pagans. They had the hard task of proving to Jews, pagans, and its own members that the Church was the true Israel, that Judaism was a pretender to that title, and that the Church need not follow the Mosaic law — all of this using Jewish sources as proof-texts. So, in this era, an exposition of the Christian faith demanded a detailed refutation of Judaism.  The fourth century was a turning point. In 313 Constantine I granted Christianity permanent toleration status and in 380 Theodosius I made it the preferred religion of the State. By the end of the century, irked by Judaism’s durability and the appeal it held for many Christians, church leaders set out to destroy Judaism’s influence both rhetorically and legally. After the fall of the western Roman Empire ca. 476, and the beginning of the early Middle Ages, "Christendom emerged in which Jewish rights under Roman law diminished and sporadic anti-Jewish practices occurred.