Is it true that Christians and Jews were enemies for sacrifice of Jesus by Jews but later united against Muslims at Crusades?

Question

This is what I heard and usually said in Islam.

I want to know if Christians verify this or not.

Answer 1

Jews and Christians have an odd history. Prior to the 2nd Century, there was no distinction - followers of Jesus were simply Jews who understood that Jesus was the promised Messiah they had long waited for. Indeed, Acts 15 records the first "distinction" between Jews and Christians, a controversy over the question of whether or not non-Hebrew (the ethnic as opposed to religious group) Christians needed to be circumcised and keep kosher.

Over time, the differences (and numbers) of Jews vs. Christians within "The Way" mounted, and eventually the theological disagreements (over issues like, say, whether or not Jesus was God!) became so profound as to cause a true division. As this source says, Muslims essentially tried to remove both faiths from their lands.

It should be noted that in the period from about 325AD until the 800s, most of the Middle East (and the area which the Crusaders fought for), was Christian. Syria and Palestine in particular had notable churches, with the Patriarchs of Jerusalem and Antioch being of special note. With the rise of the Islamic Caliphate in the 800s, however, both Christians and Jews were marginalized, taxed uniquely, and in some cases persecuted.

By the time of the Crusades, it is true that there was large disagreement between Jews and Christians, and there was persecution of Jews by dominant Christian groups, in the same way that Muslim nations persecute Christians today, in places like Egypt, the Sudan, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Indonesia. When Christian soldiers from Europe attempted to retake Palestine, in some cases, Jews saw them as liberators, and in other cases, as foes. In the same way, if, for example, the United States were to invade the Sudan, some Christians would welcome them, and others would fight.

It should be noted that even today, however, there is still a group of Jews (called Messianic Jews) who are Christians and Jews simultaneously, saying that in fact, Jesus was the Son of God, the promised Messiah. Jews for Jesus is a group of these.

Answer 2

Christianity didn't exist at the time of Jesus' death - he and all of his followers were a sect of Judaism. So then, they were not enemies. Jews really don't care as most of them never knew who Jesus was. They consider him just another person who claimed to the be one to fulfill proficiency. A false prophet if you will.

"Early Christianity was generally considered to be a sect of Judaism. Paul appears to have considered himself a Jew. We also know that Christians were still welcome in the Temple until its destruction in the year 70, and that they attended Jewish synagogues. On the other hand, John's Gospel, written early in the second century, shows that Christians were beginning to see themselves as distinct from Jews. John was openly hostile to the Jews and referred to "Jews" generically, in contexts where the earlier Gospels directed their criticism towards the Pharisees alone.

The break came in 85 CE, when Christians were banned from the synagogues. From this time, Jews attending the synagogues were required to condemn the Christians, to ensure that Christians did not quietly attend Jewish services without disclosing their true religious beliefs."

Christianity believes that Jesus' death was pre-determined. Even if they believed that Jews "did it" they wouldn't hate them for it as it was meant to be.