Friday, July 25, 2014

Crucifying Haman


I was recently astounded to learn that the idea that Haman was crucified appears in our tradition, notably in the Slichot said on the Fast of Esther and in Josephus. This is pretty cool, I think, because its a clear example of Judaism retrofitting a trope from a later strata of history back on to an older story.

Its not cool, however, because Christians (surprise) used this to justify moments of persecutions and hatred, claiming that the so-called fact that Haman was crucified "proves" that the Jews wanted Jesus crucified, too

IN THE PICTURE: Michealangelo's "Punishment of Haman" showing a crucifiction




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