ABSTRACT
In 1985 a number of articles in the gospel magazine Evan, published by the L. and J.Goeree Evangelical Foundation and distributed from door to door, led to numerous judicial pronouncements. The import of the articles was remarkable. The message of the two evangelists was that members of the Jewish people, at least those observing the Jewish faith, were themselves responsible for the suffering wrought upon them through the ages, in particular the atrocities committed during the Nazi regime. This religious conviction was based on an interpretation of words spoken in Matthew 27:25 during the trial of Jesus: ‘His blood be on us, and on our children.’ In the words of the Goerees, ‘With the blood Jesus shed to deliver them, the Jews brought their own destruction upon themselves. They murdered their redeemer. They rejected the salvation God was offering them. They rejected life and opted for death. No nation would have been able to do Israel any harm if it had recognized its prince of peace. Had they accepted their Messiah, the Jews would not have become a victim of the nations.’
