ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a brief overview of some of the critical questions surrounding possible New Testament antisemitism. In one of the few areas of widespread scholarly consensus with regard to New Testament antisemitism, primary responsibility for Jesus' death has been assigned to the Roman government. Consideration of the historic deicide charge provides an entry into the broader issue of New Testament antisemitism as a whole. Raymond Brown also modified his position on the absence of antisemitism in John, which he articulated in his Anchor Bible commentary. His change of viewpoint is not nearly as dramatic as that of Gregory Baum. With the very likely exception of sections of John, New Testament hostility toward Jews and Judaism was not characterized by the hatred, even unto death, that has been central to so many modem expressions of antisemitism.
