Lessons from The Jew of Malta: Rejecting Religious Hatred

by John Paul Philips

Christopher Marlowe's controversial play The Jew of Malta is a powerful cautionary story about the dangers of allowing religious intolerance to take root. Through the tragic story of the Jewish merchant Barabas, we witness the cycle of violence that can erupt when one group persecutes and dehumanizes another over differences in faith.



As Catholics, we need to look at this 16th century drama and use it as a mirror to reflect on our own potential for hatred and cruelty towards those outside our religion. The Christian rulers of Malta justify stripping away the Jewish population's rights and wealth solely due to their religious identity. As Barabas accuses, "What, bring you Scripture to confirm your wrongs?" 

History has shown time and again how religious differences have been twisted to justify unspeakable acts - the Crusades, the Inquisition, modern extremism. We must reject the misguided notion that anyone who believes differently is less deserving of dignity and respect.

Barabas himself becomes consumed by an understandable outrage after the injustice he suffers. While his murderous path of vengeance is misguided, we can empathize with the hurt of having one's livelihood confiscated and being forced to convert. Violence only breeds more violence, as Marlowe bluntly states - "Murder itself, that massacre of wretches."

So what can we take away? As we continue working to combat all forms of religious bigotry in society, we must also examine our own hearts. Harboring hatred towards those of different spiritual beliefs, no matter how deeply we disagree, only perpetuates the destructive cycles witnessed in Malta. We can only win people over to Christ by loving and not hating.

Approaching others with compassion, openness and a willingness to dialogue is key to breaking these patterns of intolerance. While standing firm in our own faith, we must also love our neighbors as ourselves, even those who Hold conflicting viewpoints.

The Jew of Malta dramatizes what can go horrifically wrong when we allow religious differences to become excuses for malice and division. May it inspire us to live the true teachings of Christ - to love one another like God loved us.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Delilah from the Bible and Life Lessons from her!

Image
Delilah! Who was this girl who betrayed the man who loved her for money? Well, the Bible doesn’t give us much information about her. All that we.have is a little story of her seducing and betraying Samson. In Judges 16:5, the Philistine lords get Delilah to betray Samson in exchange for 1100 pieces of silver: And the lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “Entice him, and find out where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and every one of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.” The meaning of her name may give us an essential clue. Delilah: The Weak One The name Delilah in Hebrew means “weak; poor.” And in many ways we can see, from the story of Samson, just how weak Delilah was in her relation to Samson.  ✨She Was Weak In Loyalty✨ In Judges 16:5, we'll find something about Delilah’s first weakness: And the lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “Entice him,
Read more

The Samaritan Woman at the well and Life lessons from her!

Image
Undoubtedly Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan Woman is very popular. As she's popularly known as just the Samaritan Woman, in Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic traditions, she is venerated as a saint with the name St. Photine (Φωτεινή), meaning "luminous one". When I read the Samaritan woman's conversation with the Lord Jesus in John 4:1-42, I can't help but be amazed at how God became man and showed His great love to those who society considers as outcasts and rejects. He truly cares for all.  Here are some things we can see in their short but very special conversation. ✨ 1. God reaches out to people regardless of race or class.✨ "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a woman of Samaria? For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans." (cf. Jn 4:9) First, we read that Jesus talked to the woman, asking her for a drink. Jews, back then, didn't associate with Samaritans, especially men Jews to Samaritan women. Jesus bro
Read more

Catholic Identity Crisis: Are We Trad, Liberal, or Just Missing the Point?

Image
by  John Paul Philips As Catholics, we often hear terms like " traditional " and " liberal " used to describe different approaches to faith within our Church. While these labels might seem helpful in categorizing beliefs and practices, they can actually create more division than unity. This tendency to label and categorize goes against the very essence of what it means to be Catholic. The word " Catholic " itself means " universal ," implying a faith that transcends boundaries and embraces all peoples. When we start dividing ourselves into subcategories like " traditional ," " liberal ," " charismatic ," or " radical ," we risk losing sight of the fundamental unity that Christ calls us to embody. Christ's prayer for us was clear ( John 17:20-23) : "I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are
Read more