Gospel Anti-Semitism in Jesus Christ Superstar

My friend James blogged about
this live performance of JCS

The 1973 rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar has an amazing soundtrack, and you can use the story to learn about anti-Semitism in the Christian gospels. First-century Christians wrote the gospels after a war between Jerusalem and Rome. The first Christians had all been Jews, but at the end of the first century there were plenty of gentile Christians as well as Jewish Christians who denounced mainstream Judaism. These early Christians compiled and promulgated the gospels in part to show everyone that it was the wicked Jews who were the enemies of Rome and not the good Christians.  

Jesus was a hillbilly exorcist and apocalyptic prophet. The Jewish leaders had him killed as a threat to public order, which he was. His story has gotten embellished and retold several times. Jesus Christ Superstar delivers a great story, mostly by playing up the conflict between Jesus and Jews: Jewish leaders, the Jewish mob, even his Jewish disciples. Each song contributes a little bit to our understanding of anti-Semitism in the gospels. 

No Talk of God then We Called You a Man. As a Jew in good standing, Jesus never claimed to be God. The fourth gospel portrays Jesus as divine, as misunderstood by the Jews, and as something of a Jew-hater.

What’s the Buzz. The song shows Jesus’ Jewish disciples to be fools. 

Strange Thing Mystifying. Christian churchmen started talking down Mary of Magdala pretty early, and her she is a woman of ill repute. It makes for good drama but, this tradition is not in the gospels. In this song, Jesus rebukes the disciples. You know, the Jewish disciples.

We Are Decided. The leaders of Jerusalem had little choice but to take out trouble-makers to prevent insurrection. They kept the peace through Jesus’ life and for decades after, until AD 66. Historians are divided over whether Jesus styled himself as the king of the Jews.

Everything’s Alright. Here’s another opportunity for Jesus to rebuke his Jewish disciples. After Jesus’ execution, Mary of Magdala might have been the first follower to have a vision of Jesus after his death, but the gospels limit her role. Did Jesus have sex with followers? Maybe, maybe not. There’s not a trace of churchmen denying the charge, so I figure it probably didn’t happen.

This Jesus Must Die. If this rock opera makes High Priest Caiaphas and the other leaders of the Temple seem wicked and creepy, that’s pretty much what the gospel authors would have wanted. 

Hosanna. Historians are split on whether Jesus really did ride into Jerusalem on a donkey. The gospels have the Jews hail Jesus as their king (“messiah”) so that when they turn on him later it comes across as particularly wicked.

Simon Zealotes. Here, Simon refers to Jesus as “Christ” (“messiah”, “anointed [king]”). Historically, Jesus didn’t claim to be the awaited king, but the story is better if it’s their own king that the Jewish leaders execute.

Poor Jerusalem. The Jewish leaders and people don’t understand at all. Jerusalem closes her eyes to the truth.

Pilate’s Dream. Historically, Pilate was a brutal ruler, assigned to rule Judea by decree because no client king could keep these locals in hand. The gospels make this villain into a complex and sympathetic figure, tormented because the Jews force him to crucify their own king, an innocent man.

The Temple. The more of a cesspit this place is, the worse the Jewish leaders look. Historians figure Jesus got crucified for causing a disturbance in the Temple, but the details are not reliable. For sure, the Temple was a source of huge wealth for the Temple leaders, and it probably featured a graven Roman eagle over the main entrance, so there are reasons that Jesus, a penniless exorcist from the sticks, might pitch a fit here. 

I Don’t Know How to Love Him. Even Mary of Magdala, the Jew who knows Jesus the best, doesn’t understand who Jesus is. 

Damned for All Time. Historians are split on whether there was a Judas, and I don’t think so. His name sounds a lot like “Jew”. Who could be so terrible as to betray Jesus? Mr Jew, that’s who! Great song, though. [EDIT: James McGrath helpfully pointed out that the name Judas doesn’t just sound like “Jew”, it was actually the common Jewish name, Judah, the biblical figure that Jews are basically named after. The Jews represent the tribe of Judah, that is, the tribe of Judas. His blog post.]

Last Supper. Boy, those Jewish disciples really are losers, aren’t they? Especially that traitor, Mr Jew.

Gethsemane. Jesus knew that he was about to pay the ultimate price, but those faithless Jews can’t even stay awake with him. 

The Arrest. Mr Jew betrays Jesus, and the disciples are obsessed with fighting. The Jewish people turn on him. 

Peter’s Denial. Historically, Peter was the most prominent Christian leader outside of Jerusalem, at least until Paul came along 20 years later. The gospel writers spent extra time cutting Peter down, such as in this scene where he denies Jesus. 

Pilate and Christ. The gospel writers wanted the Romans and everyone else to know that it was the Jews that were the problem, and Christians aren’t Jews any more. It’s the Jews that lost a war against Rome, just as God planned, and now the Christians are God’s chosen people. 

King Herod’s Song. This scene is not historical, and it’s one more example of the Jews failing to recognize their king. 

Could We Start Again Please. Mary still doesn’t understand. Historically, Jesus’ crucifixion seems to have caught his followers by surprise, and they fled back to the hinterlands of Galilee. His followers were surprised because crucifixion wasn’t part of the plan, but in the gospels they don’t understand even though it is part of the plan, and that’s worse. 

Judas’ Death. Mr Jew’s sin is unconscionable, and the Temple leaders are creepy. Great combo. 

Trial Before Pilate. Historically, it’s hard to understand why the Roman prefect would care or even notice if the local leaders wanted someone crucified as a trouble-maker. In this song, Pilate judges him innocent and tells the traitorous Jews that he’s their king. The Jews demand that he be not just flogged but crucified. 

Superstar. Historically, the disciples did not know how Jesus’ crucifixion fit into God’s plan, but Paul came along 20 years later and came up with an explanation. Is this the least anti-Semitic song in the soundtrack?

The Crucifixion. The Roman’s were expert at inflicting punishment, and crucifixion was a horrific way to go. In this song, you hear Jesus forgive the Roman soldiers that nail him in, reinforcing the theme that Christians are good Roman subjects, not like those traitorous Jews. One anti-Semitic detail that they left out was the Roman soldier recognizing the crucified Jesus as the Son of God. That gospel scene was meant to show that gentiles recognized Jesus while his own people betrayed him.

John 19:41. This verse refers to Jesus’ empty grave, a story designed to reinforce the idea that Jesus really did rise bodily from the dead. John’s gospel downgrades Peter, acknowledging him as the lead apostle only in a bonus resurrection appearance tacked on as an epilog.

Humans love stories, and stories need conflict. The gospel writers set up a conflict between Jesus and “the Jews”, and Jesus Christ Superstar takes this theme and runs with it. Great story, bad history, baked-in anti-Semitism, great vocals—quite the combo. 

[EDIT: Fixed the bit about the church tradition and Mary of Magdala, which I had gotten wrong.]

‘Bible and Music Update’: Religion professor James McGrath commented on this post.