Crucifixion was a customary punishment among Romans, not Jews. Indeed, according to most historians, it would be more logical to blame the Romans for Jesus’ death. They had hoped that the Church might say that the Jews had in fact played no role in Jesus’ death. Nevertheless, many Jews were disappointed. This was a remarkable step forward in the history of Christian attitudes toward Jews, as Jewish blame for Jesus’ death has long been a linchpin of Christian anti-Semitism. The document argued that modern-day Jews could not be held accountable for Jesus’ crucifixion and that not all Jews alive at the time of the crucifixion were guilty of the crime. In 1965, as part of the Vatican II council, the Catholic Church published a long-anticipated declaration entitled Nostra Aetate, offering a new approach to the question of Jewish responsibility for the crucifixion of Jesus.
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