Does Ancient Islamic Anti-Semitism Have Christian Origins? https://mosaicmagazine.com/picks/history-ideas/2016/03/does-ancient-islamic-anti-semitism-have-christian-origins/

March 21, 2016 | Philip Jenkins
About the author:

Yes, according to Philip Jenkins, a scholar of ancient Near Eastern religions. Noting that the most explicitly anti-Jewish passages in early Islamic texts are to be found not in the Quran itself but in the hadith (extracanonical lore), Jenkins argues that the authors were influenced by nearby Christians’ attitudes toward Jews. Take, for instance, a prophecy found in an apocalyptic Islamic work, entitled the Turmoil and the Portents, that calls for the slaughter of Jews by Muslims:

[This passage, cited in the Hamas charter], is a major departure from the world of the Quran and of Muhammad’s era. Nor does it fit regularly into the history of early Islam, when many Jews welcomed the Muslim conquerors as liberators from Christian rule.

The closest parallels to the text are actually in Eastern Christian writings, either Greek or Syriac, and they abounded during the 8th century, at the time when [this text probably] originated. From the 4th century onward, Eastern Christians were frequently in conflict with Jews, and a couple of incidents in particular were deeply resented. . . . After the Muslim conquest [of Jerusalem in the 7th century], Jews often persuaded Muslim authorities to suppress public symbols and displays of Christianity, notably the display of the cross. In the 720s, the Byzantine Emperor Leo III tried to force all Jews within his realm to receive baptism.

Anti-Jewish themes were prominent in Eastern Christian apocalyptic literature, which at so many points resembles . . . the Turmoil and the Portents. I suggest that these strong anti-Jewish themes originated among converted Christians, possibly clergy or monks, and probably during the 8th century. In doing this, I am not trying to minimize the toxic quality of these passages, or to underestimate their pernicious influence on extremist Islamic thought. Rather, I want to trace their origins, and to stress yet again the commonalities of Islamic and Christian apocalyptic thought.

Read more on Patheos: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiousbench/2016/01/the-hadith-and-the-jews/