The Jewish Challenge: Or the Vicissitudes of Judaism in the West

“Unlike numerous recent books, usually by Christian historians and theologians, Seager does not attempt a dialectic between Jews and Christians or strive for consensus building. Instead, he asserts the mutual exclusivity of the two religions, and points to that tension as the driving force behind antisemitism. A constant theme of the book is that Christianity, following the advice of the apostle Paul, has always respected and allied itself with the ruling power, resulting in a loss of its moral values. Seager gives many examples, the most recent being the election of Eugenio Pacelli as Pope Pius XII. When this was done, in order to maintain good relations with Hitler, the church abandoned all pretense of moral authority. Even historian Arnold Toynbee concluded that Christianity had lost its way and that Judaism would have to reverse the decline of the West. Jews would merely be continuing in their original role of teaching the world about a unique God who is the author of history and whose bidding must be done. Only then will oppression and injustice disappear from earth.” – Martin E. Vann