Arch of Titus
The Arch of Titus is a physical reminder of the destruction of the Jewish Temple and stands at the entrance of the Roman Forum as a memorial to this hateful action against the Jews. By having a massive structure that celebrates the oppression the Jewish people endured, the message communicated is that those with power can do whatever they choose. There is a clear understanding from the monument that the Jewish people have been mistreated for centuries, even before Christianity was legalized in Rome. Furthermore, the Arch can be viewed as a site of religious intolerance because it also was the place where there was an imposed ritual of Jewish leaders kissing the pope’s feet in an act of submission (Alexsandra, Tour of Roman Forum, 01-08-17). This shows how the religious authority that the Catholic Church had during the Roman Empire was gradually increasing as the power of the Empire itself was decreasing, and eventually had taken on the dominating attitude that the Roman Empire had.
|
While some might be of the opinion that the Arch of Titus is just an old piece of history, especially considering that it’s a part of the ruins of Rome, the space communicates more than that. Instead of showing how far society has come, specifically in the treatment of the Jews, it shows perhaps how far society still has to go in reconciling the Christian, and more specifically Catholic Church with the Jewish faith. The Jewish people were completely “othered” and dehumanized particularly during the reign of Pope Paul IV and it was at a memorial specifically recognizing the destruction of a major part of their religious experience. Perhaps an issue that is relevant now in regards to these authoritarian events is that there hasn’t been any formal acknowledgement on the part of the Catholic Church, in specific regards to this monument about how the Church doesn’t condone this type of behavior. Since no such plaque or formal apology for this atrocity it would be naive to say that this behavior exhibited by Pope Paul IV was anti-Semitic and is just a part of history. His attitude coupled with the monument’s purpose in commemorating the domination of the Jews and early Christians’ belief in supercessionism does not reflect the teaching of the Gospel. However, this unhealthy relationship with the Jewish people is still in need of repair, only within the past 40 years has a pope even “publicly set foot in any synagogue,” and that first time was in 1986 (Gruber 11).
|
It is important to remember however, the cultural situation at the time before thoroughly critiquing the Catholic Church’s role in the mistreatment of the Jews. At this time, Christians believed they had a sense of dominance over the Jews, particularly through the false idea of deicide, that Jews killed Jesus and therefore they took responsibility for his death (01-04-2017). Although, now it is necessary to critically analyze the function of the Arch of Titus, and whether or not the use of the monument justifies the insensitivity to Jewish people's’ reactions? The answer remains unclear, but an important perhaps, new direction, to take is instead of Catholics talking about what other Catholics or Christians need to do to make amends, it is time to communicate and engage more with the Jewish people themselves. Christianity isn’t going to repair its relationship with Judaism by one sided conversations, there needs to be room for active participation on both sides.
|