> Thanks very much for the reference -- but I was precisely interested
> in the bad half of the press they got. ...
> Again, the instances of Christian writers calling Jews "dogs" are
> legion. So again, where does the bad press originate from? Sure it's
> not only Psalm 21? I have an impression that domesticated canines
> weren't quite as domesticated perhaps as they are now.
>
> Cheers,
> Christoph
> [log in to unmask]
For Christian biblical texts in which "dogs" symbolize undesirable
people, see especially Philippians 3.2 (Beware the dogs, the evil
workers, the down-cutters [probably alluding to circumcisers -- see the
material that follows]) and Revelation 22.15 (Outside are the dogs and
the potion-makers and the fornicators, etc.). How the symbolism began
and how it was applied in specific instances is less clear, but
certainly there is an old Christian tradition warning about "dog"
people! And it could easily be aimed in the direction of Jewish
opponents, as well as elsewhere.
Bob Kraft, UPenn
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