does the talmud say jesus is in hell
The Babylonian Talmud contains one short, highly debated passage that some later readers interpret as referring to Jesus being punished in “boiling excrement,” but the text itself does not explicitly name the historical Jesus of Nazareth, and many Jewish and academic scholars reject that identification. The stronger scholarly view is that this line is part of a polemical rabbinic story, its subject is unclear, and it should not be used to generalize about Judaism or Jews.
What the Talmud Actually Says
- The passage usually cited is in tractate Gittin 56b–57a, where a figure called “Yeshu” (or “Yeshu ha-Notzri” in some later traditions) is said, in a vision, to be punished in “boiling excrement” in Gehinnom (a form of hell).
- In the story, a Roman nobleman named Onkelos supposedly summons various dead figures and asks about their fate, and “Yeshu” answers that this is his punishment.
Is That “Yeshu” Really Jesus?
- Some Christian and polemical writers strongly claim this is about Jesus of Nazareth and say the Talmud teaches he is in hell, boiled in filth.
- Many Jewish scholars, and even some Christian academics, argue that:
- “Yeshu” is a common name.
- The passage is late, legendary, and not a historical statement.
- References to Jesus in the Talmud are scattered, uncertain, and often censored or altered over time.
Scholarly and Religious Caution
- Modern academic work on “Jesus in the Talmud” treats these passages as polemical folklore, reflecting tense Jewish‑Christian relations in late antiquity, not as core Jewish doctrine about Jesus’ eternal fate.
- Many contemporary Jewish voices stress that claims like “the Talmud says Jesus is in hell boiling in excrement” are often used in antisemitic propaganda and oversimplify or distort a very technical, difficult text.
Why This Becomes a “Trending Topic”
- Online forums and social media threads frequently repeat the phrase “the Talmud says Jesus is in hell boiling in his own excrement” as a shock line, often without context or knowledge of the underlying Aramaic text.
- In late‑2020s discussions, this line tends to appear in debates about “Judeo‑Christian” relations, Israel/Palestine, and interfaith tensions, where it is used more as a weapon than as serious textual analysis.
Quick Takeaway
- There is a late rabbinic story in the Babylonian Talmud about a figure called “Yeshu” suffering a disgusting punishment in the afterlife.
- Whether that figure is actually Jesus of Nazareth is disputed, and many scholars, along with most mainstream Jewish teaching today, caution against treating the story as a literal doctrinal claim that “Judaism says Jesus is in hell.”
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