Representing the Jewishness of Christ Jesus in Children’s Books

Authors

  • Katharina von Kellenbach

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6017/scjr.v21i1.21781

Keywords:

Christian instruction, visual representation, Christology, children’s books, illustrations, passion narrative, intertextuality, anti-Judaism

Abstract

Anti-Judaism has long shaped the perception and illustration of Jews and Judaism in Christian art history. Despite recent progress to retire the “Aryan Jesus,” there is not yet consensus on how to teach a “Jewish Jesus” to Christian children. Children’s books are steeped in historical realism and literalism that present Jews primarily in the role of enemies of Jesus. A recent German children’s book experiments with different visual and textual strategies to make the Jewishness of Jesus meaningful to Christian children. 

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Published

2026-05-28

How to Cite

von Kellenbach, K. (2026). Representing the Jewishness of Christ Jesus in Children’s Books. Studies in Christian-Jewish Relations, 21(1). https://doi.org/10.6017/scjr.v21i1.21781

Issue

Vol. 21 No. 1 (2026): Jesus the Jew / Jesus the Christ: Explorations of His Jewish Identity and Its Meanings

Section

Religious Life

License

Creative Commons License

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