Pagan mythology carries with it strong motif–currents of penultimate good v. penultimate evil; celestial saints v. demonic creatures. The Canon Gospels, penned later (c. the latter portion of the First Century) would set up saintly Christian icons v. allegedly neo–demonic Jewish icons, including Church-manufactured–surrogates for the Jews (e.g. Judas).

This saintly v. demonic duality–motif, would strengthen the hand of the Church on multiple–levels, as it both “energized its base” and aided and abetted further recruiting of the non–Jewish Mediterranean populace. Finally, but ultimately, most deadly, it also sets up a “straw man” for the new Christians to rail against (i.e. the allegedly demonic) Jew.

“Join us, Mr. Neo-Pagan, as we are fighting the good fight against those terrible Jews.” Newly–cast as Christ–killers, mob–howlers and Judas–betrayers, with blood and money demonizations thrown–in for good measure, the Jews are set–up by the Church as an all-purpose demonic entity.

In later centuries, when economies were weak or plague was on–the–march, the now–demonized, and to a great extent, de–humanized (by-the-Church) Jews, would be a convenient (isolated and defenseless) scapegoat for the Church and any local demagogues – for any and all maladies and tragedies – and for malcontents of all shapes, sizes and ages.

Once the demonization-gambit was introduced and ‘fine-tuned,’ the Church had to make sure that no one “called its card.” The demonization gambits generally centered on historical fabrications or distortions, all magically vectoring towards demonizing the Jews.