John 8:44: A frequently misunderstood verse

By Fr. Pino Di Luccio S.J.* and Bishop Étienne Vetö I.C.N.**

Pope Francis’ recent and moving Letter to the Catholics of the Middle East (October 7, 2024) has been received with great gratitude by those Churches, which are going through immense suffering. Unfortunately, it has also drawn some criticism from the Jewish community. The letter cites various passages from John 8:44:

“People today do not know how to find peace. As Christians, we must never tire of imploring peace from God. That is why, on this day, I have urged everyone to observe a day of prayer and fasting. Prayer and fasting are the weapons of love that change history, the weapons that defeat our one true enemy: the spirit of evil that foments war, because it is “murderous from the beginning”, “a liar and the father of lies” (Jn 8:44). Please, let us devote time to prayer and rediscover the saving power of fasting!”

The Pope’s letter urges us to pray and fast for peace and for the defeat of the spirit of evil, the “true enemy.” However, some negative reactions have been caused by the choice of John 8:44, one of the New Testament verses most often used in the past to justify anti-Judaism and anti-Semitism.

Let us examine the verse in its entirety and in context. The end of chapter 8 of John presents Jesus’ stern words to “the Jews who had believed in him” (John 8:31). Jesus’ tone becomes ever more polemical regarding the lineage of this group: he questions their claim to be descendants of Abraham (8:39), and then, at the climax of the discussion, contests their claim that God is their Father (8:42; cf. Deut 32:6; Isa 63:16) and declares:

“You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was “murderous from the beginning” (…). When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (The excerpts quoted by the Pope have been italicized.)

The Church Fathers interpreted this verse in two ways.(1)

Origen, for example, stated that it applies to all humanity, as we are not “children of the devil” by nature, but become such by choosing to do his works and desiring what he desires (Origen, Commentary on John, 191–194; cf. the adoption of this reading by St. Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on the Gospel of John, VII n. 1240–1253).

Cyril of Alexandria and John Chrysostom, on the other hand, while repeating Origen’s lesson that one becomes a child of the devil through intentional acts and not by nature, emphasize that the Jews became children of the devil precisely because they rejected Christ and brought him to death. Chrysostom, who seeks to persuade his followers not to go to synagogue, declares that eating or even fasting with the Jews amounts to sharing a table with demons: “It is the death they inflicted on God that compels me to call (the Jewish fasts) the table of demons. For what reason should we not call servants of demons those who act entirely contrary to God’s will?”(2)

We cannot provide a complete history of the use of this verse here, but some examples will demonstrate the impact of this second interpretation, which became predominant in the late medieval and modern periods. For example, Luther associated John 8:44 with anti-Jewish accusations, which had by then become widespread, according to which Jews had poisoned wells, committed murders, and kidnapped children:

“After the devil, the Christian has no enemy more venomous and fierce than the Jew. Yet we do good to no one as much as we do to them, and from no one do we suffer as much evil as from these wicked children of the devil and brood of vipers!”(3)

It is not surprising that John 8:44 was frequently cited in this sense in Nazi propaganda. In some places, the phrase “The Jews’ father is the devil” was affixed to the doors of houses in villages. Even children’s books promoted the idea of Jews as “murderers from the beginning,” because “they have the devil for their father”: “They descend from the devil. And since they descend from the devil, they can only commit one crime after another,” “they are the devil in human form.”(4)

Today, the Internet abounds with images evoking Satan. Some of the banners carried by white supremacists during their march in Charlottesville in August 2017 read, “Jews are the children of Satan,” with references to John 8:44. Even more recently, Robert Gregory Bowers, the perpetrator of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, justified his actions by stating: “Jews are the children of Satan. Christ Jesus came in the flesh…” (August 2, 2023).

Contemporary Exegesis of John 8:44

In this context, it is helpful to turn to contemporary exegesis of John 8, which has delved into the historical and literary context of chapter 8, and the Gospel as a whole, offering a way to distance this verse from interpretations that would give it an anti-Semitic connotation. Reconstructing the historical background of the Gospels is very difficult, and commentators have not reached a consensus on the interpretation of this verse, but some observations may be of use.

In John’s Gospel, Jesus is a Jew (cf. John 4:9), and what he says to the Jews is said as a member of this people. The same applies to the evangelist. In John’s Gospel, non-Jews are few, and all themes are understood within the framework of first-century Judaism. John 8:44 is part of a discourse Jesus gives during the Feast of Sukkot or Tabernacles (cf. John 7:2; Lev. 23:33-44). The text containing this discourse includes references to liturgical celebrations of the feast (John 7:37-39; 8:12; cf. mSukkah 4:9-5:3) and polemical passages about the understanding of Jesus’ messiahship and teaching (cf. John 7:25-31).

To better understand John 8:44, certain historical aspects must also be clarified. First, the parallel with the Qumran writings should be noted. In these texts, the enemies (who are Jewish) of the community (Essene, thus members of the people of Israel) are called children of Belial, that is, of the devil (cf. 4Q174). Such a “tone” appearing among Jewish groups in the first century AD is therefore not an isolated incident. The same can also be observed in warnings to groups of Jesus’ followers, as evidenced by this severe statement in the First Letter of John:

“Whoever commits sin is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. (…). By this, the children of God and the children of the devil are distinguished: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother” (1 John 3:8, 10).

The devil, in Greek diabolos and in Hebrew Satan, is the antagonist of God (and faith) in biblical literature, a lying figure who inspires murderous thoughts and actions (cf. Wisdom 2:24; Rom. 5:12; 1 John 3:8). These phrases, in the context of first-century Jewish communities, imply that those who abandon faith act according to the thoughts of the devil, who in the Bible is deceitful and opposed to the life God seeks to give his children. The understanding and application of this discourse should consider its original context and, therefore, be applied primarily to Christian communities.

Another relevant historical detail is the identity of Jews in the Fourth Gospel, which is not always clear or consistent. It can reasonably be concluded that in John 8-9, the reference is neither to all the Jews of Jesus’ time nor to Jews of subsequent eras. In some cases, it likely refers to Jewish leaders who had believed in Jesus (cf. John 12:42), such as Nicodemus, mentioned in the same context one chapter earlier (cf. John 7:45-52). In our passage, Jesus addresses the Jews who had believed in him, saying: “If you remain in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32). It is those who do not keep his word, who have abandoned him and challenge him, who are accused of having the devil as their father. This passage was written by the evangelist to convince readers to believe that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God (John 20:31), to remain united (love one another, cf. John 13:34), and to avoid those who do not share their faith.

One might therefore ask whether John 8 is really about a polemic between Jesus and the Jews or, rather, a conflict between Judeo-Christian communities, and between them and members of some synagogues. Such conflict is explicitly attested in the Fourth Gospel (cf. John 12:42; 16:2), including the passage in question (cf. John 9:22). Therefore, it is possible that this is a polemic between groups of Judeo-Christians. A Johannine community, in the context of a Sukkot festival, might address a group of Jews who believed in Jesus, emphasizing the characteristics of his messiahship, his words, and his biblical interpretation of sonship, truth, freedom, and so on—topics on which there was no consensus.

John, however, mostly reserves the term ioudaioi for Jews who do not believe in Christ. The disciples are never called ioudaioi, even though they are clearly Jewish. And while John 8:31 suggests that the words John attributes to Jesus were addressed to a group of Jews who had previously believed in him, the use of ioudaioi throughout the Gospel suggests that the accusations in that chapter are generalized to all Jews.

A further analysis of the expressions used in John 8 might help clarify the terms of the polemic between Jesus and the Jews who had believed in him. It is likely that the verses in John 8 evoke interpretations of the story of Cain and Abel. That story from Genesis, and its interpretations, that is, might have been part of the readings for the Sukkot festival. The Targumim (ancient Aramaic translations of the Hebrew text) suggest that Cain is the son of Eve and the devil (the evil angel Samael). The Targum also recounts that Cain and Abel were engaged in a theological discussion, focusing particularly on the merit of the patriarchs and the reward and punishment of the end times—topics that are central to chapters 8 and 9 of John.(5)

If there is indeed an echo of this passage from Genesis and its Targumic interpretation, it is understandable that themes of fornication (John 8:41), the desire of the Jews to kill Jesus (John 8:37), lies, and diabolical descent—all echoes of the interpretations of the Cain and Abel story—form part of Jesus’ polemic with the Jews who believed in him. These are serious critiques, but rather than accusations to be taken literally, they constitute a series of admonitions—including the reference to the devil—intended to support Jesus’ theological position. Jesus, who “sets free” (John 8:32), parallels the theological position of Abel in the Targumim and emphasizes the independence of reward and punishment from the merits and actions of the patriarchs, in contrast to his interlocutors, who represent the theological stance of Cain.

If we contextualize this passage, considering its original setting, the Jews who had believed in Jesus might be interpreted as groups of Christians, and the polemic would refer to theological issues and their social and political implications.

Proposal

The modern reader is not accustomed to contextualizing biblical and New Testament readings. Contemporary applications of biblical texts very rarely take their original context into account. This is why the challenging text of John 8 can be misunderstood and misused, thereby supporting anti-Semitic judgments in light of historical and political circumstances. Ideally, John 8:44 should always be accompanied by explanations like those presented here.

Indeed, every text of Sacred Scripture referring to the Jewish people must be read in light of Vatican II’s declaration that:

“Since the spiritual patrimony common to Christians and Jews is thus so great, this sacred synod wants to foster and recommend that mutual understanding and respect which is the fruit, above all, of biblical and theological studies as well as of fraternal dialogues.

True, the Jewish authorities and those who followed their lead pressed for the death of Christ;(13) still, what happened in His passion cannot be charged against all the Jews, without distinction, then alive, nor against the Jews of today. Although the Church is the new people of God, the Jews should not be presented as rejected or accursed by God, as if this followed from the Holy Scriptures. All should see to it, then, that in catechetical work or in the preaching of the word of God they do not teach anything that does not conform to the truth of the Gospel and the spirit of Christ.” (Nostra Aetate, 4)

This principle should also apply to the Pope’s letter to Catholics in the Middle East, in which he cites John 8:44. As the Holy Father himself said in a recent letter “to Jewish brothers and sisters in Israel”:

“I can only reiterate what my predecessors also clearly stated many times: the relationship that binds us to you is particular and singular, without ever obscuring, naturally, the relationship that the Church has with others and the commitment towards them too. The path that the Church has undertaken with you, the ancient people of the covenant, rejects every form of anti-Judaism and anti-Semitism, unequivocally condemning manifestations of hatred towards Jews and Judaism as a sin against God.” (Francis, February 2, 2024)

* President of the Collegium Maximum, Pontifical Gregorian University

** Auxiliary Bishop of Reims and Bishop Referent for Relations with Jews for the French Bishops’ Conference

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(1) For the interpretation of the Fathers and Luther in the following paragraphs, see Adele Reinhartz, ‘Children of the Devil. John 8:44 and its Early Reception,‘ Jewish-Christian Relations, Insights and Issues in the ongoing Jewish-Christian Dialogue, ICCJ, 01/12/2022.

(2) Saint John Chrysostom, Omelie contro gli ebrei, Omelie contro gli ebrei, “Il mistero d’Israele” series, Centro Librario Sodalitium, Verrua Savoia 1997, “Prima omelia”, p. 34.

(3) Martin Luther, Degli ebrei e delle lore mensogne, Einaudi 2000, p. 203.

(4) Der Giftplatz, 1938, cited in Kathleen Gallagher Elkins, “The Jews as ‘Children of the Devil’ (John 8:44) in Nazi Children’s Literature”, Biblical Interpretation 31, 2023, Brill, p. 375.

(5) Cfr. Abraham Terian, “An Extended Refutation of Doctrinal Correlates in John 8-9”, in Novum Testamentum 66/1, 2024, 18-37.