Shaping the Holocaust: The Influence of Christian Discourse on Perceptions of the European Jewish Tragedy

Christianity’s role in shaping the memory of the Holocaust has received little scholarly attention. Through an analysis of various renderings and representations of the Holocaust, this article demonstrates that the murder of Europe’s Jews frequently has been described in Christian terms and imagery. The author argues that this tendency has general implications for our understanding of the complexities of Holocaust memory— including the rhetorical claims that the Shoah was transformative. This article demonstrates that comprehending the Holocaust has not required a new language or vocabulary; on the contrary, the image of the Holocaust has been shaped by a traditional discourse—one that renders the murder of Europe’s Jews “safe” for Christians and the Christian imagination.