A few Tidbits from
constantine:
Constantine: We desire to have nothing in common with this so hated
people, for the Redeemer has marked out another path for us. To this
we will keep,and be free from disgraceful association with this people.
...The Apostalic Canons, [4th cent.]: If a clergyman enter into a
synagogue of Jews or heretics, [i.e.,Nazarenes/Messianic Jews] to pray,
let him be excommunicated. [Cannon 64]. If any bishop, presbyter or
deacon, or any one of the list of clergy, keeps fast of festival with
the Jews, or receives from them any gift of their feasts, as unleavened
bread, or any such things, let him be deposed. If he be a layman, let
him be excommunicated.
Why do Christians worship on Sunday? Not because of the resurrection. That was a defence position that was added much later. Jesus rose on Sunday because the feast of first fruits was on Sunday and his resurection is a fulfillment of that feast day Here is why Christians observe Sunday rather than the Lords Sabbath.
Some Proffessions of Faith Required of Jewish Converts.[Quoted from
Prkes, The Conflict of the Church and the Synagogue,pp.397-40 :
From the Church of Constantinople [Assemani, Cod.Lit.,I,p.105]...As
a preliminary to his acceptance as a catechumen, a Jew "Must confess
and denounce verbally, the whole of Hebrew people, forthwith declare
that with a whole heart and sincere faith he desires to be received
among the Christians. Then he must renounce openly in the church all
Jewish superstition, the priest saying, and he, or his sponsor if he is
a child, replying in these words:
I renounce all customs, rites, leagalisms, unleavened breads and
sacrifice of lambs of the Hebrew, and all the other feasts of the
Hebrew, sacrifices, prayers, aspersions, purifications,sanctifications,
and propitations, and fasts and new moons, and Sabbaths, and
superstitions, and hymns and chants and observances and synagogues, and
the food and drink of the Hebrew; in one word, I renounce absolutely
everything Jewish, every law, rite and custom,...But if it be with
deceit and hypocrisy, and not with a sincere and perfect faith and a
genuine love of Christ, but with pretence to be a Christian that I
come, and if afterwards I shall wish to deny and return to Jewish
superstition, or shall be found eating with Jews, or feasting with
them, or secretly conversing with them and condemning the Christian
religion instead of openly confuting them and condemning their vain
faith, then let the trembling of Cain and the leprosy of Gehazi cleave
to me, as well as the anathema in the world to come, and may my soul be
set down with Satan and the devils."
Furthermore, I accept all customs, rites, legalisms and feasts of the Romans, sacrifices, prayers, purifications with water, sanctifications by Pontius Maximus, propitiations and feasts, the New Sabbath The Sol Dei [Day of the Sun], all new chants and observances, all foods and drinks of the Romans in the New Roman Religion.
Even so aithful believers continued to meet in the Synagogues and to take part in the Jewish festivals into the later 4th century. We know this for two reasons. one, the church issued order for all who were doing so to stop. (which means that they must have been) and second the Jews added a line to the daily prayers calling for a curse against Christ followers, an oath that no hidden christian would verbalize.
This forced them into the open.
Church fathers:
Origen:
Origen, wrote: "We may thus assert in utter confidence that the Jews will not return to their earlier situation, for they have committed the most abominable of crimes, in forming the conspiracy against the Savior of the human race ... Hence the city where Jesus suffered was necessarily destroyed, the Jewish nation was driven from its country, and another people [meaning the church] was called by God to the blessed election."
Eusebius:
Eusebius, Bishop of Caesaria, claimed that Jews in every community crucified a Christian at their Purim festival as a rejection of Jesus. He used the charge of ritual murder made by the pagans Democritus and Apion, which the Romans had first made against the early Christians. Eusebius made a distinction between Hebrews who were good men in the Old Testament and Jews whom he characterized as evil.
Chrysostom and Ambrose
Emperor Theodosius protected the Jews from the church's persecutions of heretics. Chrysostom and Ambrose of Milan - both sainted - wanted to include Jews in this persecution. Chrysostom: "The Jews are the most worthless of all men... They are perfidious murderers of Christ. They worship the devil, their religion is a sickness..." Ambrose reprimanded the emperor for rebuilding a synagogue and offered to burn it down himself. St. Gregory of Nyssa characterized Jews as assassins of the prophets, companions of the devil, a race of vipers, a sanhedrin of demons, enemies of all that is beautiful, hogs and goats in their lewd grossness."
Cyril:
St. Cyril, the Bishop of Alexandria, incited a mob against the Jews and had them expelled. Bishop Severus burned a synagogue and incited people to attack and harass Jews in the streets. Many Jews converted to Christianity out of fear.
9b]Jerome:[/b]
St. Jerome, who had studied with Jewish scholars in Palestine and translated the Bible into Latin (the Vulgate), wrote about the synagogue: "If you call it a brothel, a den of vice, the Devil's refuge, Satan's fortress, a place to deprave the soul, an abyss of every conceivable disaster or whatever you will, you are still saying less than it deserves."
Augustine:
St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo: "The true image of the Hebrew is Judas Iscariot, who sells the Lord for silver. The Jew can never understand the Scriptures and forever will bear the guilt for the death of Jesus."