--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think I have a very good idea why it is…" description: "\"“I think I have a very good idea why it is that anti-Semitism is so tenacious and so protean and so enduring. Christianity and Islam, theistic though t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c4/christopher-hitchens-117_abraham_i-think-i-have-a-very-good-idea-why-it-i_2712694.jpg" --- # I think I have a very good idea why it is that… ![“I think I have a very good idea why it is that anti-Semitism is so tenacious and so protean and so enduring. Christianity and Islam, theistic though they may claim to be, are both based on the fetishizing of human primates: Jesus in one case and Mohammed in the other. Neither of these figures can…” quote by Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c4/christopher-hitchens-117_abraham_i-think-i-have-a-very-good-idea-why-it-i_2712694.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c4/christopher-hitchens-117_abraham_i-think-i-have-a-very-good-idea-why-it-i_2712694.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c4/christopher-hitchens-117_abraham_i-think-i-have-a-very-good-idea-why-it-i_2712694.jpg) > ““I think I have a very good idea why it is that anti-Semitism is so tenacious and so protean and so enduring. Christianity and Islam, theistic though they may claim to be, are both based on the fetishizing of human primates: Jesus in one case and Mohammed in the other. Neither of these figures can be called exactly historical but both have one thing in common even in their quasi-mythical dimension. Both of them were first encountered by the Jews. And the Jews, ravenous as they were for any sign of the long-sought Messiah, were not taken in by either of these two pretenders, or not in large numbers or not for long. If you meet a devout Christian or a believing Muslim, you are meeting someone who would give everything he owned for a personal, face-to-face meeting with the blessed founder or prophet. But in the visage of the Jew, such ardent believers encounter the very figure who did have such a precious moment, and who spurned the opportunity and turned shrugging aside. Do you imagine for a microsecond that such a vile, churlish transgression will ever be forgiven ? I myself certainly hope that it will not. The Jews have seen through Jesus and Mohammed. In retrospect, many of them have also seen through the mythical, primitive, and cruel figures of Abraham and Moses. Nearer to our own time, in the bitter combats over the work of Marx and Freud and Einstein, Jewish participants and protagonists have not been the least noticeable. May this always be the case, whenever any human primate sets up, or is set up by others, as a Messiah.”” [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author argues that anti‑Semitism persists because Judaism historically rejected the deified founders of Christianity and Islam, seeing them as mythic pretenders, and continues to challenge dominant ideologies. **In simple terms:** Jews reject the mythic founders of other religions, sustaining critical stance. Key Takeaway Recognize the value of skeptical inquiry toward revered figures. Themes religion anti‑Semitism skepticism history ideology Mood critical provocative analytical Type philosophical political historical When to use this quote - academic debate - interfaith dialogue - political activism - media commentary Key Concepts mythic founder rejection critical tradition cultural resilience Questions to Reflect On - How does skepticism shape cultural identity? - Can critical tradition coexist with respect? A Different Perspective The argument may overgeneralize Jewish attitudes and ignore diverse perspectives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abraham/) [Antisemitism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/antisemitism/) [Atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) [Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/) [Christians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christians/) [Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/einstein/) [Encountered Jews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encountered-jews-2820247/) [Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freud/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Islam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islam/) [Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus/) [Jesus Mohammed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus-mohammed-2820246/) [Jews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jews/) [Judaism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judaism/) [Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marx/) [Messiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/messiah/) [Mohammed Retrospect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mohammed-retrospect-2820245/) [Moses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moses/) [Muhammad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/muhammad/) [Muslims](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/muslims/) [Myth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myth/) [Precious Moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/precious-moment/) [Primates Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/primates-jesus-2820244/) [Prophets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prophets/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Semitism Tenacious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/semitism-tenacious-2820243/) [Theism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theism/) ## Related quotes > [The lives of Zoroaster, Jesus and Mohammed, as I have understood them, have illumined many a passage in the Gita.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/the-lives-of-zoroaster-jesus-and-mohammed-as-i-have-understood-them/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [A disciple was one day recalling how Buddha , Jesus , Mohammed were branded as rebels and heretics by their contemporaries. Said the Master,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-de-mello/a-disciple-was-one-day-recalling-how-buddha-jesus-mohammed-were/) [Anthony de Mello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-de-mello/) > [This is a precious moment, but it is transient. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/this-is-a-precious-moment-but-it-is-transient-it-is-a-little/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [“for one precious moment, I believed everything she did was because of love. but now love and power are both shouting their names. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-whitman/for-one-precious-moment-i-believed-everything-she-did-was-because-of/) [Emily Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-whitman/) > [“You can face what’s waiting there for you and your future with no hesitation or fear. You can wake each day with gratitude all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenty-rosse/you-can-face-what-s-waiting-there-for-you-and-your-future-with-no/) [Kenty Rosse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenty-rosse/) > [“I thought back to that precious moment ... when he'd first pulled me into his arms. How strong I'd felt. That same feeling of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-thompson/i-thought-back-to-that-precious-moment-when-he-d-first-pulled-me-into/) [Janice Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-thompson/) > [Live every moment with passion before precious moment slips away.Value every moment,as the moment gone,it is gone for ever,time waits for nobody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dranil-kr-sinha/live-every-moment-with-passion-before-precious-moment-slips-away/) [DrAnil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dranil-kr-sinha/) > [“If there are those you love, whoever or wherever you are, hold them. Find them and hold them as tightly as you can. Resist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-woods/if-there-are-those-you-love-whoever-or-wherever-you-are-hold-them/) [Vanessa Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-woods/) > [One of the joys our technological civilization has lost is the excitement with which seasonal flowers and fruits were welcomed; the first daffodil, strawberry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-jarman/one-of-the-joys-our-technological-civilization-has-lost-is-the/) [Derek Jarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-jarman/) > [The most precious moment in life is when you're about to fall in love. You're lying in bed together and he's gazing at you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-johansson/the-most-precious-moment-in-life-is-when-you-re-about-to-fall-in-love/) [Scarlett Johansson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-johansson/) > [I just sat there. I just held Shelby's hand. There was no noise, no tremble, just peace. Oh god. I realize as a woman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harling/i-just-sat-there-i-just-held-shelby-s-hand-there-was-no-noise-no/) [Robert Harling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harling/) > [We can't back the time,but the we can always remember the precious moment with them..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariane-corbito/we-can-t-back-the-time-but-the-we-can-always-remember-the-precious/) [Mariane Corbito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariane-corbito/) > [We may nt b eligible 4 oscars or grammys, but we are eligible 4 lifes precious moment A gig hug, a quiet evening walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark/we-may-nt-b-eligible-4-oscars-or-grammys-but-we-are-eligible-4-lifes/) [Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark/) > [We are travelers on a cosmic journey,stardust,swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/we-are-travelers-on-a-cosmic-journey-stardust-swirling-and-dancing-in/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Yesterday is history, tomorrow is mystery & today is gift.So live for the present moment & make use of it wisely,let not precious moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dranil-kr-sinha/yesterday-is-history-tomorrow-is-mystery-today-is-gift-so-live-for/) [DrAnil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dranil-kr-sinha/) ## More by Christopher Hitchens > [“The spirit of our accurate and exact philosophy is outraged by conclusions that contradict each other so glaringly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/the-spirit-of-our-accurate-and-exact-philosophy-is-outraged-by/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“Many governments employ torture but this was the first time that the element of Saturnalia and pornography in the process had been made so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/many-governments-employ-torture-but-this-was-the-first-time-that-the/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [ It's \[Los Angeles\] mostly full of nonsense and delusion and egomania. They think they'll be young and beautiful forever, even though most of them… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-los-angeles-mostly-full-of-nonsense-and-delusion-and-egomania/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [To be against rationalization is not the same as to be opposed to reasoning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/to-be-against-rationalization-is-not-the-same-as-to-be-opposed-to/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [ \[Religion\] attacks us in our deepest integrity - the core of our self-respect. Religion says that we would not know right from wrong, we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/religion-attacks-us-in-our-deepest-integrity-the-core-of-our-self/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“In the very recent past, we have seen the Church of Rome befouled by its complicity with the unpardonable sin of child rape, or,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/in-the-very-recent-past-we-have-seen-the-church-of-rome-befouled-by/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [It's surprising to me how many of my friends send Christmas cards, or holiday cards, including my atheist and secular friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-surprising-to-me-how-many-of-my-friends-send-christmas-cards-or/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Suppose there were groups of secularists at hospitals who went round the terminally ill and urged them to adopt atheism: 'Don't be a mug…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/suppose-there-were-groups-of-secularists-at-hospitals-who-went-round/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [There are, after all, atheists who say they wish the fable were true but are unable to suspend the requisite disbelief, or who have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/there-are-after-all-atheists-who-say-they-wish-the-fable-were-true/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“It isn’t so long since a test of Anglican orthodoxy was applied to anyone seeking to study or teach at Oxford and Cambridge universities.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-isn-t-so-long-since-a-test-of-anglican-orthodoxy-was-applied-to/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Gullibility and credulity are considered undesireable qualities in every department of human life - except religion ... Why are we praised by godly men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/gullibility-and-credulity-are-considered-undesireable-qualities-in/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [It's much worse to see a woman drunk than a man: I don't know quite why this is true but it just is. Don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-much-worse-to-see-a-woman-drunk-than-a-man-i-don-t-know-quite/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [It's true that obscenity is a matter of taste and in the eye of the beholder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-true-that-obscenity-is-a-matter-of-taste-and-in-the-eye-of-the/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [I worked out early on to give up things I couldn't do well at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-worked-out-early-on-to-give-up-things-i-couldn-t-do-well-at-all/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Writing is what's important to me, and anything that helps me do that - or enhances and prolongs and deepens and sometimes intensifies argument…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/writing-is-what-s-important-to-me-and-anything-that-helps-me-do-that/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) [Explore all 1,241 Christopher Hitchens quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) ## More Abraham quotes > [“That’s all! Now either leave us alone or join us as a father rather than a receiver of sacrifices. You have the choice of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/that-s-all-now-either-leave-us-alone-or-join-us-as-a-father-rather/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [Hebron is a bone of contention between Israeli settlers and the Palestinians in part because Abraham is buried there, in the Tomb of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-korda/hebron-is-a-bone-of-contention-between-israeli-settlers-and-the/) [Michael Korda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-korda/) > [Donald Trump is not going to be the nominee, because we are not going to allow - people will wake up and we're not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/donald-trump-is-not-going-to-be-the-nominee-because-we-are-not-going/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [“Never you look down on your Abraham because of your Sarah because the blessing is not in the womb of Sarah but in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ikechukwu-izuakor/never-you-look-down-on-your-abraham-because-of-your-sarah-because-the/) [Ikechukwu Izuakor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ikechukwu-izuakor/) > [“Whatever you are, be a good one.”   Abraham Lincoln”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rriiver-nyile/whatever-you-are-be-a-good-one-abraham-lincoln/) [Rriiver Nyile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rriiver-nyile/) > [Moses was a great leader, right? But he wasn't a great communicator. And so God sent him Aaron so he could, let's say, communicate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/javier-milei/moses-was-a-great-leader-right-but-he-wasn-t-a-great-communicator-and/) [Javier Milei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/javier-milei/) > [“king of Heshbon. 6 b Moses, the servant of the”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/king-of-heshbon-6-b-moses-the-servant-of-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“In the end, thought Sol, past logic and hope, it is dreams and the love of those dearest to us that form Abraham’s answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/in-the-end-thought-sol-past-logic-and-hope-it-is-dreams-and-the-love/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [It was psychobabbler Abraham Maslow who wrote of the phenomena of self-actualization. What Maslow failed to grasp is that reaching true self-actualization can only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/it-was-psychobabbler-abraham-maslow-who-wrote-of-the-phenomena-of/) [Ted Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nugent/) > [“Mungu hutumia watu 'wajinga' na 'wapumbavu' kufanya mambo makubwa katika maisha yao na ya watu wengine. Katika Biblia, Musa aliitwa mjinga alipokiuka amri ya…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enock-maregesi/mungu-hutumia-watu-wajinga-na-wapumbavu-kufanya-mambo-makubwa-katika/) [Enock Maregesi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enock-maregesi/) > [“9. Abraham’s death (25:1 – 11) After Sarah’s death, Abraham took another wife, Keturah. Abraham was a rejuvenated old man and continued to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-sailhamer/9-abraham-s-death-25-1-11-after-sarah-s-death-abraham-took-another/) [John H. Sailhamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-h-sailhamer/) > [“The biblical story of the binding of Isaac shows that human sacrifice was far from unthinkable in the 1st millennium BCE. The Israelites boasted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-biblical-story-of-the-binding-of-isaac-shows-that-human-sacrifice/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [Everybody faces obstacles. And I looked to people who had been through many to succeed in life. Abraham Lincoln, born to a poor family,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-winfield/everybody-faces-obstacles-and-i-looked-to-people-who-had-been-through/) [Dave Winfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-winfield/) > [Someone asked me...how it felt and I was reminded of a story that a fellow townsman of ours used to tell--Abraham Lincoln. They asked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/someone-asked-me-how-it-felt-and-i-was-reminded-of-a-story-that-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [American foreign policy and military might have opened an opportunity for the Gospel in the land of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stanley/american-foreign-policy-and-military-might-have-opened-an-opportunity/) [Charles Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stanley/) [Browse all 484 Abraham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abraham/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I think I have a very good idea why it is that anti-Semitism is so tenacious and so protean and so enduring. Christianity and Islam, theistic though they may claim to be, are both based on the fetishizing of human primates: Jesus in one case and Mohammed in the other. Neither of these figures can be called exactly historical but both have one thing in common even in their quasi-mythical dimension. Both of them were first encountered by the Jews. And the Jews, ravenous as they were for any sign of the long-sought Messiah, were not taken in by either of these two pretenders, or not in large numbers or not for long. If you meet a devout Christian or a believing Muslim, you are meeting someone who would give everything he owned for a personal, face-to-face meeting with the blessed founder or prophet. But in the visage of the Jew, such ardent believers encounter the very figure who did have such a precious moment, and who spurned the opportunity and turned shrugging aside. Do you imagine for a microsecond that such a vile, churlish transgression will ever be forgiven ? I myself certainly hope that it will not. The Jews have seen through Jesus and Mohammed. In retrospect, many of them have also seen through the mythical, primitive, and cruel figures of Abraham and Moses. Nearer to our own time, in the bitter combats over the work of Marx and Freud and Einstein, Jewish participants and protagonists have not been the least noticeable. 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