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When discussing the way that anti-Semitism originated, it is crucial to note that this sentiment manifested itself in a number of different realms of life. Specifically, these include religious, political, economic and scientific areas of thought and study. As this list implies, the most prominent of these factors that affected the beginning of the anti-Semitic movement began with religion. It is perhaps one of life's great ironies that Jesus Christ was Jewish. He was crucified by the Romans, who later on -- for political reasons -- embraced Christianity in the coming centuries after the death of Christ. In order to propagate this religion within the Holy Roman Empire and around the world, it was necessary to shift the blame of the crucifixion of Christ away from the Roman Empire that was now promulgating the religion named after him. The most effective way to do so was to blame another group for that murder. That blame shifted to the Jews, despite the fact that Christ was Jewish and a practitioner of this faith.

It is equally important to understand the political ramifications and motives of this tactic. The emperor Constantine adopted Christianity as the official religion of the Holy Roman Empire, as manifested in both its Eastern and Western branches. Politically, Christianity was used to unify the empire and to help it expand into more territories as the Romans attempted to conquer the world -- or as much of Europe as they could. It was largely able to do so at the expense of Jewish people, who were blamed for the death of Christ and generally vilified as a way to make Christianity and Christians appear to be the better side. After the crucifixion of Christ, there were both Jews and Christians in Jerusalem and in the area that was controlled by Rome. The surviving Christians were able to ensure their survival and the continuance of their religion by forming a political alliance with Rome, which did not include Jews and would soon begin persecuting them.

There were several different ways that anti-Semitism changed following the fall of the Holy Roman Empire. In some respects, the nature of anti-Semitism changed. Whereas during the heyday of the Roman Empire anti-Semitism was generally promulgated according to religious and political persecution, afterwards Jewish persecution expanded into the realms of economics and science. This fact was clearly demonstrated in the economic sphere of life during the Middle Ages when Jews were forced out of many trades throughout Europe and widely adopted money lending as a result. Soon thereafter, there was a stigma attached to these people that they were money-grubbing and usurers, a perception that still persists throughout Europe and Westernized culture to this day.

Anti-Semitism became even more pervasive, however, once it transcended the realm of science or pseudo-science, as it may well have been. There were a number of proponents through Europe that rationalized the fact that Semitism had transcended mere religious beliefs, political associations (or lack thereof) and pecuniary tendencies, and was actually and actually existed at a genetic level. Proponents of this theory propounded the notion that Semitism existed at a racial level because of so-called genetic proof. This type of ideology was aligned with some of the more concerted efforts to exterminate these people; the most famous of these, of course, was that perpetuated by Adolph Hitler.

Finally, it is worth noting that after the Roman Empire had fallen, anti-Semitism was responsible for a migration of Jewish people across Europe. They were systematically driven out of Western Europe first, as efforts in France and Spain proved to be harbingers of the future migration to come. They were subsequently driven out of Central Europe in parts of Germany and in surrounding areas; similar efforts were made throughout England in the United Kingdom. Finally, Jews have come to be driven into various countries in Eastern Europe such as Poland and others.

The primary advocates of religious anti-Semitism were the competing religions of Christianity and Islam. Christians utilized this tactic in order to convince followers that Jews were enemies because they were responsible for the murder of Christ. Such a stance was also influential in the adoption of the religion by the Holy Roman Empire. Muslims came to be anti-Semitic for religious purposes since they (particularly Palestinians) are competing with Jewish people for the rights to the so-called Holy Land.