Chronology of a libel:
יהודים YEHUDIM attack
Christian images
Christian writers, church councils, poets, legal compilers, artists, printers, and modern church institutions transmitted stories in which יהודים YEHUDIM supposedly attacked images of Jesus or Mary. The alleged attacks are fictional. The dated record is the Christian production, use, and preservation of the accusation.1
AM 4534–4536
AM 4534–4536: A Greek theological anthology preserved the Beirut image-desecration legend.
Peter of Nicomedia presented the Beirut story at the Second Council of Nicaea.
ט״ו בתשרי ד׳תקמ״ח 15th 𝑜𝑓 Tiŝrei, AM 4548: Peter of Nicomedia presented the Beirut story at the Second Council of Nicaea.
AM 4632–4633
AM 4632–4633: Anastasius Bibliothecarius translated the Beirut story into Latin.
AM 4660–4761
AM 4660–4761: A Girona martyrology recorded an annual Passio ymaginis observance.
AM 4869–4871
AM 4869–4871: Christians massacred יהודים YEHUDIM at Toledo. The record does not establish that the victims attacked an image.
AM 4895–4896
AM 4895–4896: William of Malmesbury transmitted a version that treated killing יהודים YEHUDIM as worthy of heavenly reward.
AM 4925–4941
AM 4925–4941: Adgar transmitted the Toledo accusation in Anglo-Norman verse.
AM 5006–5013
AM 5006–5013: Gonzalo de Berceo transmitted the Toledo accusation in Castilian verse.
AM 5008–5009
AM 5008–5009: John of Garland transmitted the accusation in Latin verse.
AM 5016–5026
AM 5016–5026: The Siete Partidas made alleged crucifixion of children or wax images by יהודים YEHUDIM a punishable legal possibility.
AM 5020–5028
AM 5020–5028: The Golden Legend tied the Beirut story to relics, conversion, church dedication, and the conversion of synagogues into churches.
AM 5020–5045
AM 5020–5045: Cantiga 12 joined the Toledo accusation to song, musical notation, and a six-panel image.
AM 5020–5045
AM 5020–5045: Cantigas 34 and 46 contrasted an accused יהודי YEHUDI with a Muslim figure who honored an image of Mary.
AM 5032–5034
AM 5032–5034: Thomas Aquinas used blood said to flow from a maltreated image to distinguish image blood from relics of Jesus.
AM 5099
AM 5099: Later Christian tradition represented the Deggendorf massacre through a Host-desecration legend.
AM 5213
AM 5213: Authorities burned forty-one יהודים YEHUDIM after a Host-desecration libel supported by torture-produced confessions.
AM 5216–5218
AM 5216–5218: Douce 374 illustrated an image of Mary accusing יהודים YEHUDIM.
AM 5244
AM 5244: William Caxton printed the Golden Legend in English.
Caxton’s colophon dated completion of his English work.
כ״א בכסלו ה׳רמ״ד 21st 𝑜𝑓 Kislev, AM 5244: Caxton’s colophon dated completion of his English work.
The Orthodox Church in America retained the Beirut accusation on its official 2026 calendar page.
ל׳ בתשרי ה׳תשפ״ז 30th 𝑜𝑓 Tiŝrei, AM 5787: The Orthodox Church in America retained the Beirut accusation on its official 2026 calendar page.
How is this dated?
This chronology is not assigned to one Hebrew date. It follows a libel through many texts, institutions, media, and later acts across more than a millennium. Each entry states what its date belongs to, such as a text, council session, manuscript, printing, massacre, or modern calendar page. No entry date is transferred to the chronology as a whole.2
Footnotes
AM 4345–4351
AM 4534–4536
Peter of Nicomedia presented the Beirut story at the Second Council of Nicaea.
AM 4632–4633
AM 4660–4761
AM 4869–4871
AM 4895–4896
AM 4925–4941
AM 5006–5013
AM 5008–5009
AM 5016–5026
AM 5020–5028
AM 5020–5045
AM 5020–5045
AM 5032–5034
AM 5099
AM 5213
AM 5216–5218
AM 5244
Caxton’s colophon dated completion of his English work.
The Orthodox Church in America retained the Beirut accusation on its official 2026 calendar page.