Opening the Covenant: A Jewish Theology of ChristianityThe Vatican II Council of 1965 signaled a new era in the relationship of the Jewish and Christian faiths. Determined to free the Church of the anti-Jewish polemic which led to such widespread suffering of the innocent, Catholic authorities completely revised their conceptions of Jews and Judaism. Soon, many mainstream Protestant churches also issued a series of official statements that affirm the eternal nature of God's ancient covenant with Israel. An entirely new category of theology emerged as part of the developing Jewish-Christian dialogue, and gradually Jewish theologians began to respond. Opening the Covenant represents a significant advance in Jewish thinking about Christianity. Michael Kogan delves deep into the theologies of the two faiths to locate precise points of difference and convergence. He sees Christianity as the breaking open of the original Covenant to include Gentile peoples. God has brought this about, says Kogan, through the work of Jesus and his interpreters. If Christianity is a divinely inspired movement, then Judaism must reevaluate its truth-claims. This will in no way compromise the truth of Judaism itself but will cause Jews to understand their own faith more fully by locating it in the larger context of God's universal redemptive plan. Kogan calls for each tradition to receive the wisdom of the other as a means of self-understanding. Once each faith is freed to find God's purpose in the other, the way will be open to a liberating pluralism in which Jews and Christians come to see each other as Israelite siblings sharing a universal role as God's witnesses, the builders of God's Kingdom on Earth. Neither faith can do this world-redemptive work alone. Kogan argues that an affirmation of one's own religion can still provide space for the truth of the "other," and presents a theory of multiple revelations of truth flowing from the one God of all. |
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Page xii
... Christ, in which the faith of Abraham finds its fulfillment.'' When the statement appeared, it was immediately criticized. Without hesitation, Cardinal Ratzinger issued a clarification consisting of two crucial words added to the ...
... Christ, in which the faith of Abraham finds its fulfillment.'' When the statement appeared, it was immediately criticized. Without hesitation, Cardinal Ratzinger issued a clarification consisting of two crucial words added to the ...
Page xiii
... Christ died for all people. The church is made up of the redeemed from all nations. One need not join a particular culture, nation, or ethnic group to accept Christ. The church brings Christ to you where you are, in your race or culture ...
... Christ died for all people. The church is made up of the redeemed from all nations. One need not join a particular culture, nation, or ethnic group to accept Christ. The church brings Christ to you where you are, in your race or culture ...
Page 15
... Christ?'' Matt. 22:42), it has always seemed to me that the different responses to this question are the consequence of an earlier disagreement over the conduct of humanity's first parents. In discussing Jewish theology, I stressed that ...
... Christ?'' Matt. 22:42), it has always seemed to me that the different responses to this question are the consequence of an earlier disagreement over the conduct of humanity's first parents. In discussing Jewish theology, I stressed that ...
Page 16
... Christ. For Paul the Mosaic covenant, all-important for Judaism, was no more than a moral custodian, a babysitter for a humanity still in spiritual and ethical infancy—a temporary and imperfect attempt to bring some order to the chaos ...
... Christ. For Paul the Mosaic covenant, all-important for Judaism, was no more than a moral custodian, a babysitter for a humanity still in spiritual and ethical infancy—a temporary and imperfect attempt to bring some order to the chaos ...
Page 17
... Christ, who will come to offer an effective solution to our dilemma. Hagar is seen to represent the Jewish Law, while Sarah foreshadows the new covenant in Christ. When the latter begets her legitimate child, the servant and her slave ...
... Christ, who will come to offer an effective solution to our dilemma. Hagar is seen to represent the Jewish Law, while Sarah foreshadows the new covenant in Christ. When the latter begets her legitimate child, the servant and her slave ...
Contents
3 | |
2 The Question of the Messiah | 37 |
3 Three Jewish Theologians of Christianity | 69 |
How Far Can Jews and Christians Go? | 85 |
Christian Churches Reevaluate Judaism | 121 |
6 Engaging Two Contemporary Theologians of the Dialogue | 143 |
ChristianJewish Dialogue Moves Forward | 165 |
8 Truth and Fact in Religious Narrative | 183 |
9 Bringing the Dialogue Home | 199 |
10 Does Politics Trump Theology? The IsraeliPalestinian Dispute Invades the JewishChristian Dialogue | 213 |
11 Toward a Pluralist Theology of Judaism | 231 |
Notes | 247 |
Bibliography | 257 |
Index | 263 |
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Common terms and phrases
Abraham accept affirm anointed believe Buber called Catholic century Chris Christ Christian theology christology church claims commandments conception course covenant Dabru Emet David divine earlier earth eternal ethical finite Franz Rosenzweig gentiles God’s Gospels grace Greenberg Hebrew Scriptures Heschel Holy human Ibid individual infinite interpretation Irving Greenberg Israel Israelite issue Jacob Jesus Jewish messianic Jewish theology Jews Jews and Christians Jews and Judaism Judaism and Christianity king kingdom liberal Christians live Lord Me’iri meaning Messiah moral Moses Moses Mendelssohn nations Noahide Noahide laws Nostra Aetate one’s ongoing Paul Paul’s Pawlikowski pluralism pluralist Presbyterians prophet question rabbi rabbinic Judaism recognize redemption rejected relationship religion religious resurrection revelation righteous Rosenzweig salvation salvific seems self-transcendence servant spiritual statement story suffering synagogue T. S. Eliot Talmud teaching Testament texts theologians thought Torah tradition true truth ultimate understanding universal validity vision witness words worship