A Jewish Perspective On Christianity

The history of Jewish-Christian relations dates back two millennia, i.e., it is as old as Christianity itself. However, these relations, which had been "stable" (but not extraordinarily friendly) throughout their history, had undergone a substantial shift over the last century. Due to the return of the Jewish people to their historical motherland and the establishment of the State of Israel, many provisions of theology, previously considered unshakable, had to be revised; Furthermore, this process is taking place not as a result of reform, but in the course of orthodox modernization, when a new direction of development of a given religion retains its orthodox features in their entirety in the process of modernization. An open dialogue between Christianity and Judaism had been impossible in earlier periods of history, as the objectives of Christianity in relation to the Jews were purely missionary, motivated by the desire to compel the Jews to relinquish Judaism and accept Christianity. Under such conditions, Judaism's most natural defensive reaction was the construction of an impermeable barrier between the Jewish and the Christian spiritual worlds. However, in our time this state of affairs began to change. In the second half of the twentieth century a number of significant positive shifts took place in the theological position of Christianity in relation to Judaism. Most Western Christian denominations (Catholics and the majority of Protestant groups) began the process of rethinking Judaism and adopting the idea of principled abandonment of missionary efforts in relation to the Jews, that is, the recognition of the fact that even from the point of view of Christianity the "Old Testament", i.e., the original covenant of Between God and the Jews, had remained relevant, for the word of God is eternal and cannot become outdated, obsolete or be cancelled, and therefore the Jews (unlike other peoples the world) "are saved through their Covenant with God and have no need in baptism 14 A Jewish Perspective on Christianity for being redeemed". (Some Christian theologians even emphasize that "Christian missionary effort in relation to Jews, which based on the denial of efficacy of the First Testament, affronts God "- see more details below.) This is a major change emerging in the position of Christianity (if only in some parts of it so far), and it enables Judaism to take a more open stance. For the first time in millennia, the two factors combine to create hope for a start of a sincere dialogue between the parties, aimed at mutual understanding, not on persuasion of the opponent. This change of position on the part of both Christianity and Judaism had been initiated by the attempts to comprehend the Holocaust, which befell the European Jewry during WWII. Furthermore, it had been elicited by theological understanding of the creation of the State of Israel - this incredible feat of the Jewish return to their motherland after centuries of exile. This return carries the same level of spiritual and religious significance as the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, which took place two thousand years ago, and initiated the expulsion of the Jews from the Holy Land, which historically (and not coincidentally) corresponded to the beginning of the spread of Christianity. Indeed, if we believe in God and perceive history as more than a concoction of various intrigues, economics and politics, but rather as a dialogue between human and divine, we are obligated to attempt to comprehend the message God wishes to deliver to us today, through current events.

• | Author: Pinchas Polonsky
• | Publisher: Bowker
• | Publication Date: Mar 19, 2023
• | Number of Pages: 206 pages
• | Language: English
• | Binding: Paperback
• | ISBN-10: 1949900150
• | ISBN-13: 9781949900156