Then and Now: 10 Advances in Christian-Jewish Understanding
Since Nostra Aetate For those of us working in interreligious dialogue, it is difficult to remember what was it like before October 28, 1965, when the Catholic bishops of the world voted to approve the shortest and most controversial document of Vatican II, Nostra Aetate, which addressed the relationship of the Church to Non-Christian Religions. Before that time it was not uncommon for Christian churches to advocate teachings of contempt towards Jews and reduce Judaism to an antiquated or outmoded religion that had been replaced and superseded by Christianity. Most Christians probably believed that Jews needed to be converted. Interfaith marriages were rare and interreligious meetings were exercises in apologetics more than discussion.
The Nostra Aetate document was written for Christians, but it signaled to Jews and the world that the Catholic Church was willing to begin anew on a pilgrimage of faith. A member of Cardinal Bea's staff who had helped to draft the document, Rev. Thomas Stransky, said at the time, that by voting to endorse this document, the bishops had irrevocably committed themselves to a heshbon ha-nefesh [a reconsideration of soul]. The document was not intended to be a perfect, static or all-inclusive proclamation. Rather, it was the first step on a long journey which encouraged Christians to look for opportunities, signs of God's love, to dialogue and cooperate with other religions.
Nostra Aetate is properly understood in the context of subsequent statements by the Holy See, the popes and the conferences of bishops that are trying to implement it. The sustained willingness of the Church to continue to refine her understandings and teachings is striking. Official Vatican documents such as the Guidelines (1974), the Notes (1985), The Catechism of the Catholic Church (1994), and We Remember: A Reflection on the Shoah (1998) all follow the lead of Nostra Aetate and deplore all persecutions, hatreds, prejudice, discrimination and displays of anti-Semitism leveled at any time or from any source.
1. The first notable advance in Christian-Jewish understanding is a growing mutual respect and trust between Christians and Jews. A posture of dialogue where Jews and Christians allow each other to define themselves, has moved conversations from conversion to cooperation, ignorance to interest, and prejudice to appreciation. Local dialogue groups in parishes and dioceses regularly meet for spiritual enrichment and prayer. Christians and Jews also come together to discuss educational and moral values, and gather for joint efforts that relate to social justice and human rights issues such as aiding the poor and homeless, health care, immigration, violence and hunger.
2. This leads to a second point. What makes dialogue possible is that Christians and Jews have moved from a place of estrangement to working at rekindling a relationship with their long-lost siblings. Not only did Vatican II open the Catholic Church's doors to look outward at the modern world, but its teachings also gave the Church a fresh look at the family tree. The Council's documents stress the fact that Christians and Jews share a special bond, a spiritual patrimony and heritage. The fact that Jesus, his mother, his family and the Apostles were all Jewish was rarely discussed by Christians. However, for Christians, the profound theological implication of highlighting this rather obvious historical point implies that the Jewishness of Jesus et. al. is part of God's plan, not an accident of culture, place, or time. This is practically taken for granted in today's teaching and preaching, but was rarely the case before Vatican II.
3. This "rekindling of family relationships" began in the friendship of Pope John XXIII with the French historian Jules Isaac and now burns at the heart of the words and deeds of Pope John Paul II. In 1986, Pope John Paul II became the first pope since the Apostolic Age to visit a synagogue in Rome and pray with the people there. In his message on April 13, 1986, the pope said, "With Judaism, therefore, we have a relationship which we do not have with any other religion. You are our dearly beloved brothers and, in a certain way, it could be said that you are our elder brothers."
4. Building on the process of dialogue, the Jewishness of Jesus, and the spiritual bonds between Jews and Christians, the Church's self-understanding has shifted in relation to Jews. The Church believes that God has made a promise to the Jewish people and God does not break promises or take back blessings. The conclusion: If Jesus practiced Judaism, then it is also valid for Christians today. The Church no longer "supersedes" or "replaces" an antiquated Judaism but is in the line of Judaism, grafted on the good stock of Israel. Catholics who formerly prayed for the "perfidious Jews" on Good Friday, now pray "that the Jews will be faithful to the covenant as they hear it." In short, it is impossible for the Church to understand its mission without understanding the Jewish people.
5. A fifth advance in Christian-Jewish understanding since Nostra Aetate is the decided effort to purge all anti-Jewish material from textbooks and catechisms. The infamous teaching of contempt begun in the second century CE is gone from most texts, and Christian children are taught that to practice anti-Semitism is anti-Christian. Furthermore, Christian religious education texts more clearly indicate the Jewish roots of concepts such as covenant, law, prophets, messiah, manna, Passover, redemption and testament, to name a few. However, changes in texts alone will not alleviate the understandable caution of many people. As the recently deceased pioneer in Catholic-Jewish relations, Rev. Edward Flannery, wrote in his book, The Anguish of the Jews (1965), "Most Christians have torn out of their history books the pages that Jews have memorized."
6. The document Nostra Aetate encouraged mutual understanding and appreciation between Christians and Jews by way of "biblical and theological enquiry and friendly discussion." Centers and institutes of Jewish-Christian studies and interreligious studies, as well as Jewish studies departments have proliferated to many Catholic and secular universities. The frequency of workshops and conferences, where scholars and students share biblical and theological insights, is increasing, and the warmth of that shared wisdom is beginning to bear fruit in excellent collaborative publications by scholars of different faiths.
7. A major event occurred May 18-20, 1998, in Auschwitz, Poland, where the Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding of Sacred Heart University sponsored an international conference on "Religion and Violence, Religion and Peace." Participating with the notable scholars and religious leaders were five Orthodox rabbis. The Catholic Church had been trying to enter into a theological dialogue with the full range of Judaism for decades. In the past, Orthodox rabbis have considered interfaith discussion of religious doctrine to be forbidden, due to practices in the Middle Ages when "disputations" between rabbis and priests frequently resulted in the rabbi's being beaten or killed. The CCJU conference at Auschwitz represents the first time that a group of prominent Orthodox rabbis participated in an interfaith discussion of a theological nature. At the end of the conference, the rabbis asserted that such encounters will continue.
8. Almost every Jewish-Christian encounter begins with or must eventually address the brooding darkness of the 20th century, the Shoah. Holocaust centers, Holocaust studies programs and departments, and Holocaust museums and memorials are being erected all over the world. These are important efforts to ensure an accurate memory for future generations. However, a deeper movement is occurring in the hearts of people (in no small measure due to the witness of Pope John Paul II) to make a teshuva [a turning away from wrong and returning to a right relationship] towards the Jewish people for the Shoah. It is probably true that people truly know each other only when they know and feel each other's pain. Cardinal Lustiger, archbishop of Paris, said at the 1998 CCJU Nostra Aetate Awards Ceremony and Lecture, "Christians have opened their eyes and ears to Jewish pain and wounds. They accept to be held responsible. They agree to bear that burden without rejecting it on others. They have not tried to declare themselves innocent." Statements by the bishops of Hungary (1992), Germany (1995), the United States (1995), Poland (1995), Switzerland (1997), and France (1997) as well as the 1998 Vatican document, We Remember, all reflect these or similar sentiments made by the cardinal.
9. An important advance in Christian-Jewish relations since Nostra Aetate is the 1993 Vatican establishment of full diplomatic relations with the State of Israel. This is a far cry from when the Zionist Theodor Herzl and Pope Pius X met earlier in this century. (Herzl says in his diary that he had anticipated the Catholic Church's support only to be told, "The Jews have not recognized our Lord; therefore, we cannot recognize the Jewish people. . . . And so, if you come to Palestine and settle your people there, we shall have churches and priests ready to baptize all of you.") Jews and Christians view the land of Israel differently. However, by formalizing diplomatic relations, the Vatican has opened the doors to deeper political, moral and theological dialogue between Jews and Christians in a politically complex and religiously diverse part of the world.
10. A final point to be mentioned here is the result of the above nine advances. With fewer attempts by Christians to convert Jews, a mutual respect and trust exists which has resulted in greater dialogue being initiated by Jews. The dialogue process has challenged many Christian denominations to write significant statements and publish recommendations for future relations with the Jewish people. But now several Jewish organizations and individuals have also published promising statements which attest to their willingness to continue the conversation.
There have been and will be disagreements and misunderstandings. Only time and the integrity of relationships will allow further progress to occur. These 10 advances in Christian-Jewish relations after Nostra Aetate are noted here not so that people will rest on their accomplishments. Rather, these are steps on the pilgrimage of faith where companions breaking the bread of friendship and sharing the wine of peace have chosen to walk for a long time.
--David L. Coppola, Ph.D.
Director of Conferences and Publications
CCJU of Sacred Heart University
5151 Park Avenue Fairfield, CT 06432
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