At 11:30am today, in the John Paul II Hall at the Holy See Press Centre, there was a press conference held to present a new document published by the Commission for Religious Relations with Jews entitled: Because the gifts and the call of the Lord are irrevocable (Rom 11:29): The document discusses reflections based on theological issues pertaining to Catholic-Jewish relations and is being released on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the publication of the Declaration Nostra Aetate (NA, 4).
Contributions at today's press conference were provided by His Eminence, Kurt Cardinal Koch, President of the Commission for Religious Relations with Jews; Father Norbert Hofmann, SDB, Secretary of the Commission for Religious Relations with Jews; Rabbi David Rosen, International Director of Inter-religious Affairs for the American Jewish Committee (AJC), based in Jerusalem (Israel); and Doctor Edward Kessler, Founder and Director of the Woolf Institute in Cambridge (United Kingdom).
(translation in progress)
Already on the 40th anniversary of the promulgation of the Consular Declaration Nostra Aetate, the Holy See’s Commission for Religious Relations with Jews was considering the possibility of publishing a document. For various reasons, this publication was not possible in 2005. In hindsight, we can say that it was better to have waited until today, because the theological issues contained in the current document have been discussed in detail and with great passion especially over the past ten years.
The document is not intended to define conclusive ends to these discussions. Its aim is rather to serve as a stimulus toward the continuation and deepening of the theological dimensions of the Jewish-Catholic dialogue. The Commission for Religious Relations with Jews refers to the same objectives that Pope Francis has undertaken, namely to ensure that Jewish-Christian dialogue acquires greater depth and breadth from a theological point of view. This is one of the principal reasons why the present document has been published at this time: the theological dialogue between Jews and Christians must receive new motivations.
Our wish is that Catholic theologians who have long been engaged in the Jewish-Catholic dialogue may take in or further develop the reflections contained in the document. In fact, the document is addressed primarily to all those who are actively involved in this dialogue. However, it may also be useful to those who are interested, more in general, in Jewish-Catholic relations.
The document was developed not only on the basis of affirmations of the Catholic faith, but also taking account of the positions of our partners in the dialogue. At a certain point in the writing of the document, there were some Jews involved as counsellors who were asked for an opinion about the adequacy of these matters in a text concerning Judaism. There are references in the text not only to the Old and the New Testaments but also to the Mishna and the Talmud. The process of writing the document lasted a total of two and a half years; its first drafts date back to 2013. Even Pope Benedict XVI said that he was in favour of the drafting of such a document, but only with the placet given by Pope Francis shortly after his election, was it possible to begin working on it.
From the very beginning, there has been strict collaboration with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith which naturally is always consulted regarding theological texts within the Vatican. In this regard, we want to sincerely thank His Eminence, Cardinal Gerhard Müller and his collaborators for their competence and availability in this joint endeavour.
Since Cardinal Koch, Cardinal Müller and I are all native German speakers, the first draft of the document was written in German. A small group of four persons, two representatives of our Commission for religious relations with Jews and two representatives from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith prepared the first version of the document, before it was translated into English. The text was read by both the Cardinals who proposed a few modifications, after which an international consultation of individuals associated with our Commission for religious relations with Jews was also invited. Based on the English text, these consultors proposed suggestions for improving the document. In the light of these observations, the text was modified and sent to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, who, in its turn, questioned its own consultors. Finally, the English version of the document was changed based on these suggestions. This means that the document is the work of a collective effort, to which many competent people have contributed. We are truly thankful to all of them.
Following the authorization granted in September 2015 by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the text was presented to the Secretariat of State who, soon afterward, in October 2015, gave the go-ahead for its publication. In December 2014, Pope Francis had already given his concent to the publication of a document by the Commission for Religious Relations with Jews for the 50th anniversary of the promulgation of Nostra Aetate, number 4.
The precise day of the commemoration of Nostra Aetate was this past October 28, the day on which, fifty years ago, the Declaration of the Second Vatican Council had been promulgated. This same day, Pope Francis dedicated the General Audience to the Conciliar Declaration. From the very beginning, it had been decided that this document would not be published – which is the fourth document prepared by the Commission of Religious Relations with Jews – as part of the celebrations held on October 28 of this year, but that its publication would be reserved for a separate, more distinct time. The first possible date for us was today, December 10, since in November we were still finalizing the text. As has already been said, the original text is in English, but it is also available in Italian, French, Spanish and German.
We invited two Jewish friends, who have also been involved in the process of preparing this text, to be present here today: Rabbi David Rosen from the American Jewish Committee in Jerusalem, and Doctor Edward Kessler from the Woolf Institute in Cambridge (England). I think that it is an eloquent and positive sign that there are also other Jewish leaders, involved in the Jewish-Catholic dialogue, present for the presentation of this document. The general public will surely be interested to know how our Jewish interlocutors have welcomed this document.
Of course, and I wish to repeat this, the present Declaration is a Catholic text, formulated from a Catholic perspective, since it is normal that, as Christian believers, we affirm our identity of faith in a clear manner as part of our dialogue with Judaism, as we hope that others of our partners in the Jewish dialogue would also do. Only in this way can reciprocal respect and mutual appreciation grow, only in this way can we continue to know each other better ad together become a blessing for each other.
Firstly let me express my profound gratitude to Cardinal Koch, Bishop Farrell and Father Hofmann, for the invitation to share the podium at this press conference. As Father Hofmann has noted, the presence here of Jewish representatives is itself a powerful and eloquent testimony of the rediscovered fraternity between Catholics and Jews. And even though the document released is addressed to and for the Catholic faithful, in as much as it concerns the relationship of the Church to the Jewish People, it is graciously respectful to the latter to have a Jewish presence at such a press conference. This is most heartening, reflecting the truly revolutionary change in the Catholic approach towards Jews and Judaism.
Indeed as this document notes, section 4 of the Second Vatican Council’s Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions which deals with the Church’s relationship to the Jewish People (and which this document describes as the heart of Nostra Aetate), was remarkable above all precisely for ushering in this new positive approach of fundamental esteem and which has been described as a Copernican revolution in the Church’s attitude towards Judaism and Jewry.
As Cardinal Koch noted in his presentation at the official celebration of the 50th anniversary of Nostra Aetate here in Rome six weeks ago For the first time in history, (an) ecumenical council expressed itself explicitly and positively with regard to the relationship between the Catholic Church and Judaism, serving as a compass toward reconciliation between Christians and Jews, valid both for the present and for the future.
Nostra Aetate opened up the way for subsequent Popes to further affirm the unique bond between the Church and the Jewish People which this text documents, and to see Jewry as a living source of Divine inspiration for the Church. In the words of Pope Francis God continues to work among the people of the Old Covenant and to bring forth treasures of wisdom which flow from their encounter with His word. (Evangelii Gaudium, 249)
The upshot of this positive regard for the Jewish people is the clear repudiation affirmed in this document of any replacement or supersession theology which sets against one another a Church of the Gentiles (against a) rejected Synagogue whose place it takes.
What this document reveals accordingly is not only the advancement of the recommendations of the 1974 Guidelines on Nostra Aetate, to appreciate and respect Jewish self-understanding; but also a deepening recognition of the place of Torah in the life of the Jewish people; and (in accordance with the Pontifical Biblical Commission’s work) an acknowledgement of the integrity of Jewish reading of the Bible that is different from the Christian one. Indeed the very fact that the document also quotes extensively from Jewish rabbinical sources is further testimony of this respect.
Allow me to reiterate again the point that both Cardinal Koch and Father Hofmann have made, that this is a Catholic document reflecting Catholic theology. Inevitably then, there are passages in it that do not and cannot resonate with a Jewish theology. However as already mentioned, to its great credit, this document seeks to reflect a sincere comprehension of Jewish self-understanding.
Perhaps then I may be permitted in the spirit of our mutual respect and friendship to point out that to fully respect Jewish self-understanding, it is also necessary to appreciate the centrality that the Land of Israel plays in the historic and contemporary religious life of the Jewish People, and that appears to be missing.
Indeed even in terms of the historical survey of the milestones along this remarkable journey since Nostra Aetate, the establishment of full bilateral relations between the State of Israel and the Holy See (very much guided and promoted by Saint Pope John Paul II) was one of the historic highlights. Moreover, the preamble and the first article of the Fundamental Agreement between the two parties, precisely acknowledges this significance. Without Nostra Aetate, the establishment of these relations would surely not have been feasible. The Fundamental Agreement not only paved the way for the historic papal pilgrimages to the Holy Land and thus to the establishment of the bilateral commission with the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, but arguably reflected more than anything else the fact that the Catholic Church had truly repudiated its portrayal of the Jewish people as condemned wanderers to be homeless until the final advent.
The document’s reference to the state of religious minorities as the litmus test regarding Religious Freedom, is particularly pertinent in the Middle East today; and thus the situation of Christians in Israel to which the document refers, stands in marked contrast to most other places in the region.
However, allow me to observe that the importance of the Jewish-Christian relationship in the Holy Land is not simply to prove the question of Religious Freedom. It is also a litmus test of the degree to which Nostra Aetate and the subsequent teaching of the Magisterium are internalized precisely where Christians are a minority and Jews are a majority and not only vice-versa; and in this regard there still remains much educational work to be done.
The reference to peace in the Holy land as pertinent to the Catholic-Jewish relationship is also important. The peoples there live in mutual alienation and disappointment, and I believe that the Catholic Church can play an important role in rebuilding trust, such as the initiative of prayer for peace taken by Pope Francis. Let me express the hope that there soon will be further initiatives to enable religion to be a source of healing rather than conflict; and to ensure that these are coordinated with those who have the political authority to pave the way to enable the land and the city of peace to fulfil its name.
Let me express my particular appreciation for the document’s emphasis on the responsibility of educational institutions, particularly (those for) the training of priests, (to) integrate into their curricula both Nostra Aetate and the subsequent documents of the Holy See regarding the implementation of the Conciliar declaration. Arguably this remains the most notable challenge in taking the achievements from their Olympian heights down to the grass roots universally.
Similarly the call for joint action could not be more timely. The document refers to the International Jewish-Catholic Liaison Committee’s collaboration in Argentina in 2004; and I might add that subsequently there was significant collaboration at the ILC meeting in Cape Town where Jewish and Catholic healthcare organizations and initiatives working particularly with the victims of AIDS, were brought together to facilitate collaboration and become greater than the sum of their different parts. I strongly echo the sentiments in this document that there is much more that we can do together both in addressing the ills of modern society and in combatting prejudice, bigotry and anti-Semitism which the Church has forcefully condemned and which is reiterated in this document.
Finally let me come to the subject of complementarity to which the document refers, based on Pope Francis’ own words in Evangelii Gaudium concerning read(ing) the text of Hebrew Scriptures together … and min(ing) the riches of God’s word . This document further expands the notion of complementarity when it declares that on the one hand … the Church without Israel would be in danger of losing its locus in the history of salvation; and then adds by the same token (!) Jews could ..… arrive at the insight that Israel without the Church would be in danger of remaining too particularist and of failing to grasp the universality of its experience of God.
Permit me to note that there is hardly a symmetry in these regards. The former expresses an understanding of the intrinsic character of the Church, while the latter warns against a possible misunderstanding and maybe even abuse of the Jewish concept of election and loss of a sense of universal responsibility. Not only is there a profound asymmetry between the two in as much as the Church’s need for Israel is a matter of Christianity’s foundational self-understanding; but the real danger of ethnic insularity is hardly something of which Judaism was unaware before the emergence of Christianity and for which Judaism is specifically in need of the Church. This warning is most prominent in Hebrew prophetic scripture, perhaps most dramatically in the writing of Amos, and is articulated throughout Talmudic and mediaeval Jewish literature.
And on the other hand, one might note that an assertively universal doctrine is in just as much danger, as it can become exclusive, imperialist and triumphalist, even more so.
Nevertheless, Jewish luminaries over the centuries have indeed themselves articulated a concept of complementarity in seeing Christianity as a Divine vehicle by which the universal truths that Judaism brought to the world, can in fact be more effectively disseminated throughout the universe beyond the limitations posed by Jewish Peoplehood.
Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, one of the greatest rabbinical leaders of the nineteenth century, even saw the break between Church and Synagogue as a necessary part of that Divine plan to facilitate Christianity’s universal task.
Some have gone a little further in this regard to understand the concept of complementarity in the parallel role in which the Jewish focus on the communal covenant with God and the Christian focus on the individual relationship with God may serve to balance one another. Indeed there are those who have suggested that the communal autonomy that Judaism affirms, may serve more appropriately as a model for a modern multicultural society, while Christianity may provide a better response for individual alienation in the contemporary world.
Another suggestion of some theologians regarding such complementarity relates to the relationship between the Jewish reminder that the Kingdom of Heaven has not yet fully arrived, and the Christian awareness that in some ways that Kingdom has already rooted itself in the here and now.
However the very fact that we can talk about complementarity is itself a powerful demonstration of how far we have come along this remarkable journey of transformation and reconciliation between Catholics and Jews over the last half century. This has been in no small part due to the quotidian work and leadership of the Pontifical Commission for Religious Relations with the Jewish People, and the document released today is one more significant milestone along this truly wondrous path for which we must all give thanks to the One Creator and Guide of Heaven and Earth.
Nostra Aetate No 4 marked the beginnings of a fresh approach to Catholic-Jewish relations and the end of the millennial teaching of contempt (l’enseignement du mepris, a term employed by the Holocaust survivor Jules Isaac who met Pope John XXIII) of Jews and Judaism. It unequivocally asserted the Church’s debt to its Jewish heritage and ushered in a new era, fresh attitudes, a new language of discourse never previously heard in the Catholic Church concerning Jews. The concept of a dialogue now entered the relationship.
Now, 50 years later, under the leadership of Cardinal Koch, a new document has been issued by the Pontifical Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews, which considers some key theological questions that lie at the heart of an intimate, intricate and unique relationship. Its theological premiss is based on the fact that, as Nostra Aetate stated, from the Jewish people sprang the apostles, the foundation stones and pillars of the Church who draw sustenance from the root of that good olive tree onto which have been grafted the wild olive branches of the Gentiles. Christians are therefore rightly reminded in this document of the Jewish origins of Christianity and especially that Jesus was a faithful Jew.
As a result of a soul change, epitomized by Nostra Aetate, The Roman Catholic Church shifted from what was, for the most part, a need to condemn Judaism to one of a condemnation of anti-Judaism. This led not to a separation from all things Jewish but in fact, to a closer relationship with the elder brother. The new document, which I welcome and commend, reminds Christians of this sibling relationship as it sets out a theological agenda for future discussions.
Rabbi Rosen has touched on relations between the Holy See and the State of Israel and the challenges, theological and political, therein. My remarks will therefore focus on topics other than the Holy Land.
In particular, I wish to address a concept which has been deeply troubling to Jewish-Christian relations and one which the new document, commendably, does not avoid: the Christian claim to be the successor covenant people, elected by God to replace Israel because of the latter’s faithlessness, which led to the substitution theory, also known as replacement theology. This is the teaching that, since the time of Jesus, Jews have been replaced by Christians in God’s favour, and that all God’s promises to the Jewish people have been inherited by Christianity.
The new document tackles a dilemma at the heart of today’s Christian understanding of Judaism, demonstrated even by Nostra Aetate. On the one hand, the document states that the church is the new people of God while, on the other, the Jews remain most dear to God because of their fathers, for He does not repent of the gifts He makes nor of the calls He issues (cf Rom 11:28-29).
Discussion of covenantal theology is witnessing a resurgence in contemporary conversations between Christian and Jewish scholars and I welcome the new document’s assertion that the New Covenant for Christians is therefore neither the annulment nor the replacement, but the fulfillment of the promises of the Old Covenant. However, please allow me to express a warning: fulfillment easily slides into replacement and substitution theory is alive and well in the pews. As a Jewish partner in the dialogue, I welcome further reflection on what fulfillment means in terms of relations with Judaism and how we can ensure the transformation in relations is not limited to the elite, but extends from the citadels of the Vatican to the pews of the Church as well as from the Offices of the Chief Rabbis to the floors of our synagogues.
Related to this is the need, from a Christian perspective, for reflection on the survival of the Jewish People and of the vitality of Judaism over 2000 years – this is the mystery of Israel, upon which Paul reflected in his Epistle to the Romans. One of the reasons why Nostra Aetate is rightly seen as a milestone in Christian-Jewish relations is that it began an immensely difficult and costly process - namely, to take the Other as seriously as one demands to be taken oneself. In other words, as expressed by the 1975 Guidelines, Judaism and Christianity must be understood on their own terms. The new document still has some way to go before I recognize myself in its portrayal of Judaism. For example, there is little discussion about contemporary Judaism – the focus is biblical and rabbinic Judaism.
Just over a century ago, in 1913, the Jewish philosopher-theologian Franz Rosenzweig wrote about the saying of Jesus in John that No-one can reach the Father except through Me. Rosenzweig does not get round this saying by criticism, indeed he asserts that it is true, particularly when one remembers the millions who have been led to God through Jesus Christ. However he continues, the situation is quite different for one who does not have to reach the Father because he is already with him. Shall I, he asks, become converted, I who have been chosen? Does the alternative of conversion even exist for me?
Rosenzweig introduces us to a crucial question in today’s relationship – a question we Jews and Christians need to ponder. To what extent can Christians view Judaism as valid in its own terms (and vice versa). The Pontifical Biblical Commission’s statement (extolled in this new document) may point out the way forward when it states Christians can and must admit that ‚the Jewish reading of the Bible is a possible one, in continuity with the Jewish Scriptures...
Of course, questions also need to be considered from the Jewish perspective. What was the divine purpose behind the creation of Christianity? What are the implications for Jews that as a result of the Jew Jesus, 2 billion Christians now read the Jewish Bible? Martin Buber for instance, considered Jesus as my elder brother.
For Jews, the covenant promised to Abraham and revealed to Moses, demonstrates not only the unique and irrevocable relationship between the Jewish people and God but perhaps also allows the theological space for Christians to possess their own special relationship with God and also to see their reflection in a Jewish mirror, which may serve both to deepen Christian faith in Christ and Christian respect for their elder siblings.
These are some of my theological reflections upon reading this new document which I welcome and look forward to further discussions. Indeed, I am very pleased to announce that, in partnership with the Pontifical Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews, the Woolf Institute is convening a meeting of a small number of leading Jewish and Catholic theologians in Cambridge next year to explore these and other theological issues. Perhaps we should begin with the contemporary meaning of the election of Israel and the election of the Church? As Pope Francis said in June, In seeking a right attitude towards God, Christians turn to Christ as the fount of new life and Jews to the teaching of the Torah.
Further reflection on what this all means, for Christians and Jews – indeed, for all men and women of faith – is urgently required.
The last 50 years have seen a demonstrable shift from a pre Nostra Aetate monologue about Jews to an instructive (and sometimes difficult) dialogue with Jews. A monologue generally fails to understand the reality of the Other, while a dialogue requires a respect for the Other as it understands itself. The challenge of making the transition from monologue to dialogue remains immense.
It is clear today that many of the main divisive issues have been either eliminated or taken to the furthest point at which agreement is possible. The efforts of Catholics towards respect of Judaism project attitudes that would have been unthinkable half-a-century ago. During the last 5 decades, Jews and Christians have witnessed a massive change and, as the new document demonstrates, giant strides have been made but we are talking of a dynamic and relentless process. We will never be able to sit back and say, The work is done. The agenda is completed.
However, on many major issues, Jews and Catholics find themselves on the same side of the theological fence, faced with the same challenges, and we are in the unusual position of seeking to tackle them together.
May our joint endeavour be blessed by the Almighty and in turn may we learn to be a blessing to one another.
Contributions at today's press conference were provided by His Eminence, Kurt Cardinal Koch, President of the Commission for Religious Relations with Jews; Father Norbert Hofmann, SDB, Secretary of the Commission for Religious Relations with Jews; Rabbi David Rosen, International Director of Inter-religious Affairs for the American Jewish Committee (AJC), based in Jerusalem (Israel); and Doctor Edward Kessler, Founder and Director of the Woolf Institute in Cambridge (United Kingdom).
Intervention prepared by His Eminence, Kurt Cardinal Koch
President of the Commission for Religious Relations with Jews
(translation in progress)
Intervention prepared by Father Norbert Hofmann, SDB
Secretary of the Commission for Religious Relations with Jews
Already on the 40th anniversary of the promulgation of the Consular Declaration Nostra Aetate, the Holy See’s Commission for Religious Relations with Jews was considering the possibility of publishing a document. For various reasons, this publication was not possible in 2005. In hindsight, we can say that it was better to have waited until today, because the theological issues contained in the current document have been discussed in detail and with great passion especially over the past ten years.
The document is not intended to define conclusive ends to these discussions. Its aim is rather to serve as a stimulus toward the continuation and deepening of the theological dimensions of the Jewish-Catholic dialogue. The Commission for Religious Relations with Jews refers to the same objectives that Pope Francis has undertaken, namely to ensure that Jewish-Christian dialogue acquires greater depth and breadth from a theological point of view. This is one of the principal reasons why the present document has been published at this time: the theological dialogue between Jews and Christians must receive new motivations.
Our wish is that Catholic theologians who have long been engaged in the Jewish-Catholic dialogue may take in or further develop the reflections contained in the document. In fact, the document is addressed primarily to all those who are actively involved in this dialogue. However, it may also be useful to those who are interested, more in general, in Jewish-Catholic relations.
The document was developed not only on the basis of affirmations of the Catholic faith, but also taking account of the positions of our partners in the dialogue. At a certain point in the writing of the document, there were some Jews involved as counsellors who were asked for an opinion about the adequacy of these matters in a text concerning Judaism. There are references in the text not only to the Old and the New Testaments but also to the Mishna and the Talmud. The process of writing the document lasted a total of two and a half years; its first drafts date back to 2013. Even Pope Benedict XVI said that he was in favour of the drafting of such a document, but only with the placet given by Pope Francis shortly after his election, was it possible to begin working on it.
From the very beginning, there has been strict collaboration with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith which naturally is always consulted regarding theological texts within the Vatican. In this regard, we want to sincerely thank His Eminence, Cardinal Gerhard Müller and his collaborators for their competence and availability in this joint endeavour.
Since Cardinal Koch, Cardinal Müller and I are all native German speakers, the first draft of the document was written in German. A small group of four persons, two representatives of our Commission for religious relations with Jews and two representatives from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith prepared the first version of the document, before it was translated into English. The text was read by both the Cardinals who proposed a few modifications, after which an international consultation of individuals associated with our Commission for religious relations with Jews was also invited. Based on the English text, these consultors proposed suggestions for improving the document. In the light of these observations, the text was modified and sent to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, who, in its turn, questioned its own consultors. Finally, the English version of the document was changed based on these suggestions. This means that the document is the work of a collective effort, to which many competent people have contributed. We are truly thankful to all of them.
Following the authorization granted in September 2015 by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the text was presented to the Secretariat of State who, soon afterward, in October 2015, gave the go-ahead for its publication. In December 2014, Pope Francis had already given his concent to the publication of a document by the Commission for Religious Relations with Jews for the 50th anniversary of the promulgation of Nostra Aetate, number 4.
The precise day of the commemoration of Nostra Aetate was this past October 28, the day on which, fifty years ago, the Declaration of the Second Vatican Council had been promulgated. This same day, Pope Francis dedicated the General Audience to the Conciliar Declaration. From the very beginning, it had been decided that this document would not be published – which is the fourth document prepared by the Commission of Religious Relations with Jews – as part of the celebrations held on October 28 of this year, but that its publication would be reserved for a separate, more distinct time. The first possible date for us was today, December 10, since in November we were still finalizing the text. As has already been said, the original text is in English, but it is also available in Italian, French, Spanish and German.
We invited two Jewish friends, who have also been involved in the process of preparing this text, to be present here today: Rabbi David Rosen from the American Jewish Committee in Jerusalem, and Doctor Edward Kessler from the Woolf Institute in Cambridge (England). I think that it is an eloquent and positive sign that there are also other Jewish leaders, involved in the Jewish-Catholic dialogue, present for the presentation of this document. The general public will surely be interested to know how our Jewish interlocutors have welcomed this document.
Of course, and I wish to repeat this, the present Declaration is a Catholic text, formulated from a Catholic perspective, since it is normal that, as Christian believers, we affirm our identity of faith in a clear manner as part of our dialogue with Judaism, as we hope that others of our partners in the Jewish dialogue would also do. Only in this way can reciprocal respect and mutual appreciation grow, only in this way can we continue to know each other better ad together become a blessing for each other.
Intervention prepared by Rabbi David Rosen
International Director of Inter-religious Affairs
American Jewish Committee, Jerusalem
Firstly let me express my profound gratitude to Cardinal Koch, Bishop Farrell and Father Hofmann, for the invitation to share the podium at this press conference. As Father Hofmann has noted, the presence here of Jewish representatives is itself a powerful and eloquent testimony of the rediscovered fraternity between Catholics and Jews. And even though the document released is addressed to and for the Catholic faithful, in as much as it concerns the relationship of the Church to the Jewish People, it is graciously respectful to the latter to have a Jewish presence at such a press conference. This is most heartening, reflecting the truly revolutionary change in the Catholic approach towards Jews and Judaism.
Indeed as this document notes, section 4 of the Second Vatican Council’s Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions which deals with the Church’s relationship to the Jewish People (and which this document describes as the heart of Nostra Aetate), was remarkable above all precisely for ushering in this new positive approach of fundamental esteem and which has been described as a Copernican revolution in the Church’s attitude towards Judaism and Jewry.
As Cardinal Koch noted in his presentation at the official celebration of the 50th anniversary of Nostra Aetate here in Rome six weeks ago For the first time in history, (an) ecumenical council expressed itself explicitly and positively with regard to the relationship between the Catholic Church and Judaism, serving as a compass toward reconciliation between Christians and Jews, valid both for the present and for the future.
Nostra Aetate opened up the way for subsequent Popes to further affirm the unique bond between the Church and the Jewish People which this text documents, and to see Jewry as a living source of Divine inspiration for the Church. In the words of Pope Francis God continues to work among the people of the Old Covenant and to bring forth treasures of wisdom which flow from their encounter with His word. (Evangelii Gaudium, 249)
The upshot of this positive regard for the Jewish people is the clear repudiation affirmed in this document of any replacement or supersession theology which sets against one another a Church of the Gentiles (against a) rejected Synagogue whose place it takes.
What this document reveals accordingly is not only the advancement of the recommendations of the 1974 Guidelines on Nostra Aetate, to appreciate and respect Jewish self-understanding; but also a deepening recognition of the place of Torah in the life of the Jewish people; and (in accordance with the Pontifical Biblical Commission’s work) an acknowledgement of the integrity of Jewish reading of the Bible that is different from the Christian one. Indeed the very fact that the document also quotes extensively from Jewish rabbinical sources is further testimony of this respect.
Allow me to reiterate again the point that both Cardinal Koch and Father Hofmann have made, that this is a Catholic document reflecting Catholic theology. Inevitably then, there are passages in it that do not and cannot resonate with a Jewish theology. However as already mentioned, to its great credit, this document seeks to reflect a sincere comprehension of Jewish self-understanding.
Perhaps then I may be permitted in the spirit of our mutual respect and friendship to point out that to fully respect Jewish self-understanding, it is also necessary to appreciate the centrality that the Land of Israel plays in the historic and contemporary religious life of the Jewish People, and that appears to be missing.
Indeed even in terms of the historical survey of the milestones along this remarkable journey since Nostra Aetate, the establishment of full bilateral relations between the State of Israel and the Holy See (very much guided and promoted by Saint Pope John Paul II) was one of the historic highlights. Moreover, the preamble and the first article of the Fundamental Agreement between the two parties, precisely acknowledges this significance. Without Nostra Aetate, the establishment of these relations would surely not have been feasible. The Fundamental Agreement not only paved the way for the historic papal pilgrimages to the Holy Land and thus to the establishment of the bilateral commission with the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, but arguably reflected more than anything else the fact that the Catholic Church had truly repudiated its portrayal of the Jewish people as condemned wanderers to be homeless until the final advent.
The document’s reference to the state of religious minorities as the litmus test regarding Religious Freedom, is particularly pertinent in the Middle East today; and thus the situation of Christians in Israel to which the document refers, stands in marked contrast to most other places in the region.
However, allow me to observe that the importance of the Jewish-Christian relationship in the Holy Land is not simply to prove the question of Religious Freedom. It is also a litmus test of the degree to which Nostra Aetate and the subsequent teaching of the Magisterium are internalized precisely where Christians are a minority and Jews are a majority and not only vice-versa; and in this regard there still remains much educational work to be done.
The reference to peace in the Holy land as pertinent to the Catholic-Jewish relationship is also important. The peoples there live in mutual alienation and disappointment, and I believe that the Catholic Church can play an important role in rebuilding trust, such as the initiative of prayer for peace taken by Pope Francis. Let me express the hope that there soon will be further initiatives to enable religion to be a source of healing rather than conflict; and to ensure that these are coordinated with those who have the political authority to pave the way to enable the land and the city of peace to fulfil its name.
Let me express my particular appreciation for the document’s emphasis on the responsibility of educational institutions, particularly (those for) the training of priests, (to) integrate into their curricula both Nostra Aetate and the subsequent documents of the Holy See regarding the implementation of the Conciliar declaration. Arguably this remains the most notable challenge in taking the achievements from their Olympian heights down to the grass roots universally.
Similarly the call for joint action could not be more timely. The document refers to the International Jewish-Catholic Liaison Committee’s collaboration in Argentina in 2004; and I might add that subsequently there was significant collaboration at the ILC meeting in Cape Town where Jewish and Catholic healthcare organizations and initiatives working particularly with the victims of AIDS, were brought together to facilitate collaboration and become greater than the sum of their different parts. I strongly echo the sentiments in this document that there is much more that we can do together both in addressing the ills of modern society and in combatting prejudice, bigotry and anti-Semitism which the Church has forcefully condemned and which is reiterated in this document.
Finally let me come to the subject of complementarity to which the document refers, based on Pope Francis’ own words in Evangelii Gaudium concerning read(ing) the text of Hebrew Scriptures together … and min(ing) the riches of God’s word . This document further expands the notion of complementarity when it declares that on the one hand … the Church without Israel would be in danger of losing its locus in the history of salvation; and then adds by the same token (!) Jews could ..… arrive at the insight that Israel without the Church would be in danger of remaining too particularist and of failing to grasp the universality of its experience of God.
Permit me to note that there is hardly a symmetry in these regards. The former expresses an understanding of the intrinsic character of the Church, while the latter warns against a possible misunderstanding and maybe even abuse of the Jewish concept of election and loss of a sense of universal responsibility. Not only is there a profound asymmetry between the two in as much as the Church’s need for Israel is a matter of Christianity’s foundational self-understanding; but the real danger of ethnic insularity is hardly something of which Judaism was unaware before the emergence of Christianity and for which Judaism is specifically in need of the Church. This warning is most prominent in Hebrew prophetic scripture, perhaps most dramatically in the writing of Amos, and is articulated throughout Talmudic and mediaeval Jewish literature.
And on the other hand, one might note that an assertively universal doctrine is in just as much danger, as it can become exclusive, imperialist and triumphalist, even more so.
Nevertheless, Jewish luminaries over the centuries have indeed themselves articulated a concept of complementarity in seeing Christianity as a Divine vehicle by which the universal truths that Judaism brought to the world, can in fact be more effectively disseminated throughout the universe beyond the limitations posed by Jewish Peoplehood.
Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, one of the greatest rabbinical leaders of the nineteenth century, even saw the break between Church and Synagogue as a necessary part of that Divine plan to facilitate Christianity’s universal task.
Some have gone a little further in this regard to understand the concept of complementarity in the parallel role in which the Jewish focus on the communal covenant with God and the Christian focus on the individual relationship with God may serve to balance one another. Indeed there are those who have suggested that the communal autonomy that Judaism affirms, may serve more appropriately as a model for a modern multicultural society, while Christianity may provide a better response for individual alienation in the contemporary world.
Another suggestion of some theologians regarding such complementarity relates to the relationship between the Jewish reminder that the Kingdom of Heaven has not yet fully arrived, and the Christian awareness that in some ways that Kingdom has already rooted itself in the here and now.
However the very fact that we can talk about complementarity is itself a powerful demonstration of how far we have come along this remarkable journey of transformation and reconciliation between Catholics and Jews over the last half century. This has been in no small part due to the quotidian work and leadership of the Pontifical Commission for Religious Relations with the Jewish People, and the document released today is one more significant milestone along this truly wondrous path for which we must all give thanks to the One Creator and Guide of Heaven and Earth.
Intervention prepared by Doctor Edward Kessler
Founder and Director of the Woolf Institute, Cambridge, UK
Nostra Aetate No 4 marked the beginnings of a fresh approach to Catholic-Jewish relations and the end of the millennial teaching of contempt (l’enseignement du mepris, a term employed by the Holocaust survivor Jules Isaac who met Pope John XXIII) of Jews and Judaism. It unequivocally asserted the Church’s debt to its Jewish heritage and ushered in a new era, fresh attitudes, a new language of discourse never previously heard in the Catholic Church concerning Jews. The concept of a dialogue now entered the relationship.
Now, 50 years later, under the leadership of Cardinal Koch, a new document has been issued by the Pontifical Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews, which considers some key theological questions that lie at the heart of an intimate, intricate and unique relationship. Its theological premiss is based on the fact that, as Nostra Aetate stated, from the Jewish people sprang the apostles, the foundation stones and pillars of the Church who draw sustenance from the root of that good olive tree onto which have been grafted the wild olive branches of the Gentiles. Christians are therefore rightly reminded in this document of the Jewish origins of Christianity and especially that Jesus was a faithful Jew.
As a result of a soul change, epitomized by Nostra Aetate, The Roman Catholic Church shifted from what was, for the most part, a need to condemn Judaism to one of a condemnation of anti-Judaism. This led not to a separation from all things Jewish but in fact, to a closer relationship with the elder brother. The new document, which I welcome and commend, reminds Christians of this sibling relationship as it sets out a theological agenda for future discussions.
Rabbi Rosen has touched on relations between the Holy See and the State of Israel and the challenges, theological and political, therein. My remarks will therefore focus on topics other than the Holy Land.
In particular, I wish to address a concept which has been deeply troubling to Jewish-Christian relations and one which the new document, commendably, does not avoid: the Christian claim to be the successor covenant people, elected by God to replace Israel because of the latter’s faithlessness, which led to the substitution theory, also known as replacement theology. This is the teaching that, since the time of Jesus, Jews have been replaced by Christians in God’s favour, and that all God’s promises to the Jewish people have been inherited by Christianity.
The new document tackles a dilemma at the heart of today’s Christian understanding of Judaism, demonstrated even by Nostra Aetate. On the one hand, the document states that the church is the new people of God while, on the other, the Jews remain most dear to God because of their fathers, for He does not repent of the gifts He makes nor of the calls He issues (cf Rom 11:28-29).
Discussion of covenantal theology is witnessing a resurgence in contemporary conversations between Christian and Jewish scholars and I welcome the new document’s assertion that the New Covenant for Christians is therefore neither the annulment nor the replacement, but the fulfillment of the promises of the Old Covenant. However, please allow me to express a warning: fulfillment easily slides into replacement and substitution theory is alive and well in the pews. As a Jewish partner in the dialogue, I welcome further reflection on what fulfillment means in terms of relations with Judaism and how we can ensure the transformation in relations is not limited to the elite, but extends from the citadels of the Vatican to the pews of the Church as well as from the Offices of the Chief Rabbis to the floors of our synagogues.
Related to this is the need, from a Christian perspective, for reflection on the survival of the Jewish People and of the vitality of Judaism over 2000 years – this is the mystery of Israel, upon which Paul reflected in his Epistle to the Romans. One of the reasons why Nostra Aetate is rightly seen as a milestone in Christian-Jewish relations is that it began an immensely difficult and costly process - namely, to take the Other as seriously as one demands to be taken oneself. In other words, as expressed by the 1975 Guidelines, Judaism and Christianity must be understood on their own terms. The new document still has some way to go before I recognize myself in its portrayal of Judaism. For example, there is little discussion about contemporary Judaism – the focus is biblical and rabbinic Judaism.
Just over a century ago, in 1913, the Jewish philosopher-theologian Franz Rosenzweig wrote about the saying of Jesus in John that No-one can reach the Father except through Me. Rosenzweig does not get round this saying by criticism, indeed he asserts that it is true, particularly when one remembers the millions who have been led to God through Jesus Christ. However he continues, the situation is quite different for one who does not have to reach the Father because he is already with him. Shall I, he asks, become converted, I who have been chosen? Does the alternative of conversion even exist for me?
Rosenzweig introduces us to a crucial question in today’s relationship – a question we Jews and Christians need to ponder. To what extent can Christians view Judaism as valid in its own terms (and vice versa). The Pontifical Biblical Commission’s statement (extolled in this new document) may point out the way forward when it states Christians can and must admit that ‚the Jewish reading of the Bible is a possible one, in continuity with the Jewish Scriptures...
Of course, questions also need to be considered from the Jewish perspective. What was the divine purpose behind the creation of Christianity? What are the implications for Jews that as a result of the Jew Jesus, 2 billion Christians now read the Jewish Bible? Martin Buber for instance, considered Jesus as my elder brother.
For Jews, the covenant promised to Abraham and revealed to Moses, demonstrates not only the unique and irrevocable relationship between the Jewish people and God but perhaps also allows the theological space for Christians to possess their own special relationship with God and also to see their reflection in a Jewish mirror, which may serve both to deepen Christian faith in Christ and Christian respect for their elder siblings.
These are some of my theological reflections upon reading this new document which I welcome and look forward to further discussions. Indeed, I am very pleased to announce that, in partnership with the Pontifical Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews, the Woolf Institute is convening a meeting of a small number of leading Jewish and Catholic theologians in Cambridge next year to explore these and other theological issues. Perhaps we should begin with the contemporary meaning of the election of Israel and the election of the Church? As Pope Francis said in June, In seeking a right attitude towards God, Christians turn to Christ as the fount of new life and Jews to the teaching of the Torah.
Further reflection on what this all means, for Christians and Jews – indeed, for all men and women of faith – is urgently required.
The last 50 years have seen a demonstrable shift from a pre Nostra Aetate monologue about Jews to an instructive (and sometimes difficult) dialogue with Jews. A monologue generally fails to understand the reality of the Other, while a dialogue requires a respect for the Other as it understands itself. The challenge of making the transition from monologue to dialogue remains immense.
It is clear today that many of the main divisive issues have been either eliminated or taken to the furthest point at which agreement is possible. The efforts of Catholics towards respect of Judaism project attitudes that would have been unthinkable half-a-century ago. During the last 5 decades, Jews and Christians have witnessed a massive change and, as the new document demonstrates, giant strides have been made but we are talking of a dynamic and relentless process. We will never be able to sit back and say, The work is done. The agenda is completed.
However, on many major issues, Jews and Catholics find themselves on the same side of the theological fence, faced with the same challenges, and we are in the unusual position of seeking to tackle them together.
May our joint endeavour be blessed by the Almighty and in turn may we learn to be a blessing to one another.
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