Winter 1984 - 1985 - Quarterly Review

QUARTERLY REVIEW, WINTER 1984
At this moment no single theological reformulation of Christianity's
relationship to Judaism has won general acceptance. The only areas in
which there is significant consensus among scholars who have
studied the question are (1) that the Christ-event did not invalidate the
Jewish faith perspective, (2) that Christianity is not superior to
Judaism in every way, nor is it simply the fulfillment of Judaism, and
(3) that Christianity needs to incorporate dimensions from its original
Jewish context, most notably the sense of rootedness in history. The
respective positions advocated by dialogue scholars that Christianity
is essentially Judaism for the Gentiles, or that the Christ-event is one
among several messianic experiences in world history, or that
Christianity and Judaism are distinctive religions, each with a unique
faith perspective despite their historic links, have each drawn support
from several scholars. It is my belief that the third position remains the
most promising for further development.
Within this third approach certain suppositions are crucial. The first is
that any christology which simply presents the meaning of Jesus'
ministry as the fulfillment of Jewish messianic prophecies is invalid.
Others include the recognition that the basic link between Jesus and
Judaism is to be found in his appropriation of the revolutionary vision of
Pharisaism, the realization that the basic difference between Christianity
and Judaism lies not so much in fulfillment/nonfulfillment as in the
notion of the Incarnation and the awareness that Judaism's principal
contribution to christological thought comes from an understanding of
the Exodus covenantal tradition and the sense of peoplehood and
salvation within history that this tradition entails. Additionally this
perspective recognizes that Christian-Jewish dialogue on the christological
questions has implications for the church throughout the world
and not only in the North Atlantic region as has sometimes been
implied. Because there is no way fully to grasp christology without
understanding the thoroughly Jewish context of Jesus' ministry,
Christian knowledge of Judaism becomes an imperative, irrespective of
the presence or absence of Jews in a particular geographic area.
Likewise it is aware that Christianity and Judaism will both have to
prepare themselves to relate their covenantal theological traditions to
other world religions and ideologies. The growing interdependence of
the world community makes this a theological as well as an ethical
imperative for both faith communities.
In summary, the age of proselytizing, prejudice, and confrontation
between Judaism and Christianity is over. Despite continued tensions
the age of dialogue has begun.
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