Winter 1984 - 1985 - Quarterly Review

QUARTERLY REVIEW, WINTER 1984
ist. Ideally, a model should allow room for that range of model, and
still not exclude the fullness of the faith-claims of the other.) Last, but
not least, the model is willing to affirm the profound inner
relationship between the two, and to recognize and admit how much
closer they are to each other than either has been able to say, without
denying the other. Up to now, the affirmation that the two religions
are profoundly close was made by Christians who claimed that
Christianity grows organically out of Judaism in the course of
superseding Judaism. To the extent that there have been Christians
who have affirmed Judaism as valid, they have had (to a certain
extent) to overemphasize Jewish differentiation in order to make
space for Jewish existence. To the extent that there were Jews willing
to see Christianity as a valid religion, they also tended to stress the
differences, in order to protect Judaism. This model will seek to
reduce the gaps without denying the authenticity of the other.
THE SCRIPTURAL MODEL
Judaism is a religion of redemption. The fundamental teaching of
Judaism is that because this world is rooted in an infinite source of life
and goodness, which we call God, life within it is growing, increasing,
perfecting. Life is developing to become more and more like God. The
ultimate achievement so far is the human being. The human being is
in the image of God, so much like God that one can literally use the
imagery of a human-like God. In the case of the human, life is of
infinite value, equal and unique. Judaism claims that this process will
continue until life's fullest possibilities will be realized, until life finally
overcomes death.
If that is not incredible enough, Judaism makes a further claim. The
world that we live in, in the realm of the history of humans, is where
this perfection will come. There is another realm—rabbinic Judaism
affirms a world to come. This perfection of life will be achieved in the
realm which the five senses can see and measure, in the realm of
history. Sickness will be overcome; poverty and oppression will be
overcome; death will be overcome. The political, economic, and social
structures will be restructured, to support and nurture the perfection
of life.
Finally, Judaism said that if God is good and God is a source of
infinite life and infinite goodness, no one should have died in the first
place. To perfect the world, it would not be enough to overcome death
prospectively. Judaism goes on to say there will be resurrection. All
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