Post Holocaust Jewish Christian Dialogue

This volume sheds light on the transformed post-Holocaust relationship between Catholics and Jews. Once implacable theological foes, the two traditions have travelled a great distance in coming to view the other with respect and dignity. Responding to the horrors of Auschwitz, the Catholic Church has undergone a “reckoning of the soul,” beginning with its landmark document Nostra Aetate and embraced a positive theology of Judaism including the ongoing validity of the Jewish covenant. Jews have responded to this unprecedented outreach, especially in the document Dabru Emet. Together, these two Abrahamic traditions have begun seeking a repair of the world. The road has been rocky and certainly obstacles remain. Nevertheless, authentic interfaith dialogue remains a new and promising development in the search for a peace.

American readers, too often burdened by their own stereotypes about Germans, can benefit by reading these papers and coming to a better understanding of how Jews and Germans are working together to overcome the tragic history that continues to affect the modern world.

This book gives a critical assessment of Paul van Buren's contribution to the Jewish-Christian dialogue, and attempts an original contribution of its own. The main body of the work is concerned with van Buren's 'A Theology of the Jewish-Christian Reality', a systematic rethinking of Christianity vis-a-vis Judaism in a Post-Holocaust world. The premise on which van Buren's rethinking of Christianity rests is that the covenant between God and the Jewish people is eternal. The author suggests an alternative theory which overlaps with the relationship between Judaism and Christianity.

This volume is inspired by the pioneering work of John T. M. Pawlikowski in social ethics, Jewish-Christian relations, and Holocaust studies and intends to explore the cutting-edge of these areas in his honor.

This work examines the significance of "Israel" for Christianity in the pre-Holocaust theology of Karl Barth, and the post-holocaust theologies developed by Jurgen Moltmann and Paul van Buren. Concluding that Barth's "radical traditionalism" is an unsuitable basis for developing apost-Holocaust theology, the author turns to more promising work expressed by the "messianic theology" of Moltmann and the "radical theology" of van Buren. The book then distinguishes the work of Moltmann and van Buren from the work known as Holocaust theology, and places their work in the light ofboth the Reformed tradition and the revision of Christian doctrine after Auschwitz. The study concludes by discussing both the resources and obstacles facing post-Holocaust Christian theology.

The five sections of the book are entitled: Christian Attitudes to Judaism and the Jews; Jewish Attitudes to the Dialogue; The Vatican and the Jews; Israel in the Dialogue; The Dialogue in Israel. Ch. 3 discusses the "Nostra Aetate" declaration (1965). The Churches undertook the revision of many religious teachings in order to eliminate the traditional antisemitic stereotype of the Jews. Not enough, however, is being done in either Jewish or Christian education to build up understanding of the values and beliefs of the other. The appendix (pp. 143-167) contains documents - statements by the Vatican ("Nostra Aetate, " the "Guidelines, " the "Notes") and the World Council of Churches.

"Dina Wardi, an Israeli Jewish psychologist noted for her work with Holocaust survivors and their children, has written an account of her experiences leading a multinational group of Catholic nuns and priests during a conference on anti-Semitism, persecutions, and the Holocaust, which included visits to the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland. The result is a dynamic portrayal of a trip to this most sacred place that has profoundly affected the lives and mission of all involved." "Auschwitz is an important study of the Jewish-Christian dialogue regarding Christian Holocaust guilt, anti-Semitism in the Catholic Church, and ecumenism."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

The evil of the holocaust demands a radical rethink of the traditional Christian understanding of Judaism. This does not mean jettisoning Christianity's deepest convictions in order to make it conform to Judaism. Rather, Richard Harries develops the work of recent Jewish scholarship to discern resonances between central Christian and Jewish beliefs. This thought-provoking book offers fresh approaches to contentious and sensitive issues. A key chapter on the nature of forgiveness is sympathetic to the Jewish charge that Christians talk much too easily about forgiveness. Another chapter on suffering in Judaism and Christianity rejects the usual stereotypes and argues for important common ground, for example in the idea that God suffers in the suffering of his people. There are also chapters on the state of Israel and the place of Jerusalem in Christian and Jewish thought. Richard Harries argues that the basic covenant is not with either Judaism or Christianity but with humanity. These, like other religions, are different, distinctive voices in response to God's primal affirmation of human life, which for Christians is achieved and given in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the light of this the author maintains - controversially - that Christians should not be trying to convert Jews to Christianity. Rather Jews and Christians should stand together and build on the great amount they have in common to work together for a better world.