Christology and Jewish–Christian Dialogue

Source: Christology and Jewish–Christian Dialogue /Academia.edu/

Mark Schaefer - author of The Certainty of Uncertainty: The Way of Inescapable Doubt and Its Virtue (Wipf & Stock, 2018). Papers by Mark Schaefer.

Abstract: It is generally assumed that Christian confessions concerning the person and nature of Jesus Christ represent an irreconcilable divide between Judaism and Christianity. On the surface, a cursory examination of Christian religious language would appear to confirm this assumption. However, given that Christianity arose out of the religious worldview of First Century Judaism, a deeper examination shows that most Christian Christological beliefs have parallels in Judaism and offer an opportunity for greater connection than for division. This paper explores key Christian Christological concepts and analyzes their compatibility or incompatibility with Jewish thought. This exploration reveals two religions that have far more in common, even on questions of Christology, than is generally assumed. This paper is a 2023 revision of a 2001 original.

1. Introduction

It has been said that Judaism and Christianity share a dirty little secret: Jesus was a Jew. Indeed, Jesus was born a Jew, lived a Jew, and died a Jewish pilgrim to Jerusalem. [1] Given this, it is a great irony that the Jewish founder of the Christian faith, who should have been “a bridge of reconciliation between Israel and the world of the nations,” [2] has instead been a point of division and bitter contention.

In the nearly two thousand years since Jesus’ earthly ministry, the church and synagogue have gone their separate ways, often belying the fact that the two share a common origin. How is it that a church founded upon the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth should have such a hostile relationship with the people out of whom Jesus came?

2. The Problem of History

Christian polemicagainst theJewishpeoplebeginsinthedevelopingGospelnarratives. FromMarktoMatthewtoLuketoJohn,thereisanincreasingfocusontheJewishculpability for the crucifixion of Jesus. This polemic continued in many of the writings of the church fathers, who espoused a supersessionist theology that claimed the church had superseded Israel as the beneficiary of God’s promises and God’s blessings.

As Christianity sought to claim primacy over the Jewish tradition, it began to develop theologies that made it very difficult for Jews to accept Christian faith. These emerging theologies can be seen in the earliest Second Testament1 writings—the Pauline Epistles, which contain evidence that even in the very early church, Jesus was being worshipped or at least venerated. [3] These theological developments represented a sudden and significant shift in character from customary Jewish devotion, even though the cultic veneration of Jesus grew out of Jewish monotheism. As one scholar notes: “the devotional attention Jews characteristically reserved for God now included the risen Christ.” [3]

Much of this early theological development was still within the bounds of Jewish thought. For example, Paul’s writing referring to Jesus as “Lord” and attributing to him the role of Divine Wisdom stretched Jewish language and categories, but it still found its place within the Jewish understanding of God. [3] This “augmented monotheism” arose from Jewish interest in and reverence for heavenly figures in the Second Temple 2 period.

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1 Inthis paper, the terms “First Testament” and “Second Testament” will be used in place of the customary “Old Testament” and “New Testament.”

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