Reseña del libro "A Jewish Perspective on Christianity (en Inglés)"
The history of Jewish-Christian relations dates back two millennia, i.e., it is as old as Christianity itself. However, these relations, whichhad been "stable" (but not extraordinarily friendly) throughout theirhistory, had undergone a substantial shift over the last century. Dueto the return of the Jewish people to their historical motherland andthe establishment of the State of Israel, many provisions of theology, previously considered unshakable, had to be revised; Furthermore, thisprocess is taking place not as a result of reform, but in the course of orthodoxmodernization, when a new direction of development of a givenreligion retains its orthodox features in their entirety in the processof modernization. An open dialogue between Christianity and Judaismhad been impossible in earlier periods of history, as the objectives ofChristianity in relation to the Jews were purely missionary, motivatedby the desire to compel the Jews to relinquish Judaism and acceptChristianity. Under such conditions, Judaism's most natural defensivereaction was the construction of an impermeable barrier between theJewish and the Christian spiritual worlds. However, in our time thisstate of affairs began to change. In the second half of the twentiethcentury a number of significant positive shifts took place in the theologicalposition of Christianity in relation to Judaism.Most Western Christian denominations (Catholics and the majorityof Protestant groups) began the process of rethinking Judaism andadopting the idea of principled abandonment of missionary efforts inrelation to the Jews, that is, the recognition of the fact that even fromthe point of view of Christianity the "Old Testament", i.e., the originalcovenant of Between God and the Jews, had remained relevant, for theword of God is eternal and cannot become outdated, obsolete or becancelled, and therefore the Jews (unlike other peoples the world) "aresaved through their Covenant with God and have no need in baptism14 A Jewish Perspective on Christianityfor being redeemed". (Some Christian theologians even emphasize that"Christian missionary effort in relation to Jews, which based on the denialof efficacy of the First Testament, affronts God "- see more detailsbelow.)This is a major change emerging in the position of Christianity (ifonly in some parts of it so far), and it enables Judaism to take a moreopen stance. For the first time in millennia, the two factors combine tocreate hope for a start of a sincere dialogue between the parties, aimedat mutual understanding, not on persuasion of the opponent. Thischange of position on the part of both Christianity and Judaism hadbeen initiated by the attempts to comprehend the Holocaust, whichbefell the European Jewry during WWII. Furthermore, it had been elicitedby theological understanding of the creation of the State of Israel- this incredible feat of the Jewish return to their motherland aftercenturies of exile. This return carries the same level of spiritual and religioussignificance as the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, whichtook place two thousand years ago, and initiated the expulsion of theJews from the Holy Land, which historically (and not coincidentally)corresponded to the beginning of the spread of Christianity. Indeed, if we believe in God and perceive history as more than a concoction ofvarious intrigues, economics and politics, but rather as a dialogue betweenhuman and divine, we are obligated to attempt to comprehendthe message God wishes to deliver to us today, through current events.
