These texts - very old but it is always useful to consult - are on the files of relations between Christians and Jews and will provide references to articles, more or less well informed, which bloom in recent years on this topic .
(Menahem Macina)
February 24, 1926, was created in Rome, a pious association of priests, called Opus Priestly Amici Israel, whose members devoted themselves to prayer for Jews and apostolate for their conversion. This initiative was not only of its kind, and she probably would never have attracted the attention of researchers if it had been abolished in an expeditious manner and seemingly arbitrary, since 1928, just two years after its official founding, despite the number and quality of its members, among whom were many members of the ecclesiastical hierarchy, as evidenced by the pro anno exacto Operis Status (status of the work for the past year), published in early 1927 by Officials work. It identifies eighteen cardinals, archbishops and bishops, two hundred and two thousand priests. Among the cardinals, we see familiar names: van Rossum, Gaspari, Faulhaber, etc.. The totality of the Bishops of the Netherlands had joined the Association as well as an impressive number of bishops from around the world. The patronage committee was chaired by the Benedictine Abbot Dom Benedict Goriador Bishop Vanneuville was vice-president, and Father Van Asseldonk, Attorney General, in Rome, the College of Crosier, secretary; among members this Committee were the Fathers Garrigou-Lagrange, a Dominican, Damien, the Crosier Order, Himmelreich the Franciscan Order, and Dom Chuard, canon regular of the Immaculate Conception. At the time of dissolution (March 1928), had joined the Association: nineteen cardinals (which Merry del Val, van Rossum, Früwirth, Pompili and Perosi, members of the Holy Office), nearly three hundred bishops and about 3,000 priests.
We will not address here the circumstances or reasons for the brutal suppression of Amici, but it will not need to list the principles advocated by the movement. Indeed, the "new look" before the letter (and quite revolutionary for its time), it focused on the Jewish people, announced more than twenty years in advance, "the teaching of esteem," which Jules Isaac was a pioneer, and which found its first expression in the "Ten Points Seelisberg "before becoming the norm in today's Church. The twelve following were the charter of the report with Christian Jews, as Amici dreamed of acclimatizing in Christendom
"Whether we refrain from talking
œ the deicide people;
· of City deicide;
· conversion of the Jews - we rather say "return", or "way";
œ the convertibility of the Jewish people;
· the incredible things that are told about Jews, especially " ritual crime ";
· to speak without respect for their ceremonies;
œ to exaggerate or generalize a particular case;
· to express anti-Semitic terms.
But we said
· the prerogative of divine love which Israel enjoys;
· the sign that love sublime in the incarnation of Christ and its mission;
· the permanence of this love best: its increase due to the death of Christ;
· the testimony, the proof of that love, in the conduct of the Apostles. "
2. The 'Ten Points' Seelisberg (1947)
preceded by the Meeting of the Savoy Hotel (1943) and the Oxford Conference (1946), a "special international conference to combat anti-Semitism" meets from July 30 August 5, 1947 at Seelisberg (Switzerland) under the auspices of the International Council of Christians and Jews. " It approved a series of assumptions about the Christian religious education. Moved by the suffering of the Jewish people, the Commission, in a frank and cordial cooperation between Jewish and Christian members, admitted that some inaccurate conceptions theological perspective, and some presentations of false gospels, quite contrary to the spirit of Christianity had contributed to the development of anti-Semitism.
Jules Isaac had prepared a first series of theses, which was the basis for the development by the Christian members Commission and after consulting the Jewish participants in the Conference, a "Call to the churches," which was widely distributed (but not edited). It is difficult to assess the impact, but it is widely estimated that, in conjunction with the book by J. Isaac, Jesus and Israel, which appeared the following year, the paper exerted a significant influence on a number of Christian conscience, even if it did not receive official approval of religious Christians. Until Vatican II, it was the only international document to which Christians could possibly refer, but few of them knew him.
"We have just witnessed an explosion of anti-Semitism that led to the persecution and extermination of millions of Jews living among Christians.
Despite the disaster that befell the persecuted and the persecutors, disaster makes us measure the anguished gravity and urgency of the Jewish problem, antisemitism has not only lost none of its force, but threatens to reach parts of an increasingly broad range of humanity, poisoning the minds of Christians and lead them into error serious consequences.
Undoubtedly the Christian churches have said they often anti-Christian character of antisemitism, but we note with dismay that two thousand years of preaching the Gospel of Love is not enough to prevent an outbreak among Christians, various forms of hatred and contempt towards the people of Jesus.
This would be impossible if all Christians were faithful to the message of Jesus Christ on God's mercy and love of neighbor. But this loyalty must have the desire to avoid any far-sighted presentation or any conception of the Christian message that would encourage anti-Semitism in any form whatsoever. We must recognize that, unfortunately, this will alert has often failed.
We therefore appeal to the churches to draw their attention to this alarming situation. We firmly hope that they will have to heart to tell their followers how to exclude any animosity towards Jews, which could arise from presentations and misconceptions, inaccurate or misleading in teaching and preaching Christian doctrine and how the contrary promote brotherly love towards the people of the Old Covenant, so sorely tried. Nothing, it seems, can not be more calculated to lead to this happy result that increased emphasis on the following:
1. Recall that the same living God who speaks to us all in the Old and New Testament.
2. Remember that Jesus was born of a Jewish mother, race of David and the people of Israel, and his eternal love and forgiveness embraces his own people and the world.
3. Remember that the first disciples, the apostles and the first martyrs were Jews.
4. Recall that the basic tenet of Christianity, that of love of God and neighbor, already enacted in the Old Testament and confirmed by Jesus, Christians and Jews requires in all human relations, without exception.
5. Not to demean the biblical Judaism or post-biblical in order to exalt Christianity.
6. Avoid using the word "Jews" in the exclusive sense of "enemies of Jesus" or the phrase "enemies of Jesus" to refer to the entire Jewish people.
7. Avoid presenting the Passion so that the blame for the killing of Jesus upon all the Jews or the Jews alone. Indeed, they are not all Jews who called the death of Jesus. They are not Jews alone who are responsible for the Cross, that saves us all, shows that it is because of our sins to all that Christ died.
Remind all parents and Christian educators the grave responsibility they face due to present the Gospel and especially the passion narrative in a simplistic way. Indeed, they may thus inspire, whether they like it or not, the aversion in the consciousness or subconsciousness of their children or listeners. Psychologically speaking, in simple souls, driven by a burning love and deep compassion for the crucified Saviour, the horror they naturally feel towards the persecutors of Jesus in turn easily generalized hatred of the Jews of all times, including today.
8. Avoid referring to the scriptural curses and cries of a mob: "Let his blood be on us and on our children," reminiscent of the cry that can not prevail against the infinitely more powerful prayer of Jesus: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. "
9. Avoid promoting the superstitious notion that the Jewish people are reprobate, accursed, reserved for a destiny of suffering.
10. Avoid talking about Jews as if they were not the first members of the Church.
In practice, we would suggest:
œ to introduce or develop in school and extra-curricular at all levels, a more objective and thorough history Biblical and post-biblical Jewish people and the Jewish problem;
œ to promote in particular the dissemination of this knowledge through publications tailored to different Christian circles;
· ensure correct in Christian publications, especially in the textbooks, all that oppose the principles outlined above.
We put our joint efforts under the banner of the words of St. Paul: "They are beloved because of their fathers, for the gifts and calling of God are without repentance." (Rom 11, 28 -29).
3.'s theses Bad Schwalbach (May 1950)
In May 1950, in Bad Schwalbach (Germany), a group of Protestant and Catholic theologians (including Freudenberg and Pastor Karl Thieme) met to clarify the biblical foundations of Ten Points Seelisberg. The text of these had previously been subjected to various associations Judeo-Christian. Theses Schwalbach received in July 1950, approval of the Catholic hierarchy, in the person of the Bishop of Freiburg im Breisgau. Less known than the points Seelisberg, who served as the Charter of Friendship Associations in the various Judeo-Christian theories of Bad Schwalbach, supplementing them, are of great importance because they provide the basis for reform of the Christian teaching, as demanded by the conference Seelisberg. Note that this document already contains the essence of what appear in official documents relating to the post "new look" that the Church would become the Jewish people.
1. One and the same God speaks to all men in the Old and New Testament. This one God is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Moses and the Prophets. If we Christians do not believe in one God we worship a false god, even if we call the Father of Jesus Christ: this was already the heresy of Marcion in the 1st century.
2. Jesus was born of Israel, a Jewish mother, race of David. For him, the son of David, the Anointed of God, we share to redemption, bound for Israel for the coming of the messiah, and already promised to all other peoples in the blessing given to Abraham. If it is safe for our faith in the person of Jesus of Nazareth is the Savior who came to perform any promise of salvation, it is nevertheless certain that we are still waiting for the day to come when we contemplate the manifestation of this accomplishment.
3. The church, founded by the Holy Spirit, is composed of Jews and Gentiles in Christ reconciled and combined to form the new People of God. We must never forget that part Much of this church is made up of Jews and the apostles and the first witnesses of Jesus were Jews.
4. The basic tenet of Christianity, that of love of God and neighbor, already enacted in the Old Testament and confirmed by Jesus Christ, thus forcing Jews and Christians in all human relationships without exception.
5. Because the Jew as a Christian (Mark 12, 33 ff.; Rom 13: 8-10), is subject to the same law of love without limits is a sin to belittle proudly Jews of the time Biblical and post-biblical against Christians, is to misunderstand and the Gospel as the fulfillment of the Act.
6. It is not consistent with Scripture to equate "the Jews" to "enemies of Jesus," for precisely the Evangelist John refers to which this use - even where he seems to identify one another does not refer in speaking of "Jewish", the entire Jewish people, not even in Jerusalem (7, 12s), but the majority of influential political and religious leaders to this point (7, 48 et seq.) Therefore, speaking of the Passion, we must not fail to remind these "crowds" who wept over Jesus (Lk 23, 27) and that after his crucifixion "they went home beating their breasts" (Lk 23, 48).
7. Above all, it is neither biblical nor Christian to watch and to present the Passion of Christ, to whom we owe our salvation, in a partial light, attributing the fault of men determined historically or that of a specific people. As far as men can judge, and based on data from the New Testament, one can clearly distinguish among the contemporaries of Jesus, three attitudes "guilty" to varying degrees:
a) The conduct of some relatively few who, in a manner or another, were involved in the crucifixion, from the instigators of the death of Christ, driven by political ambition and religious fanaticism, to officials or scholars who have failed through cowardice.
b) The conduct of the multitude who could not bring himself to believe in the Resurrection of Jesus as foretold by the apostles and connected to the scriptural evidence of his Messiahship, and instead allowed himself be convinced by the arguments that seemed doomed to lag death for blasphemy and uplift of the people (cf. Acts 17, 11, but Luke 5, 39!).
c) The hatred of a great number who pursued and slandered the disciples of Jesus (Acts 13, 50, 14, 19, 17, 5ß, 18, 12ss). We should not forget that, since the Middle Ages, with Maimonides, the Jewish authorities increasingly changing their attitude and, unlike their predecessors, recognize the pagan baptized as a worshiper of the true God. In all this, we Christians must never forget that we pay much more if convicted, despite the graces received, we engage in social and political messianism and crucify, again, the Lord, necessarily and finally in its members, we simply confess lips Revelation of God instead of consenting to the reproach of the cross as the Lord died and rose for us has the right to demand our whole lives, we should rather pay attention to the warnings and promises he has given us as signs whereas between 1933 and 1945, for the first time in history, Jews and Christians were persecuted all, we refuse to respect the sincere believer who does not share our faith.
8. The meaning of the crucifixion of Christ in God's covenant with Israel is a mystery hidden within God's steadfast loyalty to his people. And even the central part of the epistle to the Romans (Ch. 9-11) reveals to us in its main features by referring to. Like everywhere else in the history of this unique people, there can be no question here of a curse, but rather a blessing that God wants his people to give eventually, and with him, to all peoples. Alone - according to Genesis 12, 3 - it excludes those who through carelessness or maliciously violates this covenant promising. The Christian remembers also the word of Christ on the cross: "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do!" The cry of a mob: "Let his blood be on us and on our children "must be shot by us in prayer and express that blood saves finally those for whom it was first poured. We will never have to cry abuse to present the shedding of Jewish blood as a kind of just punishment, especially since early Christianity was venerated with particular fervor of the martyrs of Jewish origin.
9. The only New Testament passage where the word "discharge" in relation to the fate of the Jews is immediately opposite the "assumption" future of the people of the old covenant in the new and final Covenant, in Rm 11, 15, must be the standard interpretation of all the claims the New Testament for rejection. It is not consistent with the revelation only to announce the provisional aspect of the dual sentence given by the entire Bible, without evoking the same time, the other aspect - the final - which will remove it by surpassing. Yes the Jews to Jesus is promised by God as the final word on their history and that promise is the guarantee of his yes to the Jews. This must be the last word of Christian preaching
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Published June 24, 2009, by M . Macina site upjf.org
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