Complex Identities: Understanding the Relationship between Jews and Christians

Can Christians appreciate the Torah for anything other than bolstering their understanding of the New Testament? It's a difficult question, but I believe that an impasse exists unless it can be achieved. Many Christians embrace the historical context of their faith but quickly dismiss the logical development of rabbinic thought as one of the legitimate streams of Second Temple Judaism. Unless the Torah and, by consequence, Judaism can be understood on its own terms, then a bias will always exist.

A recent listener objected to my podcast and suggested that I was unfairly characterizing all Christians in relation to negative attitudes towards the Torah and in some cases anti-Judaism and anti-Semitism. Have I done so? I explain why I don't believe that is the case and what the motivation for this podcast is.

In our previous episode, we discussed the odd fact that Marcion's complete disassociation of the New Testament with the God of the Hebrew Bible or "Old Testament" in Christian parlance actually left Judaism intact as it were. Christian theologians of the second century onward opted to retain the "Old Testament" as part of their canon but at a surprising cost to the Jewish people. Does contemporary Christianity offer a more positive approach to the fulfillment and continuing emphasis on the negation of the Torah?

For Marcion, the Christian God was completely distinct from the God of the Jews. A surprising result of Marcion’s radical position, strangely enough, is that they created such a division between Judaism and Christianity that the former was left intact with its understanding of the Divine, its sacred texts, and even its different interpretation of the Messiah. Oddly enough, Marcion’s views were much more “favorably’ disposed towards Judaism than those of "Orthodox Christians".

The early Christian movement in the 2nd century faced a problem. The idea of a relationship based apart from the Torah evolved into antagonism towards the Torah. This reality became exemplified and intensified in the ultimate battle over what was considered sacred Scripture. In this episode investigate this problem by first exploring a chilling legend included in an expected source.

A memory, the historian Neil Oliver writes, is precious but fragile. Any attempt to reexamine it is fraught with difficulties. Reaching out and touching it can destroy it, just like an outstretched hand touching a reflection in a pool of water. Doing so sends ripples far beyond the point of impact. The same is the case for reconsidering anti-Judaism in many Christian groups...

I reached out to Dr. Michael Heiser several years ago. He is a well-known author and a student of ancient biblical languages and near eastern history. During our friendly email exchange, I mentioned my inter-faith endeavors as a rabbi to address Christian anti-Semitism. His response was quite surprising and made me consider how extensive the problem is.

Fifteen Russian generals prayed at the cemetery in Lyubavichi, the town credited with the birthplace of Chabad. Why is this significant? The Eastern Churches, i.e.  Greek, Ukrainian, Russian, Armenian, etc., have never embraced a reconsideration of supercessionism or replacement theology. The practice of praying at a gravesite is actually common to many Jews and Christians. Can this serve as a point of rapprochement? Can it spark a reconsideration of ancient views?

The reality of historic Christian ant-Judaism and anti-Semitism cannot be ignored or dismissed though it often is. As difficult as it is for most sincere Christians to acknowledge, elements of Christianity have generated and spread hatred of Jews. This is not a matter of personal opinion. It's something that academics, Jewish historians, and most importantly Christian historians and theologians have documented and admitted to their credit. Many Christians desire to rectify this great injustice.

The persistent use of the term “Old Testament” is a foremost source of the tension between the two communities. Interestingly, the extent to which the term is widespread can be seen how even in Jewish academic institutions, the term is often used perhaps begrudgingly. The continued use of the term simultaneously as the compulsion to convey the Old Testament's legitimacy in relation to the New Testament highlights the problem.Many might fail to see why the simple use of terms can be so problematic. Is this not merely a product of our current world that demands political correctness?