Chapter 16: Dialogue and Hope
The rise of anti-Semitism in the west today.
Before, During, and After the Shoah
Christian theologians were largely tone deaf to the issue and even anti-semitic.
Jewish Responses
Some Jews wanted nothing to do with Christians or Christianity. But some built bridges.
The Holocaust Theologians.
Anti-Jewish Understandings
Four broad kinds of anti-Jewish threads.
- “Satanic” Jews. This idea comes from a literal reading of a passage in John and 2 in Revelation. But, understanding the context blows up this theory.
- “His blood be upon us and our children.” It is absurd to blame all Jews for all time for the death of Jesus.
- God is “through with the Jews.” The proof texts do not say the God is through with the Jews.
- The Pharisees Were All Legalists and Hypocrits. This is clearly not true. Jesus was closer the Pharisees than any other group. He clearly had disagreements with them, but not to the point that he put them all in a bad category.
A Way Forward?