A Theology of the Jewish Christian Reality by Paul M. Van Buren
"A Theology of the Jewish Christian Reality" by Paul M. Van Buren examines the interconnectedness of Judaism and Christianity, proposing that both religions are valid paths to God. Van Buren argues against the notion that Christianity has replaced Judaism, instead portraying Jews as elder siblings who have paved the way for Christians. He emphasizes the importance of dialogue between the two faiths, positing that Christians, as Gentiles, worship the God of Israel and must acknowledge this relationship in their theological discussions. The work delves into key theological themes, including the nature of God, the significance of scripture, and the historical context of Christian redemption in relation to Israel's aspirations for creation.
Van Buren also addresses the legacy of anti-Judaism in Christianity and the implications of Israel's covenant with God, underscoring the need for a Christian theology that honors Jewish testimony. He explores the historical relationship between the Church and Israel, stressing the necessity of understanding Christology within a Jewish context. Through these discussions, Van Buren aims to foster a respectful and constructive dialogue between Jews and Christians, inviting deeper reflection on their shared histories and mutual responsibilities in faith.
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A Theology of the Jewish Christian Reality by Paul M. Van Buren
First published: Vol. 1, Discerning the Way, New York: Seabury Press, 1980; vol. 2, A Christian Theology of the People of Israel, New York: Seabury Press, 1983; vol. 3, Christ in Context, San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1987
Genre(s): Nonfiction
Subgenre(s): Theology
Core issue(s): African Americans; God; revelation; scriptures; the Word
Overview
Discerning the Way, the first volume in Paul M. van Buren’s ambitious theological work A Theology of the Jewish Christian Reality, is intended to portray both Christianity and Judaism as legitimate ways to God. In the author’s view, Christianity has not superceded or replaced Judaism as a way to God. Instead, he sees the Jewish people as the elder siblings of the Christians, establishing the path that the latter should follow. He discusses how Christians and Jews should walk together along this path and considers the identity of Christians, as Gentiles who worship the God of Israel, in terms of the path they walk together with the Jews. He looks at theology as a conversation about God, which must recognize that Christians converse about the God of Israel. In this conversation, Christians are responsible to God and to the saints and to all of those who have walked the way. Van Buren examines the nature and attributes of God, the Bible and the Church, and the authority of the Bible in terms of the tradition of the God of Israel. He discusses the revelation of Christianity as a historical phenomenon and considers how the Christian redemption is related to Israel’s hope for creation.
The second volume, A Christian Theology of the People of Israel, attempts to establish a Christian theology of Israel. This is both difficult and necessary, according to van Buren, because Christianity has a long anti-Judaic tradition that culminated in the horrors of the Holocaust. It is also difficult because it is a theology of other people. Van Buren maintains that his theology cannot simply be a report of Jewish teaching nor can it be a Jewish theology. Instead, this theology should ask about the duty and the ability of the Christian Church to hear the testimony of the Jewish people to God.
Van Buren asserts, in this central second volume, that a Christian theology of Israel is necessary because of the tradition of Israel’s election by God and because the scriptures of Israel have served as the canon of Christianity. Christianity must also deal with the Jewish rejection of Christ, as understood by the Church. Through examination of the Hebrew Scriptures in the Christian Bible, van Buren looks at Israel’s testimony to creation. He discusses the creation of human beings in the image of God. Creation was good but unfinished and therefore involves risk. By its testimony to the creation, Israel has provided hope for creation.
The election of Israel and the relevance of this election to the nations, or Gentiles, receive special attention. Van Buren discusses the nature of election and covenant. He considers the covenant of Noah and the covenant of Abraham in the Scriptures. Van Buren then looks at the people of Israel under the covenant and election, and he looks at the historical meaning of this people. Applying the historical concept of Israel to the present day, van Buren considers what Israel might mean for the people of the Third World and for African Americans.
Van Buren examines the land of Israel, both in the past and in the present, finding Israel an exception among nations, facing special challenges and problems, as well as a special mission. He explicates the Torah and the relationship of the Torah to Jesus. He looks both at how Jesus arose as a rabbi within Israel and at how Israel’s rejection of Christianity can be considered as a form of witness. He sets forth Israel’s mission as maintaining a living covenant with God and looks at the ways in which Christianity can be thought of as having a mission to the people of Israel.
The third volume, Christ in Context, offers a historical approach to Christology. Van Buren’s intent in this part of the work is to understand Christ in terms of the Jewish background. Here, he argues that Christology, thinking about Christ, must acknowledge that Christianity has existed within a developing historical background. Christ and the church around Christ were, in the earliest historical period, inside Israel. Then, from the first century c.e. through the Holocaust, the Christian Church defined itself as being against Israel. In the years since World War II, the Church has been understood as existing with Israel. Van Buren argues that a proper understanding of Christ must acknowledge not only that Israel had a covenant with God in the past but also that this covenant continues to exist in the present and into the future.
Christian Themes
The relationship of Christianity to Judaism has been one of the great themes in the history of Christianity. Christianity began as a movement within Judaism, and the question of whether non-Jewish converts to Christianity should also become Jews or conform to Jewish religious regulations concerned many early Christians, notably Saint Paul. Some early Christian sects argued that Christianity had replaced Judaism, which should be repudiated altogether. Mainstream Christianity’s adoption of the Hebrew Bible as the Old Testament, followed by the New Testament, implied continuity between Judaism and Christianity. For many believers, though, this also implied that Judaism had been replaced or superceded by Christianity and that Jews should therefore convert to the newer faith. Moreover, some interpretations of the Gospels implied that the Jewish people were responsible for the crucifixion of Christ.
Over the centuries, the question of the relationship between Judaism and Christianity has resulted in a long tradition of anti-Jewish ideas and persecution. As Europe became identified as Christendom from late antiquity through the early Middle Ages, Jews were left as the primary religious outsiders within a civilization that recognized itself as Christian. Christian churches and Christian theology often contributed to the persecution of the Jews.
During World War II, the Nazis in Germany attempted to exterminate the Jews of Europe, a program known as the Holocaust or the Shoah. Some of the Christian denominations in Germany actively cooperated with the Nazis; others passively accepted the Holocaust. The Roman Catholic Church is sometimes accused of failing to act to protect the Jews, and some thinkers argue that this alleged failure was rooted in theological tradition and culture. After the war, the experience of the Holocaust led many Christian thinkers to reconsider the relationship between Christianity and Judaism.
Sources for Further Study
Haynes, Stephen R. Prospects for Post-Holocaust Theology. Atlanta, Ga.: Scholars Press, 1991. An examination of Christian theology in the years following the Holocaust that considers how theologians Karl Barth, Jürgen Moltmann, and van Buren have attempted to reexamine Christianity and Christian theological views of Judaism.
Haynes, Stephen R., and John K. Roth, eds. The Death of God Movement and the Holocaust: Radical Theology Encounters the Shoah. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1999. A collection of essays on responses to the Holocaust among the radical theologians of the 1960’s, with whom van Buren is often associated. Essays by John K. Roth and John J. Carey, in particular, provide consideration of van Buren’s early thinking and affiliation with radical theologians. The book also contains an essay by van Buren that describes his movement away from a secular reading of the Scriptures and discusses how his discovery of Judaism led him to give such a prominent place to the Jewish people in his theology.
Lindsay, Mark R. Covenanted Solidarity: The Theological Basis of Karl Barth’s Opposition to Nazi Antisemitism and the Holocaust. New York: Peter Lang, 2001. A study of the theology of Karl Barth, a thinker who greatly influenced van Buren, and how this theology led Barth to stand against Nazi policies during World War II.
Ogletree, Thomas W. The Death of God Controversy. Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon Press, 1966. An account of theologians associated with the so-called Death of God movement during the 1960’s. Ogletree looks at van Buren, along with others associated with this movement, such as Thomas J. J. Altizer. Van Buren distanced himself from the Death of God label and from the secularizing tendencies of his early thought.