Reflections on Catholic-Jewish Relations

Written for the 50th anniversary of the ground-breaking Declaration Nostra Aetate, Reflections on Catholic-Jewish Relations looks back with gratitude on all that has been achieved over the past five decades in the Catholic-Jewish relationship. It also explores some of the theological questions that have arisen in the dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Jewish people since the Second Vatican Council.

Topics covered include: the meaning of “the Word of God” in Judaism and Christianity; the relationship between the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament; the relationship between God’s covenant with Israel and the new covenant; the meaning of the universality of salvation in Christ in view of “God’s unrevoked covenant” with the Jewish people; and what evangelisation means in relation to Judaism.

The text is not a magisterial document or doctrinal teaching of the Catholic Church. It has instead been prepared by the Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews to encourage further theological thought with a view to enriching and intensifying the theological dimension of Catholic-Jewish dialogue.