The
Catholic Church and Modern Judaism
From Holy Week to “the
Passion”
The Catholic Church and Modern Judaism
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Who are modern Jews and what do they believe?
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What is the Catholic teaching on our relations with Jews?
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Can we evangelize and how?
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No room for anti-Semitism!
Who are modern Jews and what do they
believe?
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Who? – about 13-14 million worldwide; 5 mil USA, 5 mil Israel
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Who? – 2 main ethnic groups (Ashkenazic, Sephardic)
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4 Main religious groups (Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstruction)
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Differences – Attitude towards Halakhah, synagogue services, Torah
composition, etc.
Beliefs
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No firm collection of dogma, no Magisterium
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Thirteen principles of faith
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Halakhah – 613 Mitzvot
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Written and Oral Law
-written- Protestant O.T. w/ emphasis
on Torah
- oral – Mishnah and Gemara = Talmud
13
Principles of Faith (Maimonides)
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God Exists
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God is One and
Unique
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God is
Incorporeal
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God is Eternal
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Prayer to God
alone
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Words of the
Prophet are True
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Moses is greatest
prophet
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The Messiah will
come
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Moses received
the written Torah and Oral Torah
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There will be no
other Torah
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God knows
thoughts and deeds of men
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God will reward
the good and punish the wicked
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The dead will be
resurrected
The
Coming of the Messiah
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Ordain himself
king
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Achieve
independence for the Jewish people in their own land-Israel
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An ideal king
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Dead will be
resurrected
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Peace, Justice
brotherhood will be for the whole world
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Original plan
6000 yrs,
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Start to Abraham
– 2000 yrs, Abraham to Messiah –2000 yrs, Messiah to end – 2000 yrs
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3 messiahs
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1000 yrs of
desolation after messianic age
Properties
of the Soul
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Comes from God/precedes the body
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Soul not indivisible/made from 5 elements
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Afterlife in bible, but little doctrine
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First Sheol, then Gan Eden (Heaven)
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No righteous go to Gehinnom
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No souls damned forever
Post
N.T. History
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Destruction of the Temple/End of Sadducees, Essenes, Zealots
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Council of Jamnia/Composition of Talmud
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Diaspora/Isolated Communities/Pogroms
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Inquisition
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Holocaust
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Nation of Israel
Church
and Judaism Today
Documents
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Catechism
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Vatican II - Nostrae
Aetate (1965)
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Guidelines for
Implementing NA (1974)
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Notes on
Correct Way of Preaching and Teaching and Judaism (1985)
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We Remember: A
Reflection on the Shoah
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Reflections on
Covenant and Mission (2003) – flawed,
not Magisterial - US bishops subcommittee
Summary
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No two paths to
Salvation, the Church is the all-embracing means of salvation
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O.T. has
intrinsic value outside of typology
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Today’s Jews not
responsible for decisions of Jewish leaders then, nor disbelief of other Jews
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Value in studying
Modern Judaism
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Importance of
precise, accurate teaching to avoid anti-Semitism
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Singularity of
O.T. people is not exclusive, uniqueness of the Jewish people is meant to be a
force of example
How
to Evangelize
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Live your faith
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Respect
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Don’t assume anything
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Prayer
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Know church teaching
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Focus on Messiah/person of Jesus
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Study Judaism/Hebrew Catholicism (www.hebrewcatholic.com)