Conference Flyer
Conference Program

Karl Barth famously claimed “that there is in the end only one really great ecumenical question: our relations with Judaism.” Reflecting on Christianity’s Jewish roots has always been and continues to be a fundamental task for all Christians. However, in the decades after Nostra Aetate, reflection has changed gradually into one characterized by theological recognition and mutual respect. Although much remains to be done, we have come a long way from old prejudices.

Hosted by the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning at Boston College, this conference will first describe and analyze this reassessment of Jewish tradition across various Christian communities, and then focus on its implications for Christians’ self-understanding. The conference will also explore how theological resources developed and cherished in various traditions within Christianity might become more broadly instrumental in developing Christian thinking about Jews and Judaism. Examples include: the emphasis in the East on the dialectics of God’s ousia and energeia; the Catholic understanding of Tradition as a hermeneutical parallel to the rabbinic concept of the Oral Torah; the treasured notion of divine grace in the Reformed tradition in general; and the love of Scripture—especially among Evangelicals.  

This conference will also seek to apply its outcomes. The fourth panel will directly address implementing and communicating this research, concentrating on pedagogical challenges and possibilities. Educators on Jewish-Christian relations will reflect on matters like seminary curricula, education courses for priests and ministers, the implementation of dialogue documents, and handbooks on Scripture that do not presuppose supersessionism.