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True dialogue means embracing difference | June 01, 2005

May 28, 2004

Credo by Edward Kessler

I am the way, the truth, and the life: No man cometh unto the Father, but by me (John xiv, 6)

THE word “dialogue” is often misconstrued. A casual conversation that may add up to no more than a loose restatement of entrenched theological positions is sometimes claimed to be dialogue.

But dialogue is not simply synonymous with communication between people of differing religious points of view. For proper dialogue to take place, there must be a genuine hearing of the Other. In reality, dialogue consists of a personal meeting of two people and involves a reciprocal exposure of each person’s full religious consciousness. Dialogue speaks to the Other with a full respect of what the Other is and has to say. This is never less than personal — it may be extended to communities but it begins with the individual.

The biblical prophets were experts in this personal encounter. Isaiah powerfully recommends Israel to enter into a personal relationship with God: “Come now, and let us reason together” (Isaiah i, 18). Another important passage is Leviticus xix, 33-34: “And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him. But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.”

Jonathan Sacks has argued that these verses provide the basis for dialogue. He points out that the command to love the stranger occurs 36 times in the Torah. Dialogue, he suggests, consists of embracing difference and is dependent upon a willingness to understand the difference and to get to know the Other.

Such a quest is never easy because it is not merely about the Other or about how the Other differs from us. The notion of dialogue is considered by the Jewish philosopher Franz Rosenzweig, for whom the use of words in an encounter is more than just talking: something is not only said but happens.

When asked about John xiv, 6, Rosenzweig asserts its truthfulness because of the millions who have been led to God through Jesus Christ. However, he continues, “the situation is quite different for one who does not have to reach the Father because he is already with Him. Shall I be converted, I who have been chosen? Does the alternative of conversion even exist for me?”

Here Rosenzweig introduces the crucial question of Jewish-Christian dialogue in particular and of interfaith dialogue in general: can Christians view Judaism as a valid religion in its own terms (and vice versa)? Does John xiv, 6 deny the legitimacy of Judaism? Directly related to this is the need, from a Christian perspective, for reflection on the survival of the Jewish people and of the vitality of Judaism over 2,000 years. Does it indicate a continuation of God’s election of the Jewish people as the people of God?

Questions also need to be considered from the Jewish perspective. What was the purpose behind the creation of Christianity? Do two billion Christians reading the Jewish Bible as a result of the Jew Jesus have any implications for Jews?

For Christians the question of the validity of Judaism challenges some of the proclamations of Christian triumphalism. The issue is whether Christianity can differentiate itself from Judaism without asserting itself as opposed to, or simply the fulfilment of, Judaism. Christian theologians have begun to think along these lines and to consider the implications of Paul’s argument that God has not forsaken the people of Israel (Romans xi, 25-6). By abandoning its historical animosity and misleading caricature of Judaism, Christianity has developed a closer relationship with “the elder brother”.

The need for changing attitudes and a better understanding of the Other is also required among Jews. There is a need to overcome triumphalist attitudes and also to confront the mark that the centuries of anti-Semitism have left on the Jewish psyche.

Many Jews have been, understandably, deeply suspicious of Christianity. Indeed, today some do not wish to engage in a theological discussion but rather advocate an ethical dialogue with Christians, and regard theological dialogue as inherently problematic. Nevertheless, there is a growing awareness among Jews of the need to engage in a new dialogue with Christianity and with other faiths.

Today genuine interfaith dialogue can no longer be considered a luxury but is a necessity in the increasingly troubled world of interfaith relations.

Dr Edward Kessler is director of the Centre for the study of Jewish-Christian Relations, Cambridge

Posted by admin at June 1, 2005 03:23 PM


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