Pope John Paul II called Jews our “elder brothers and sisters in the faith.” Some experts say in one interpretation of the parable of the prodigal son that the elder son represents the Jews and the younger son symbolizes the Gentiles.I can’t find where scripture says explicitly that Jews and Christains are “Brothers.” A search of the RSV for the word brother is here. But the concept of your question sounds familiar somehow.
I think the idea of Jews and Christians as brothers however, is not that far from reality as they earliest Christain’s would have seen it. In the earliest Church, immediately after Jesus, Jewish converts to Christianity did not consider themselves to be non-Jewish. If asked, they would have indentified themselves first as a Jew, yet as a Jew who had realized that the Messiah had indeed come.
The Jews who did not accept Christ as the Messiah and the Jews who did were not seperated like they are now. The New Testament had not yet been written and codified and Jewish converts to Christianity still went to synagogue with their non-Christian Jewish brothers.
This started to change after AD 70 when Jerusalem and the temple was destroyed and Jews were slaughtered. Around AD 85-90, Jews start expelling Christians from the synagogues because, 1) many Jewish converts to Christainity would not practice strict adherance to the mosaic law, 2) some blame was placed on Christians for the destruction of the temple and of Jerusalem, 3) persecutions of the Christians put those who associated with Christians in great danger. Full seperation of Jews and Christians took several hundred years.
So to the earliest Jewish converts to Christianity, Jews who had not accepted that Christ was the messiah may not have been referred to as “Brother”, but would most certainly have been seen as fellow members of God’s chosen people. And it is important to remember that God himself refers to the nation of Israel collectively as “My chosen son” (singular).
-Tim-
If you want to be technical about it Christianity is Judaism come to completion with the arrival of the Messiah, We can see in Acts that the early church was concerned that Jews continue to follow the law and there was debate as to whether Gentiles should be circumcised and required to follow kosher diets. So early Jewish converts to Christianity would have continued going to synagogue and observing the law, there is no command for them to stop. However, converts they were. Jesus was explicit that He was the way. Peter was explicit that Christ was the Messiah and the only mediator between God and men. If there is only one way, then a different way can’t be the right way. If Judaism is spiritually the same as Christianity the Christ died in vain, because a way to God was already available. ’Pope John Paul II called Jews our “elder brothers and sisters in the faith.” Some experts say in one interpretation of the parable of the prodigal son that the elder son represents the Jews and the younger son symbolizes the Gentiles.
Pope JPII, in that statement speaks of unity between the great monotheistic religions (Christianity, Judaism, Islam). We all have the same roots–one God–and Abraham is considered the forefather Christians, Jews and Muslims. God chose Abraham to reveal the name of God to all the nations, and our Jewish brethren were, as we proclaim on Good Friday Liturgy, “the first to hear the word of God.”
Thus, it is true and wonderful that we can call all Jews our elder brethren in the faith. As Jewish convert Sr. Rosalind Moss says, "The most Jewish thing a person can do is to become Catholic. When I was trying to save my brother from becoming Catholic, I went to Christmas Mass with him. Afterwards, I told him, ‘That’s a synagogue, but with Christ!’"
God bless you.
If you really want to be technical about it, Catholicism, and not generic Christianity, is a completion and perfection of Judaism.If you want to be technical about it Christianity is Judaism come to completion with the arrival of the Messiah, We can see in Acts that the early church was concerned that Jews continue to follow the law and there was debate as to whether Gentiles should be circumcised and required to follow kosher diets. So early Jewish converts to Christianity would have continued going to synagogue and observing the law, there is no command for them to stop. However, converts they were. Jesus was explicit that He was the way. Peter was explicit that Christ was the Messiah and the only mediator between God and men. If there is only one way, then a different way can’t be the right way. If Judaism is spiritually the same as Christianity the Christ died in vain, because a way to God was already available. ’
You have to remember, Pope John Paul was attempting to m.ake ammends for millenia of anti-Semitism and build bridges with Jewish leadership in the 80s and 90s. I would consider OT Jews to be brother 's and sister’s as they looked forward in faith to the coming Messiah.
I don’t understand why we have to define “our relation” to them. Treat them as you treat any child of God–with dignity and respect. Treat them as if they are your elder brethren in the faith.Then what kind of connection do we have to the Jews? I truly believe that they are still special to the eyes of God. I believe that God still holds a special bond with them even if the New Covenant fulfilled the Old Covenant. So, what is our relation to them. Are they, perhaps, like a child separated from a family yet still being part of it?
In the truest sense of the word? You mean as in emanating from the same womb? I don’t think anyone here has been proposing that! :whacky:It is hard to justify the idea that the Jews and the Christians were destined to become brothers** in the truest sense of the word,** and certainly not in the Second Temple era.
Indeed.Either you accept Jesus as Christ and are a Christian, or you aren’t. There is no middle ground.