The Church's Position on Contemporary Judaism

[Eric_Faith]

Hi, I was just wondering if anyone knew of any links that could help me find some info on the issues that are happening involving organizations that speak of trying to build a Third Jewish Temple. I am fairly familiar with the important history regarding the Roman Caesar that was known as Julian the Apostate and how he had tried to help reestablish a Sanhedrin as well as lay a foundation for the Temple which apparently did result in a catastrophe that caused those living in those times to refrain from the plans that they had. Among the Non-Catholic Christians, there has been talk over the last decade of a specific Temple Institute of Jerusalem that was founded by a Jewish veteran by the name of Rabbi Yisrael Ariel. The International Spokesman for this organization is known as Rabbi Chaim Richman, who has had given lectures throughout the world. I have heard very little from the Catholic and Orthodox Churches about this and wonder what the points of view are among theologians as well as Church officials. I have read some books from the TAN book publishing company that reports that many of the saints of the Church have made mention of an ‘antichrist’ that would attempt to rebuild the Jewish Temple. To be honest, as a Catholic Christian, I really do admire and am fascinated with the People of the Book who gave us so much and they truly are the people of Our Lord Jesus and His Blessed Mother. I guess I am just asking that someone can point me in the right directions when it comes to reading things here online and in books that have been published. I know that Karl Keating wrote a book or two on the subject and I hope to be able to purchase those books someday (if you will pray with me that I can find employment). I am learning some Hebrew from a non-denominational Christian who actually is astonishingly talented with being multi-lingual, and I ask that you pray that his mind and heart be more docile towards what he will hear from me about Catholic Christianity. Thanks for any help that anyone can provide here and may Our Eternal Father, through His Passionate Son, and by the Holy Spirit Who makes the Three Divine Persons as God to be One, bless you for your patience in reading my post, Amen.

 

[Dale_M]

I can’t point to any resources, but a search of the Catholic Answers homepage for “third temple” produces this result:

When Evangelicals Mistake Scripture for a Manual on Foreign Policy

Jan Willem van de Hoeven, an Evangelical supporter of Israel, has some pretty definite notions about just what the future holds, according to an article in the Washington Times (www.washingtontimes.com/national/20030518-114058-5626r.htm)::slight_smile:

“We may have disagreements about who [the Messiah] is, but he is not coming back to a mosque but to a third temple.”

What’s especially weird about this is that Evangelicals are usually the ones berating Catholics for “legalism” and reliance on “empty forms and rituals” that cannot save, rather than on Christ. Yet some Evangelicals are now pushing for the rebuilding of the Temple and the reinstitution of Temple sacrifices. The Catholic position is that the whole point of the epistle to the Hebrews was to show that all things foreshadowed of the true sacrifice of Christ and that, once he has come, the Temple is no longer necessary. We’re not nearly as confident as Mr. van de Hoeven that Scripture has the future rebuilding of a Third Temple of Solomon mapped out according to his predictions. We’ll take a “wait and see” attitude to the specific details of just where Christ will be coming back.

catholic.com/thisrock/2003/0309eye.asp

I am not sure which apologist wrote that, but position seems to be that the third temple endeavor is erroneous from a Christian viewpoint.

BTW, the Washington Times link is no longer valid. But that isn’t unusual with older news articles. In this case, it seems to date to May 2003. However, the quote by Jan Willem van de Hoeven also appears in the book Interfaith encounters in America.

That passage can be read here:
%20is%2C%20but%20he%20is%20not%20coming%20back%20to%20a%20mosque%20but%20to%20a%20third%20temple.%22&f=false

 

[zdon011]

Christ’s atonement on the Cross abolished the Temple sacrifices forever. Remember when the curtain was torn?

Our Lord, who prophesied the Destruction of AD 70, proclaimed that His precious Body is the true Temple, as it will be in the Heavenly City (S. John’s Apocalypse).

The Temple rites of the Hebrews were a mere foreshadow of the once-completed yet eternal sacrifice of the Mass, where Catholic Christians have the intercession of Christ, the true High Priest in the order of Melchisedech.

 

[Eric_Faith]

:thumbsup:Well put. When it comes to this kind of eschatological study, it seems that there is a kind of hypothetical ‘end-times’ scenario that is so often talked about by dispensationalist (sometimes I’d like to say dispen-sensationalists, lol) and milennialist points-of-view. As a Catholic Christian, I would have to say that I am an Amilennialist/Prederist/Futurist. These points of view are covered in some excellent books, one of which is ‘The Rapture Trap,’ by Dr. Paul Thigpen which is available from Ascension Press. This book is exceptional as it also covers eschatology from a very sound and balanced Catholic perspective. As for the rumor of a Third Temple, I am very concerned that this may be another echo of Our Lord’s prophecy of ‘wars and rumors of wars’ which will obviously be with us until Isaiah’s prophecy of the ‘new heavens and new earth.’ I did have a dream a few years back about the building of a new Herodian Temple, which seems to be the goal of the Temple Institute of Jerusalem. It wasn’t exactly a good dream and I was given the impression that in order to even attempt to build such an edifice, a tremendous war would be the result. I hope that I hope this would not be the case. Many Non-Catholic Christians have made erroneous interpretations of the prophecies of Daniel and by not including the Books of Maccabees, it cannot be understood that these prophecies of Daniel most likely have already been fulfilled in the life and times of Antiochus Epiphanes IV, who indeed did cause the Second Temple sacrifices to cease. What the Non-Catholic ‘prophecy teachers’ are doing is projecting Daniel’s prophecies far into the future. It is my hope that more books could be written that will unravel this erroneous point of view that sadly, so many choose to ascribe to. I believe there is a book entitled: ‘The Apocalypse Explained,’ which was written by a priest, the name of which I can’t recall. Perhaps this volume might answer many of the questions about St. John the Divine’s Apocalypse, much of which is already fulfilled and should be understood in the historical and cultural context in which it was written and exactly who it was specifically written for.

 

[Eric_Faith]

:thumbsup:Hello again and thank you for such a friendly atmosphere. Here is what might be another stumper of a question but maybe someone that is also interested in the subject can help. Please pray for me as I trying to learn Hebrew as it is traditionally and contemporarily spoken. I was actually wanting to know if there are any places here on the Internet where there can be found any articles or stories about the Holy See’s views when it comes to a relationship with what the nation of Israel refers to as the reestablishment of the Sanhedrin Council that helps to advise the Knesset. Where I live there is satellite television and about the best I can get for now is EWTN which does feature Fr. Peter Vasko (keep his brethren in prayer please) and LINK television. I have read Pope Benedict’s little volume entitled ‘Many Religions, One Covenant,’ published by Ignatius Press. However, it has been a decade since that great work has been written and so much has happened. Any info that someone can find would really be appreciated.