Two Faiths, One Covenant?

In the twenty-first century, Jews and Christians are challenged to reconsider their theological assumptions by two inescapable truths: the moral tragedy of the holocaust demands that Christian thinkers acknowledge the violent effects of theologically delegitimizing Jews and Judaism, and the pervasive reality of cultural and religious pluralism calls both Christian and Jewish theologians to rethink the covenant in the presence of the Other.Two Faiths, One Covenant? Jewish and Christian Identity in the Presence of the Other is a breakthrough work that embraces this contemporary challenge and charts a path toward fruitful interfaith dialogue. The Christian and Jewish theologians in this book explore the ways that both religions have understood the covenant and reflect on how it can serve as a reservoir for a positive theological relationship between Christianity and Judaism-not merely one of non-belligerent tolerance, but of respect and theological pluralism, however limited.

Judaism and Christianity are religions bound together by their claims to the same biblical covenant initiated by God with Abraham and his descendants. Yet, despite the inseparable connection between the election of Israel and that of the church, between the "old" and the "new" covenant, this shared spiritual patrimony has been the source of a type of violent sibling rivalry competing for the same paternal love and inherited entitlement. God, it seemed, had but one blessing to bestow. It could be given to either Jacob or Esau—but not both.

In the twenty-first century, however, Jews and Christians are challenged to reconsider their theological assumptions by two inescapable truths: the moral tragedy of the holocaust demands that Christian thinkers acknowledge the violent effects of theologically de-legitimizing Jews and Judaism, and the pervasive reality of cultural and religious pluralism calls both Christian and Jewish theologians to rethink the covenant in the presence of the Other.Two Faiths, One Covenant? Jewish and Christian Identity in the Presence of the Other is a breakthrough work that embraces this contemporary challenge and charts a path toward fruitful interfaith dialogue. The Christian and Jewish theologians in this book explore the ways that both religions have understood the covenant in biblical, rabbinic, medieval, and modern religious writings and reflect on how the covenant can serve as a reservoir for a positive theological relationship between Christianity and Judaism—not merely one of non-belligerent tolerance, but of respect and theological pluralism, however limited.

Chapter 1 Introduction
Part 2 Part I: The Binding of Isaac
Chapter 3 Bound by the Bible: Jews, Christians, and the Binding of Isaac
Chapter 4 The Binding of Isaac: Hermeneutical Reflections
Chapter 5 TheAkedah and Covenant Today
Part 6 Part II: The Covenant in History
Chapter 7 The Covenant in Patristic and Medieval Christian Theology
Chapter 8 The Covenant in Rabbinic Thought
Chapter 9 The Covenant in Contemporary Eccelesial Documents
Chapter 10 The Covenant in Recent Theological Statements
Chapter 11 The Covenant and Religious Ethics Today
Part 12 Part III: The Covenant and Religious Pluralism
Chapter 13 One God, Many Faiths: A Jewish Theology of Covenantal Pluralism
Chapter 14 Jews and Christians: Their Covenantal Relationship in the American Context