Nostra Ætate and the Covenant: an Ill-Conceived Concept Stretched Beyond Its Limits

Durham E-Theses Nostra Ætate and the Covenant: an ill-conceived concept stretched beyond its limits ROWE, BEDE,LEE How to cite: ROWE, BEDE,LEE (2018) Nostra Ætate and the Covenant: an ill-conceived concept stretched beyond its limits, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/12521/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 Bede Lee Rowe Nostra Ætate and the Covenant: an ill-conceived concept stretched beyond its limits. Abstract In 2015, a Commission of the Catholic Church produced a document describing the relationship between Judaism and the Church. This document used the irrevocable nature of the Old Testament covenant which God made with the Jews as the base of its theological argument. I wish to investigate this use of covenant from both Biblical stand point, as well as its use in both conciliar and post-conciliar documents, as it typifies the current direction of theology in the area of Catholic Jewish relations. Thus, in the first section my thesis examines the use of ‘covenant’ in the Old Testament texts, and the rise of covenant as a short-lived organising principle in Old Testament scholarship. In the second, I examine the development of covenant with particular attention to its presence or absence in the Vatican Council’s declaration Nostra Ætate, together with other conciliar texts. I trace the development of this covenantal language through the other post conciliar documents concerning the relationship of Judaism to Christianity. I end in the third section by outlining the dangers of using covenant in this manner, and propose a completely different solution to the relationship of Judaism to the Church and to salvation. My argument throughout the thesis is that covenant is not one single concept. In the Old Testament, there is no single covenant, nor does covenant occupy an unbroken position within Old Testament scholarship up to the eve of the Council. Covenant plays no significant role in the conciliar discussions and the term was not used in the final conciliar documents in a consistent manner. I conclude that the use of ‘covenant’ as the foundational description of Judaism, and thus her relationship to salvation and the Church, is a much later development, and is one whose implications have not been fully considered. I conclude that any theology of Jewish/Catholic relations based on covenant will ultimately fail, as the basis on which the relationship stands (covenant) is not and cannot be, used for that purpose. I present a modest proposal, radically recasting the connection of Judaism to the Church. 1 Nostra Ætate and the Covenant: an ill-conceived concept stretched beyond its limits. Bede Lee Rowe submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy department of Theology in the University of Durham 2017 2 Table of Contents General Introduction ……………………… 5 Section One The Old Testament ……………………… 7 1.1 Definition of Terms ……………………… 8 1.2 The Search for a Theme ……………………… 10 1.3 The Theme in the Text ……………………… 31 Section Two The Church’s Texts about the Jews ……………………… 63 2.1 The Genesis of Nostra Ætate ……………………… 64 2.2 The Formation and Meaning of Nostra Ætate ……………………… 78 2.3 The Further Developments of Nostra Ætate ……………………… 107 Section Three Where have we been led, and where shall we go? ……………………… 134 3.1 The Dual Covenant ……………………… 135 3.2 General Conclusion ……………………… 160 3.3 A Modest Proposal ……………………… 165 3 I am grateful to my supervisors in Durham University, Professor Karen Kilby, and Professor Robert Hayward, for their kindness and attention during my studies. I thank Fr Alexander Redman and Rev’d Dr Stephen Morgan for proofreading the final text. I dedicate this work to Our Lady, Saint Mary of Glastonbury; the Blessed Virgin who contained within herself both Judaism and Christianity. The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without the author’s prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged. 4 General Introduction Any moment in time has a limited set of possibilities. This can constrain the human spirit, because our actions are not boundless, or it can reveal to us an opportunity which is fleeting, a chance which is to be seized. The wide impact of Christianity’s history over the whole world shows simultaneously the glory which comes from God, and the sin which comes from His creation. In the context of the Church’s relations with the Jewish people, we must say that the Church has not clothed herself too often with the glory of God. But this is the moment when we must strive to do what is right and good. We cannot be limited by the past, nor should we allow it to constrain us. However, we do well to acknowledge and learn from it. This is humanity’s great strength. In the life of the Church, we find ourselves in a point where, in the space of half a century, it seems that the Church has woken up to the Jewish people, and, having first taking small steps, has begun to stride out, forging a new relationship, a relationship of equals and friends. But this cannot simply be based on sentiment. The Church can only advance if she brings with her the whole of her theology. Different sections of the Church’s theological life may creak and groan, but there can be no crack or break, without significant consequences. My thesis comes at this moment. My concern is that the foundations of this new relationship between Christianity and Judaism, are ill-conceived and stretched beyond their limits. If the foundations are not stable, then the edifice will fall. Catholic/Jewish relations have grown in the past fifty or so years, to depend more and more on the concept of covenant, but if that is not integrated into the wider Catholic theology, or if it proves not up to the job, then the damage will be great. In this work, I will investigate the idea of covenant in its own setting, the setting of the ancient people whom God chose as His own, namely the Old Testament. We cannot wrench a term from its context and demand that it fulfils any role we wish. I will also examine where and how ‘covenant’ is used, especially in the most recent Ecumenical Council when, for the first time, the Church issued a document where she considers the Jews. I will look at the changes and developments in the documents after the Council, and how covenant is being used in the latest document. If it is found wanting, then other ideas will have to be proposed and, seizing the moment, I will tentatively do so. The reason why this is so important is that the relationship between the Church and Judaism has repercussions around the world, and in the world. We have seen this in the horrors of the past century. 5 It is not enough to wish away difficult issues, to brush them under the carpet. Catholicism shines through an intricate gauze of intertwined theology. The relationship between Christian and Jew must be in harmony with that, and as this is a new theological endeavour, it must find its own place. What is at stake concerns not only Judaism, but Christianity itself. This thesis comes from a deep concern for the Church, her theology, and the Jews. Its only concern is to try to find the correct expression of the relationships between the three. Some ideas will accord more, some less. I wish to see where covenant fits on this scale. If it is not good enough, then we must be honest about it, and seek other ideas, other descriptions. The question I wish to address is whether ‘covenant’ is an adequate basis for a theology of Catholic Jewish relations. I will begin with examining covenant in the Old Testament, to see if that helps us understand the use of covenant as the link between the two faiths. I will then investigate the formation and texts of the conciliar documents to see if the later use of ‘covenant’ is consonant with them. Finally, I will examine the implications of using covenant as the basis of a theological relationship between Judaism and the Church. My thesis is that ‘covenant’ cannot provide the stable description of this fundamental relationship, and will lead to problems in relation to other areas of normative Christianity. I will then propose an alternative way of describing the way in which Judaism is connected to the Church. 6 Section One The Old Testament 7 1.1 Definition of Terms In this work, I will use certain terms and avoid others. I will follow both current academic convention and the guidelines of the relevant Vatican authorities. The choice of language will inevitably jar with some, but it is used in good faith and it does not rely on personal choice, nor is it intended to be polemical.

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