Purely Commentary
Anthropology ... Deicide ... Vatican and the Jewish Question
A University of California anthropologist, Dr. Michael J. Harner,
has advanced the theory that instead of dying on the cross Jesus may
have been drugged by mandrake wine that was in use by Jewish women
of that time. His contention is that such wine was used with the
intention of putting a person intended for crucifixion into a death-
like state " with the expectation that the appearance of death would
cause the Roman soldiers to lower the person from the cross."
New Testament professors, priests and ministers were quick to
denounce this idea. One of them said that the death of Jesus on the
cross was "the most documented fact in history."
And so, an anthropologist suggests that Jews, instead of having
condoned Jesus' death on the cross—no one denied, of course, that
crucifixion was a Roman, not a Jewish practice—actually helped to
save him. Instead of deicide, Jews are accountable for deification.
This revives the interest in the recent discussions at the Vatican
and the events subsequent to the declaration on the Jews. The "better
than nothing" attitude over the declaration indicates a lack of enthu-
siasm and the necessitated pressure for a feeling that so much good
has been attained.
In his promulgation ceremony, Pope Paul VI called for an "expan-
sion of justice and charity" and stated: "We wish to look towards the
followers of other religions, and, above . all, those with whom the com-
mon parentage of Abraham united us, especially towards the Jews, not
the object of reprobation or diffidence, but of respect, love and hope."
Which is all to the good, except that it is realistic to await the
results of promulgations. As Chief Rabbi Elio Toaff of Rome said, it is
necessary to judge the outcome by the implementation results.
It is on this score that we are compelled to wonder whether the
deep-rooted prejudices can be wiped out by mere lip service. Repro-
duced here, bodily, from the liberal Catholic magazine, Commonweal,
is a cartoon which our Catholic
confrere in turn reproduced from
the Realist. The title under the
drawing supplied by the artist was:
"You former Christ-killer!" Note
the bewildered youngster who is
confronted by the charge! How
often our children were attacked
with such cries—except that pre-
viously they were not "the
former."
There is still bewilderment.
Instead of erasing a charge
that kept Jews in subjection, that
accounted for countless tragedies,
we have witnessed gestures. If
"You former ChTist-killer!"
there will be a total change in text-
Courtesy The Realist
books, eliminating the charge of
deicide, we may eventually see good
results. But if the teachings persist—and we can hardly expect erasures
from the New Testament accusations, then the former may take on new
meaning, even if there is absolution, partial exoneration, and a measure
of abnegation.
All we need do is look at the record. Bishop Luigi Carli had
charged, for example, that there was an "objective situation of repro-
bation of Israel because they did not accept the Gospel." It is true
that Augustin Cardinal Bea had repudiated it. But if there is to be
repetition of the claim that only if Jews will accept the Gospel will
they be totally absolved, then the old religious antagonism may remain.
There is this to be said in defense of the American Catholic
leadership: in the main, it sought a fair solution. There were conces-
sions—in the final action—but even without the concessions the posi-
tion that persists that the drive to proselytize continues, that the
major and ultimate aim is the conversion of the Jews, then the
future retains the challenges of the past.
Will our children hence'orth be faced with the accusing reprimand
of "former Christ-killer"? What a travesty this will be on the 20th
Century liberals in the churches !
The 'Inadequate Document': Dr. Polish's View
The inadequacy of the Vatican statement on the Jews was especially
well described in an article by Dr. DaVid Polish in the current issue
of the Christian Century. Rabbi Polish properly indicates that the
section in the Vatican statement "on the Jewish religion" must be
read as part of the entire Declaration on the Relation of the Church
to Non-Christian Religions and he asserts:
The statement on the Jews is enveloped in a larger framework—
a far-ranging reference to other religions—in which it occupies a
subordinate position. It is revealing to note the contrast in text
and tone between the references to the Moslems and those to
the Jews. The section on Islam speaks approvingly of the mon-
otheism of that faith and of the fact that its adherents "revere"
Jesus "as a prophet" and "honor Mary, his virgin mother." It
then acknowledges the age-old conflicts and animosities between
Christians and Moslems, makes two strong appeals for recon-
ciliation, and "urges all to forget the past and to work sincerely
for mutual understanding and to preserve as well as to promote
together for the benefit of all mankind social justice and moral
welfare, as well as peace and freedom." In both content and
spirit this section is unambiguous and straightforward.
The same cannot be said for the section on the "Jewish
religion," which lacks the unequivocal conviction of the preceding
section. It reflects a discordance of conflicting views which have
been tortuously reconciled. It displays a restraint of spirit, as
though acknowledging that it may have gone too far in its
initial motivation but cannot altogether retract. One searches in
vain for a clear declaration, as in the section on Islam, on the
history of Christian-Jewish relations; one searches in vain for a
word of authentic reconciliation.
Rabbi Polish adds that in the section on Islam the statement
"urges" work "to promote together . . . social justice and moral wel-
fare" and it "ardently implores" the "Christian faithful to 'maintain
good fellowship among the nations.' " But the verbs on the Jews, he
charges, "become muted and somewhat circuitous." He thereupon
declares in relation to the statement on the Jews:
No single, firm word is said about anti-Semitism itself. And the
qualifying word "nevertheless," used specifically or inferentially,
is found chiefly in reference to the Jews: "Indeed not a few
opposed (the gospel's) spreading. Nevertheless, God holds the
Jews most dear for the sake of their fathers." "True, the Jewish
authorities and those who followed their lead pressed for the
death of Christ; still, what happened in His passion cannot be
Henry Wallace's Legacy:
His Farming Advocacy for
. Pluralistic U.S.A.
Jews
By Philip
Slomovitz
charged against all the Jews, without distinction, then alive, nor
against the Jews of today. Although the Church is the new people
of God, the Jews should not be presented as rejected by God or
accused as if this followed from the Holy Scriptures."
Deploring of anti-Semitism is further weakened by the curiously
irrelevant disclaimer, "moved not by political reasons but by the
Gospel's spiritual love." Must the church make a special point to
the effect that its grounds for opposing anti-Semitism are not
political? To do so is at best gratuitous. But when one recalls the
external pressures from the Arab world, this explanation must
be seen as a shocking concession to those who link anti-Semitism
with anti-Israel politics. Why should a religious document explain
and justify its attenuated rejection of anti-Semitism?
The paragraph stating that the Jews "should not be presented as
rejected by God or accursed, as if this followed from the Holy
Scriptures," is hedged by two antecedent and highly significant
comments. The first opens the passage in question and leads
directly into it: "Although the Church is the new people of God
• • . " If this is so, by what dialectics can it be shown that the
Jews are not indeed rejected? I am aware that since the concept
of the "new Israel" is intrinsic to Catholic theology, more than
a phrase placed in an invidious context would be required to
overcome that profound dogmatic position. What the sentence
seems to say is this: The Jews should not be rejected for the
crucifixion, but their refusal to accept the gospel is the cause of
their displacement as the true Israel. And reference to the
Jewish pepole's failure to "recognize the time of her visitation"
seems to explain the emergence of "the new people of God."
How does the document handle the fact that the Jews still do
not accept the gospel? By proclaiming the message of Christ
within the body of the section on the Jews, by concluding the
section uk. the Jews, by concluding the section with a ringing
affirmation contain:: 0: additional strong verbs: "Christ underwent
His passion and death freely, because of the sins of men, and
out of infinite love, in order that all may reach salvation. It is,
therefore, the burden of the Church's preaching to proclaim the
cross of Christ as the sign of God's ail:embracing love." It is not
straining the point to see an evangelical thrust as the culminating
theme of the statement on the Jews. It is not free of the "hidden
persuasion." It concludes, in fact, as a message to the Jews. This
alone negates whatever may be regarded as conciligory in the
text.
In the context of the entire section, then, the declaration that
"what happened in (Christ's) passion cannot be charged against
all the Jews" is not only restrained but diminished, hedged in by
too many reservations and historical obstructions. Much of this
fault can be attributed to the document's struggle with the New
Testament. It is not true that, as the document states, the con-
demnation of Israel does not follow from Holy Scriptures. What is
more, that condemnation has been made even more explicit by
scripturally oriented church authorities whom the document
chooses to overlook, giving the impression that the tradition about
the "cursedness" of Israel arose by spontaneous generation. Still
and all, the fact that the document seeks to separate the church
from scripturally based anti-Semitism (even if it makes incorrect
assumptions in doing so) gives reason for hope. This concession
may some day lead to bolder ventures into biblical hermeneutics,
ventures that could open the door for a truly unequivocal state-
ment on the Jews.
UJA Gold Medal
Marks V-E Day
Shown here are obverse and
reverse sides of the gold medal
struck off by the United Jewish
Appeal to commemorate the
20th anniversary of V-E Day,
and to honor the three great
generals who delivered Europe
from the Nazi bondage and lib-
erated hundreds of thousands of
captive Jews from the concen-
tration camps—General Dwight
David Eisenhower, the supreme
commander, and his deputies
Great Britain's field marshal,
Trite Earl Alexander of Tunis
and mineral Pierre Koenig of
the FreeN - French Forces. The
medals will—lit awarded to the
generals at the hei.72.7uet session
of the UJA's annual conftYnee
Saturday at the New York Mi.
ton hoteL
—
New U.S. Act Aids
Jewish Physicist
From Turkey
It has been indicated again and again that the major aim in
dealing with Jews is constantly to emphasize that Christianity is the
child that supersedes the parent: Judaism; that the chief aspiration
MILAN (JTA) — The first visa
is to convert Jews.
issued by the U. S. Consulate in
If what has transpired is only the beginning, the burden of proof
Genoa, Italy, under the new U. S.
still is with the church.
*
*
immigration law which went into
effect Dec. 1, was given to a United
A Deserved Honor for Dr. Reuben L. Kahn
On the eve of his 80th birthday, Dr. Reuben L. Kahn is about to Hias Service client. Moise Muth; a
be awarded a distinct honor—the establishment of a laboratory in 24-year-old Turkish Jew, will now
immunology at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
be enabled to come to the Unitecl--,
It is heartening to know that many of Detroit's leading physicians
have joined the committee that is sponsoring this tribute to him, to States to join his parents alit
brother, resettled by United Hias
be formalized at a dinner here on Dec. 18.
Dr. Kahn still is engaged in research and he has not stopped last year in Worcester, Mass.
making contributions to medicine due to age. It was as far back as
"Mr. Mutlu would have faced a
1923 that he developed his blood test for the detection of syphilis. long
waiting period before he could
The Kahn Test was first adopted by the Michigan Department of
join his family," James Rice,
Health and the U. S. Navy in 1925 and since then put into use by the
United Hias executive director,
entire medical profession, throughout the world. Kahn Tests were
required during World War II for all personnel inducted into our said. "This is only one of the
many injustices corrected by the
armed forces and have been used in other spheres.
The Hebrew University will be enriched by the honor to be
placed so deservedly upon Dr. Kahn, and one of Michigan's most
distinguished medical scientists will be remembered in an area in
which he has taken a deep interest.
The fact that another great scientist, Dr. Albert B. Sabin, the
developer of the live virus anti-polio vaccine, will be the guest speaker
in Dr. Kahn's honor at the Dec. 18 dinner, adds to the significance
of the event.
new legislation."
Mutlu was graduated with dis-
tinction as a physicist and mathe.
matician from the University of
Istanbul, faculty of science. Re
will be resettled in Worcester,
Mass. with the cooperation of the
local Jewish Family Service.
Dutch Parliament Gets Resolution to Intervene for Jews
THE HAGUE (JTA) — Members
of all major factions in the Dutch
Parliament Wednesday urged
Foreign Minister Dr. Josef Luns to
make strong representations on
"the deplorable situation" of Jews
in the Soviet Union when he meets
with Soviet Foreign Minister An-
drei Gromyko, who is scheduled to
visit this country.
Representatives of the Dutch
Labor Party introduced in Parlia-
ment a resolution, endorsed ,by
both the Liberal and Catholic
blocs, requesting Dr. Luns' inter-
vention with Gromyko.
Dr. Cornelis Berkhower, a mem-
ber of Parliament representing the
Liberal Party, called Dr. Luns' at-
tention to a resolution adopted last
spring by the European Parlia-
ment, calling for amelioration of
the situation of Soviet Jewry.
Frans Goedhart, a Socialist
member of the House, urged that
Dr. Luns call Gromyko's atten-
tion of the possibility of permis-
sion by Soviet authorities for the
emigration of Russian Jews to
Israel.
The entire Roman Catholic fac-
tion in Parliament also drew Dr.
Luns' attention to a resolution
adopted by the European Council,
requesting members to intervene
with their governments on behalf
of Russian Jewry.
* *
Argentine Youth Appeal
to Moscow in Press
Argentine Jewish Youth Federa.
tion published Monday in the gen.,
eral press a series of appeals to
Soviet authorities asking better
treatment for the Jews in Russia.
The statement was based
on a
resolution adopted at a recent
youth territorial congress. It urged
Soviet officials to allow Russian
Jews to develop Jewish cultural
and religious institutions.
Soviet authorities also were
asked to act energetically against
anti-Semitism in the USSR and to
allow Russian Jews to emigrate
for reunion with members of their
families living in other countries.
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
10, 1965
BUENOS AIRES (JTA) — The 2—Friday, December