Closer Jewish-Christian Cooperation Seen by Prof. Samuel Sandmel in 'We Jews and Jesus'

data about Jesus. We know tinctions. They are not; the am willing, even eager to
from him only that Jesus fact that Christianity was do so. For me to harbor
was crucified, that Paul be- born within Judaism meant against my American Chris-
lieved he was resurrected, that it shared extensive com- tian neighbor the accusation
that Jesus had a brother mon possessions. For it to that he himself is responsible
named James, and that Jesus have been ultimately distin- for what European Christians
taught that divorce was pro- guishable from Judaism did to Jews in Spain in 1492
meant that it developed mo- or in Poland in 1648 is no
hibited.
"Whatever may be the rea- tifs of its own. Judaism and more reasonable, and no
son for the absence of in- Christianity have innately a more laudable, than for my
formation about Jesus, this large measure of overlap, Christian neighbor to hold
much is clear, Paul was in- and had Christianity not me or my children person-
terested in the significance come to call itself Christian- ally responsible for what-
of Jesus and not in details ity, but retained its early ever minor participation
about him. One might say terminology that it was in- some Jews may or may not
that Paul tried to tell us deed the Judaism, it would have had in the death of
what Jesus was, not who he be unnecessary for the over Jesus. There can be no pos-
sible outcome from the per-
was. To Paul, Jesus was a lap to need pointing out.
"The term Christianity in petuation of outworn grie-
human being who represent-
ed an interval in the eternal our age represents diversi- vances except the creation of
ties, for example, Protestant- new ones, and nothing more
career of a divine being."
misdirected than for Ameri-
Dr. Sandmel makes impor- ism and Catholicism, which can
Jews and Christians to
tant references to the San- are as basic in their own maintain an outmoded feud
hedrin, which is emphasized way as the differences be- which is contrary to the ex-
in the Jesus accounts, and to tween Judaism and Christian- plicit ideals of both."
ity. When we use the words
the Gospels. He states:
and Catholic- It is in this context that
The assembly or council Protestantism
ism
we
unconsciously
stress Dr. Sandmel concludes by
which Jews called Sanhedrin,
declaring: "For almost 18
by Semitizing the Greek word the areas of differences centuries Judaism and Chris-
among
Christians
and
glide
synhedrion, had certain pre-
tianity faced each other as
rogatives relating to the gov- over the Scripture common enemies. In the past hundred
them, the common sacred
erning, of Jews, but the to
years we have learned much
exact rights which it had calendar, and common nuan- that earlier centuries failed
ces
so
vital
to
communal
or-
under either a Jewish ruler
to learn. Perhaps we have
or under a Roman governor ganisms. So also, when we now learned that, in a world
speak
of
Judaism
and
Chris-
are also uncertain. We find
of many currents and cross-
also some surprising and du- tianity, we seem to stress currents, Judaism and Chris-
bious materials about priests the abiding differences and tianity are not so much on
glide over belief in God,
—chief priests is a New Tes- to
opposite sides of the fence
tament term unknown, and a common ethic, and a com- as on the same side. We are
quite unlikely, in other Jew- mon devotion to education not so much opposed as we
ish literature. But for all that and to charity. The Romans are different from each
we do know, there is more could not discern between other, working in coopera-
Jews and Christians; perhaps
that we do not know.
a man from Mars would view tion. The helmsmen of the
"An ordinary practice fol- Judaism
and Christianity, craft of faith are of differ-
lowed by scholars is to search even in our
as more ent persuasion, but through
for confirming (or denying) kindred than day,
unrelated.
If steering carefully across the
data in relation to an ancient one rises above nomencla-
currents and crosscurrents
writer under study. In no ture, then, it is by no means of troubled times their direc-
area has this practice been incorrect to speak of Chris- tion may well be toward a
followed as assiduously as in
as a Judaism. In mainland of understanding,
the case of the Gospel ma- tianity
deed,
of
the many varieties and thereby of blessing to
terials. What we find, ikf of Judaism
existed in humanity."
we may summarize it over the days of which
Jesus,
two
simply, is the phenomenon of have abided into our alone
time, B-G Out of Hospital
a general concord between rabbinic Judaism and Chris-
the Gospels and what we re- tianity.
TEL AVIV (JTA) — For-
construct, despite missing
mer Premier David Ben
"I am not a Christian; I Gurion resumed his vacation
pieces, of the Judaism of the
time. In an abendance of do not share in those convic- at a Tiberias hotel after
areas we find ourselves con- tions which make Christians spending a night last week in
fronted with detached prob- of men. Moreover, I am in- Poria hospital where he was
lems, but a general concord extricably bound up in my taken after complaining of
does exist.
Judaism. Yet I have no dis- chest pains.
"The uncertainities about position to set the one against He was discharged from the
the Jewish scene in the age the other, and to make mean- hospital after doctors who ex-
of Jesus are kindred to the ingless comparisons. I do amined him found nothing
central problem of Jesus not regard Judaism as ob- wrong.
himself. The four Gospels, as jectively superior to Chris-
we have seen, turn out to tianity nor Christianity to
The first off-campus office
furnish contradictory infor- Judaism. Rather, Judaism is of the University of Michi-
mation. Not only as one mine, and I consider it good, gan Extension Service was
moves from Gospel to Gos- and I am at home in it, and opened in 1935 in Detroit.
pel, but within one single I love it, and want it. That
Gospel, contraditions exist. is how I want Christians to
These problems have raised feel about their Christianity.
for modern scholars the tre-
"Wherever and whenever
mendous issue of how his- there
opportunity to collab-
torically reliable the Gos- orate is
with Christians, provid-
pels are."
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"That Christians have be-
liefs about Jesus which I
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"Early Christianity was a
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Judaism and uncongenial to
Jews; this view often focuses
on the 'Christian Christ'."
Also Dr. Sandmel declares:
"Those virtues ascribed to
Jesus the man, the 'Jewish
Jesus,' are characteristic
virtues, expressed in
Friday, March 23, 1973-13 Jewish
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Judaism and integrally a
part of it. Such a Jewish
Jesus may well have been a
good and great man — a
prophet, a rabbi, or a patri-
otic leader — but he was not
better or greater, say these
STILL THE WORLD'S LARGEST
writings, than other great
Jews."
In his analysis of the Jew-
ish background of Christian-
Come In
ity, the Gospels, the conflict-
ing views in their accept-
and
ance or rejection, Dr. Sand-
See Us!
mel states: "It comes as sur-
prise to Christians as well as
to Jews that by common
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pels are not the earliest
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Paul's Epistles are the oldest
Christian writings." He adds:
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"Strangly, Paul gave little

"We Jews and Jesus" by
Prof. Samuel Sandmel, pub-
lished by Oxford University
Press, seeks "to arrive at a
calm and balanced under-
standing of where Jews can

reasonably stand with respect
to Jesus."
Dr. Sandmel's thesis is that
`those Christian views which
regard Jesus as more than
a man are inconsistent with

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