Has God Only One Blessing? Judaism As A Source of Christian Self-Understanding. (Book Review).

Boys, Sr. Mary C., S.N.J.M., Has God Only One Blessing? Judaism as a Source of Christian Self- Understanding, Paulist Press (A Stimulus Book): New Jersey 393 pp. $46.50 (CDN); $29.95 (U.S.)

The academic world has witnessed a virtual explosion in the field of Jewish-Christian relations. However, few lay people and leaders of either faith are aware of the implications for them or their congregations. Now, Sister Mary C. Boys brings the fruits of those conversations together in a text that will surely change the landscape between our faiths.

Has God Only One Blessing? is a source book for reconciling longstanding hostilities and distortions. Boys begins by examining the context into which Jesus was born and preached, then goes on to explore major developments within both faiths over two millennia.

Boys, who has lectured at Columbia, Union Theological Seminary and the Jewish Theological Seminary, all in New York, says Christians perceive their faith differently through "Jewish eyes." Many admit their embarrassment to her reading certain Gospel passages in the presence of Jews. She believes in confronting this discomfort, both in order to fully understand Christianity and to atone for past mistakes.

Her title, rewording Esau's plea after his father Isaac offers Jacob the firstborn blessing, reflects Boys's belief that Christianity has usurped the "birthright" of Israel, largely through fear and ignorance. In 1965, the Second Vatican Council affirmed God's covenant with the Jews, but Boys believes this attitude has been slow to trickle down to the pulpit, let alone the pews. And the rifts between us harm not only Jews, says Boys. The "oppositional identity" forged by early Christianity has brought anti-Semitism and hatred into the world; we must work together now to heal the rift.

"In light of all that Christianity has visited upon the Jewish people," Boys says, "a refusal to reinterpret our sacred scripture would be a sinful disregard of tradition." For Boys, reinterpretation begins with abandoning literalistic Scripture readings, where the "Old" Testament and Judaism serve merely as backdrop to the story of Christ and to Christianity as a newer, more authentic faith.

Boys refers to this attitude as "supersessionism," and says simplistic interpretation deprives Christians of eternal spiritual truths within sacred texts. The U.S. Declaration of Independence, she points out, states that "all men are created equal." But over two centuries, "men" has found a broader meaning than just the "white, adult property-owning males" its authors intended. "The words...have not changed," says Boys, but their "meaning has expanded."

Similarly, Boys dissects Christian biblical passages against "the scribes and Pharisees," reinterpretating in light of the "presence of Jews." Christians, she says, must learn to "read the denunciation of the Pharisees...as spoken to every age, not simply to a first-century group." The Pharisees, she says, should provoke Christians "to question the sort of person our practice of religion has fashioned." For Boys, they are mirrors, allowing anyone who takes "religious commitments seriously [to] turn the light of Jesus' critique...on ourselves."

Too often, Christian efforts at repairing the rifts are undermined by viewing Judaism in opposition to Christianity--its God hostile, its people stubborn and unenlightened, essentially "the evil to which Christianity offers the good." Boys believes the relationship between the two testaments should be read as a revelation not of God's "promise and fulfilment" but of "promise and confirmation."

Probing these nuances challenges existing liturgical paradigms, which have given Catholics traditional lectionary pairings such as those contrasting the "inferior" healing of Naaman (2 Kings 5) with Jesus' "superior" healing of the leper (Mark 1). She also mentions pairing which seem to demonstrate "a seamless flow "" 'Old' Testament texts to those of the New," as these leave Christians frustrated with Jews' obstinacy for "refusing" Jesus.

Christian preaching does occasionally touch on the Jewish prophets, but tends to dwell on their "stinging rebuke of Israel's infidelity," which is read by Christian "as an indictment of Judaism." "Too seldom," Boys notes, do Christians evoke these passages as "a critique of religiosity gone awry in the church." Narrow interpretation, Boys says, can't do justice to complex texts, or to the relationship between our faiths.

Seeking a new paradigm, Boys focuses on liturgy, citing its power to reinforce vital messages or, conversely, to undermine progress. She believes excising negative and hostile references to Jews is possible without sacrificing Christianity's uniqueness or vitality. Indeed, she calls on Christians to actively "transform the liturgy in ways harmonious with the Church's changed understanding of Judaism."

But Jews, too, Boys says, must forgive and reconsider traditional sources of enmity. Discussing the symbolism of the cross, she touches on its troubling historical connotations for Jews. For all that, she says it remains a vital Christian symbol. This means Christians have a responsibility to reclaim it so that it can genuinely "embody the power of reconciliation for which Jesus lived and died."

Christian readers may find Boys' terminology jarring, with her use of neutral terms like First and Second Testament, and B.C.E. (Before the Common Era), and C.E. in place of B.C. (Before Christ), and A.D. (Anno Domini). Yet these in no way betray her firm Christian convictions. Rather, they are a gesture of consideration to others who believe differently.

Boys's suggestions may seem occasionally unorthodox, as when she calls for "rejection of biblical subject matter that is untrue or immoral." She does clarify that, by "reject," she means something along the lines of rethinking its meaning for believers. Nevertheless, this bold approach is not for the faint of heart.

Perhaps most challenging will be her call for liturgical revision. Throughout the book, she recalls the traditional Advent hymn, "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel...." Though the average Christian might be uncomfortable singing this in the presence of Jews, many have never considered replacing the words altogether. When she suggests alternative lyrics, such as "O Come, O Come Emmanuel, And bless the place where your people dwell," it is because the new words, for her, reflect more truly God's message of promise and confirmation.

Catholicism has already made great strides. Boys recalls a prayer formerly offered on Good Friday for conversion of "the perfidious [unfaithful] Jews." A revised version reads, "Let us pray [that the Jews]... continue to grow in the love of his covenant." For Boys, changes like this are the tip of the iceberg.

She says Christians "value ecumenical and interreligious relationships to an [unprecedented] extent...[but]...we don't know what to do with them." For all the theological changes, she believes fear holds many back from putting belief into practice.

It's tempting, Boys says, to cling to a model which presents God's design "as map rather than mystery." Yet this is a false certainty which obscures "the God of the future, calling us into uncharted territory." Only by setting aside old misconceptions, can Christians gain a more enduring understanding of God's plan.

Because of its emphasis on liturgy and exegesis, this book is most urgently needed by clergy, homilists and teachers. Boys' language is scholarly and at times dense, offering few easy answers but many deep insights for those who persist.

It goes without saying that this volume is also essential reading for Jews still nursing old enmities, or who may be reluctant to participate in dialogue out of frustration over past attempts. The time for denial is over; Jews and Christians must forever be in each other's spiritual frame of reference if we hope to avoid the destructive sinfulness of the past.

Both faiths teach us that God's love for his children is limitless. The time for sibling rivalry is past; the God we share truly does offer many blessings.

Jennifer M. Paquette is a Jewish author who lives with her two children in Toronto.