Christian-Jewish Dialogue
A Resolution of the 1979 General Convention of the Episcopal Church
(U.S.A.)
Whereas, the Church is reminded of all parts of the Holy Scripture of those
spiritual ties which link the community of the New Testament to the seed of Abraham and is
exhorted by St. Paul to recall that she is nourished by root and sap of that good and
consecrated olive tree onto which the wild olive branches of the Gentiles have been grafted
(Romans 11:17-24); and
Whereas, the Church cannot forget that she has received the
revelation of the Old Testament from that people with whom God, in his infinite goodness and
mercy, established and nourished those ancient covenants; and that St. Paul bears witness
that the Jews remain precious to God for the sake of the patriarchs, since God does not
withdraw the gifts he has bestowed or revoke the choices he has made (Romans 11:28-29); and
Whereas, our Lord Jesus Christ was born, circumcised,
dedicated, and baptized into the community of Israel, to whom belong the sonship, the glory,
the covenants, the giving of the Torah, the worship and the patriarchs (Romans 9:4-5): and
the first apostles and witnesses themselves were all of Jewish lineage; and
Whereas, all the faithful in Christ consider themselves to be
the offspring of Abraham (Galatians 3:7) and included in his call, being also the inheritors
of that redemption figured in the Exodus of God"s chosen people from bondage to Pharaoh; and
Whereas, Christian and Jew share the common hope for that day
in which our God will be King over the whole earth (Zechariah 14:9) and, receiving the
kingdom, will be "all in all" (I Corinthians 15:28), and are thus bound by that
hope to a common divine service; and
Whereas, a denial of or an ignorance of their spiritual roots
by Christians has, more often than not, provided fertile ground for the festering of
antisemitism even among leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ – the Holocaust in Hitler"s
Germany being only the most recent and painful memory; therefore be it
Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring, That this 66th
General Convention of the Episcopal Church call anew upon the leadership of the Episcopal
Church, both clergy and lay, to deepen their commitment to Episcopal-Jewish dialogue and to
interfaith cooperation in local communities; and, wherever appropriate, to seek exposure to
ancient and contemporary Jewish scholarship so as to better comprehend the Scriptures on
which, and the religious environment in which, our Lord Jesus Christ was nourished; and to
appreciate more fully the religious worship and experience of our neighbors in the Jewish
community; and be it further
Resolved, That, to the end of encouraging and furthering mutual
understanding between Episcopalians and Jews by way of biblical and theological inquiry and
through friendly discussion, the Presiding Bishop"s Advisory Committee on Episcopal-Jewish
Relations initiate a study on the methodology for and substantive issues of Episcopal-Jewish
dialogue in the next triennium; and be it further
Resolved, That the report of the said Presiding Bishop"s
Advisory Committee on Episcopal-Jewish Relations, together with recommendations for
implementation of the dialogue, be made to the 67th General Convention of the Episcopal
Church. |