Jewish-Christian Dialogue in the Twentieth Century between Religious Tolerance and Anti-Semitism: Documents, Interpretations and Perspectives in the Christian Orthodox Context
Abstract:
Anti-Semitism has proven itself along the centuries a sensitive indicator for political movements that endanger human rights, tolerance and freedom, which are specific to western tradition. The multitude of factors that have supported and fuelled anti-Semitic tendencies have often been Christian religious texts. Whereas in Western Europe, the Christian attitude towards Judaism has changed after the Second World War, through official declarations of the Catholic Church or Protestantism, in the Christian Orthodox context the situation of anti-Judaism has not been officially discussed yet. The accusation of deicide, the claim that the Church is the new and true Israel as well as other accusations against the Jews, typical for the patristic and medieval period are preserved and used until the present day in the service of the Orthodox Church. This project addresses the issues raised by liturgical hymns in the Eastern-Orthodox Context which have anti-Semitic content, in the light of recent changes in the dialogue between the two religions. A first stage will contribute to the reception of the documents of the Jewish-Christian dialogue in the 20th century with respect to the renewal of mutual relations through their translation into Romanian (to be issued in the Studia Oecumenica Series). Special attention will be given to the dialogue between Judaism and Christian Orthodoxy, which is not yet fully available in print. In the second stage the most influential hymns of the liturgy with anti-Judaic messages will be sampled and read from a historical-critical perspective. An international conference will be organized as the perfect forum for assessing and discussing the findings of the project, offering new directions for the relation between the Church and Judaism from the point of view of Orthodox Christianity. The project will thus enable the perspective for a renewed, more authentic dialogue between Jewish and Christian Orthodoxy and will enhance its social relevance.
Results:
Several studies on hymnography and orthodox theology mention the necessity of liturgical reformation in what concerns the Anti-Judaism of several texts within the byzantine service, but more specialized studies are still missing (see B. Groen, 2004 and A. Ioniță 2014, 2015). The outcomes of the project will meet this need and will contribute to the premise necessary for more practical changes in church and society. The publications will be accessible in volumes to be published at an international and also at a Romanian publishing house. For a more direct impact outside the academic sphere as well, the project will also inform the wider public through different media, such as journals and websites. The online availability of the gathered and translated documents (www.ddic.ecum.ro) will definitely enhance the impact of the project and open a public debate on the dialogue between Judaism and Orthodox Christianity on the long term. In this manner, arguments will be provided which will countervail the anti-Semitic misuse of Christian-Orthodox liturgical texts and will nurture religious tolerance in society.