IS The CHURCH The FULFILLMENT of ISRAEL? Replacement Theology
The history of RT
Supersessionism - Wikipedia
Supersessionism, also called
replacement theology or
fulfillment theology,
is a Christian doctrine which asserts that the
New Covenant through
Jesus Christ supersedes the
Old Covenant, which was made exclusively with the
Jewish people.
In Christianity, supersessionism is a
theological view on the current status of the
church in relation to the
Jewish people and
Judaism.
[1] It holds that the
Christian Church has succeeded the
Israelites as the definitive
people of God[1][2][3] or that the
New Covenant has replaced or superseded the
Mosaic covenant.
[4]
From a supersessionist's "point of view, just by continuing to exist [outside the Church], the Jews dissent".
[5] This view directly contrasts with
dual-covenant theology which holds that the Mosaic covenant remains valid for Jews.
Supersessionism has formed a core tenet of the Christian Churches for the majority of its existence. Christian traditions that have traditionally championed Covenant Theology (including the
Roman Catholic,
Reformed and
Methodist teachings of this doctrine), have taught that the
moral law continues to stand.
[6] Subsequent to and because of
the Holocaust, some mainstream Christian theologians and denominations have rejected supersessionism.
[7]:2–3
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Christian views
Many Christian theologians saw the New Covenant in Christ as a replacement for the Mosaic Covenant.
[13] Historically, statements on behalf of the
Roman Catholic Church have claimed its ecclesiastical structures to be a fulfillment and replacement of Jewish ecclesiastical structures (see also
Jerusalem as an allegory for the Church). As recently as 1965 Vatican Council II affirmed, "the Church is the new
people of God," without intending to make "Israel according to the flesh", the Jewish people, irrelevant in terms of
eschatology (see "Roman Catholicism," below). Modern Protestants hold to a range of positions on the topic. In the wake of the
Holocaust, mainstream Christian communities began the work of "undoing" supersessionism.
[14]:64–67
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Church fathers
Many
Early Christian commentators taught that the Old Covenant was fulfilled and replaced (superseded) by the New Covenant in Christ, for instance:
- Justin Martyr (about 100 to 165): "For the true spiritual Israel ... are we who have been led to God through this crucified Christ."[22]
- Hippolytus of Rome (martyred 13 August 235): "[The Jews] have been darkened in the eyes of your soul with a darkness utter and everlasting."[23]
- Tertullian (c. 155 – c. 240 AD): "Who else, therefore, are understood but we, who, fully taught by the new law, observe these practices,—the old law being obliterated, the coming of whose abolition the action itself demonstrates ... Therefore, as we have shown above that the coming cessation of the old law and of the carnal circumcision was declared, so, too, the observance of the new law and the spiritual circumcision has shone out into the voluntary observances of peace."[24]
Augustine (354–430) follows these views of the earlier
Church Fathers, but he emphasizes the importance to Christianity of the continued existence of the Jewish people: "The Jews ... are thus by their own Scriptures a testimony to us that we have not forged the prophecies about Christ
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New Testament
In the
New Testament, Jesus and others repeatedly give Jews priority in their mission, as in Jesus' expression of him coming to the Jews rather than to Gentiles
[15] and in
Paul's formula "first for the Jew, then for the Gentile."
[16]
Yet after the death of Jesus, the inclusion of the Gentiles as equals in this burgeoning sect of Judaism also caused problems, particularly when it came to Gentiles keeping the Mosaic Law,
[17] which was both a major issue at the
Council of Jerusalem and a theme of Paul's
Epistle to the Galatians, though the relationship of
Paul of Tarsus and Judaism is still disputed today.
For most of Christian history, supersessionism has been the mainstream interpretation of the New Testament of all three major historical traditions within Christianity –
Orthodox,
Roman Catholic and
Protestant.
[20] The text most often quoted in favor of the supersessionist view is Hebrews 8:13: "In speaking of 'a new covenant' [Jer. 31.31-32] he has made the first one obsolete."
[21]
==========================================
Roman Catholicism
Supersessionism is not the name of any official
Roman Catholic doctrine and the word appears in no Church documents, but official Catholic teaching has reflected varying levels supersessionist thought throughout its history, especially prior to the mid-twentieth century.
Supersessionist theology is extensive in Catholic liturgy and literature.
[5] The
Second Vatican Council (1962–65) marked a shift in emphasis of official Catholic teaching about
Judaism, a shift which may be described as a move from "hard" to "soft" supersessionism, to use the terminology of
David Novak (below).
[30]
These statements from Catholic officials signal a remaining point of debate, wherein some adhere to a movement away from supersessionism, and others remain with a "soft" notion of supersessionism.
It should be noted that fringe Catholic groups, such as the
Society of St. Pius X, strongly oppose the theological developments concerning Judaism made at
Vatican II and retain "hard" supersessionist views.
[44]
Even among mainstream Catholic groups and official Catholic teaching, elements of "soft" supersessionism remain:
The
Catechism of the Catholic Church refers to a future corporate repentance on the part of Jews:
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Protestant
Protestant opinions on supersessionism vary.
[48][49] These differences arise from dissimilar literal versus figurative approaches to understanding the relationships between the
covenants of the Bible, particularly the relationship between the covenants of the Old Testament and the New Covenant.
[48] In consequence, there is a range of viewpoints, including:
Three prominent Protestant views on this relationship are
covenant theology,
New Covenant theology, and
dispensationalism.[
citation needed] Extensive discussion is found in
Christian views on the Old Covenant and in the respective articles for each of these viewpoints: for example, there is a
section within Dispensationalism detailing that perspective's concept of Israel.
Differing approaches influence how the
land promise in Genesis 12,
[48] 15
[53] and 17
[48] is understood, whether it is interpreted literally or figuratively, both with regard to the land and the identity of people who inherit it.
[48][53]
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Judaism
rejects supersessionism, only discussing the topic as an idea upheld by Christian and Muslim theologians. While some modern Jews are offended by the traditional Christian belief in supersessionism,
[58] a different viewpoint has been offered by Rabbi and Jewish theologian
David Novak, who has stated that "Christian supersessionism need not denigrate Judaism" and that some subsets of Christian supersessionism "can affirm that God has not annulled his everlasting covenant with the Jewish people, neither past nor present nor future."
[59]
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Islam and supersessionism
See also:
Tahrif
In its canonical form, the Islamic doctrine of
tahrif teaches that Jewish and Christian scriptures or their interpretations have been corrupted, which has obscured the divine message that they originally contained. According to this doctrine, the Qur'an both points out and corrects errors introduced by previous corruption of monotheistic scriptures, which makes it the final and most pure divine revelation.
[9]
Sandra Toenis Keiting argues that Islam was supersessionist from its inception, advocating the view that the Quranic revelations would "replace the corrupted scriptures possessed by other communities", and that early Islamic scriptures display a "clear theology of revelation that is concerned with establishing the credibility of the nascent community" viz-a-viz other religions.
[9] ...................
