I'm still making my way through The Fire and the Cloud, but I couldn't help thinking that the horrors committed by Christians in history linked to supersessionism in the introduction could just as well be attributed to the Christian embrace of violence and the denial to faithfully love their enemies and lay down the sword. As far as I can tell, the call to love your enemies can be understood as a faithful interpretation of the Hebrew Scriptures, rather than a repudiation. To quote Rabbi Sacks: “No soul was ever saved by hate. No truth was ever proved by violence. No redemption was ever brought by holy war. No religion won the admiration of the world by its capacity to inflict suffering on its enemies.”
Firstly, I love Rabbi Sacks. What a stunning mind and a lovely man. I got the privilege to be in a small group discussion with him back in 2011, a life highlight for sure! Secondly, yes, the loving of enemies not only is an idea that doesn’t begin with Jesus, but his modeling of hospitality to us in this weekend’s gospel would further support your ideas.
I’m not sure if it’s relevant but it also had me thinking about Abraham’s other children (i.e. any religious community that sees Abraham as a patriarch). Despite our differences and disagreements, it seems the last thing we should do is name them Amalekites or Midianites to justify hatred and violence.
You can also catch our discussion on the book at the short course available at the St Anthony Institute: https://www.stanthonyinstitute.com/courses/fire-cloud
I'm still making my way through The Fire and the Cloud, but I couldn't help thinking that the horrors committed by Christians in history linked to supersessionism in the introduction could just as well be attributed to the Christian embrace of violence and the denial to faithfully love their enemies and lay down the sword. As far as I can tell, the call to love your enemies can be understood as a faithful interpretation of the Hebrew Scriptures, rather than a repudiation. To quote Rabbi Sacks: “No soul was ever saved by hate. No truth was ever proved by violence. No redemption was ever brought by holy war. No religion won the admiration of the world by its capacity to inflict suffering on its enemies.”
Firstly, I love Rabbi Sacks. What a stunning mind and a lovely man. I got the privilege to be in a small group discussion with him back in 2011, a life highlight for sure! Secondly, yes, the loving of enemies not only is an idea that doesn’t begin with Jesus, but his modeling of hospitality to us in this weekend’s gospel would further support your ideas.
That’s exactly right — and it’s the heresy of supersessionism that has obscured it.
I’m not sure if it’s relevant but it also had me thinking about Abraham’s other children (i.e. any religious community that sees Abraham as a patriarch). Despite our differences and disagreements, it seems the last thing we should do is name them Amalekites or Midianites to justify hatred and violence.
“the best kind of speaking enables hearing, sharpens our hearing”
I am looking forward to the next season of the podcast.
Ever grateful for both of you. The Lord bless you and keep you…