" a talk, given by Rabbi David Hartman, in 1990. He was discussing Christian attitudes towards Israel in relation to the Holocaust. The excerpts are as reported in the Nov. 2, 1990 issue of the Long Island Jewish World.
"Christianity sees itself as the New Israel, God's newest revelation, that is to replace Judaism. Why do you think the Pope refuses to recognize Jerusalem as the capital? Because if it is, then the Jewish exile has ended. And if the Jewish exile has ended, then Christianity cannot explain its own tradition. Because its own tradition is parasitic on God's rejection of Israel."
"Do you know what's at stake? What do you think; just some sort of argument going on? The fundamental vision of Christianity was parasitic on the idea that God's initial revelation... the [Jewish] experiment ... did not work." Hartman said that Christianity viewed the suffering and exile of the Jewish people as punishment from God for not accepting the new message.
"As long as we were weak, as long as we were homeless, then Christian theology had a living witness to their claim to be the New Israel. Jews in exile confirmed the claim of a new revelation of Jesus. This is central to Christian thology."
Hartman stressed that suffering is a symbol Christians can deal with. "That is why Christians could handle the Holocaust. Because the Holocaust deals with Jewish suffering, and also because Jews are a suffering people, a crucified people. Crucifixion is a symbol Christians can deal with."
"They *cannot* deal with a living rebirth of the Jewish people in Jerusalem. And that is why I claim that the most important struggle in human history today is not the Holocaust - we should not be a Holocaust people - but a people reborn in Jerusalem." "
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=11772087&postID=4837957544872158938 posted during one of the squabbles that break out and back in 2009.
misunderstanding one: replacement theology, which might indeed feel challenged by Jewish control of the land of Israel. But Romans chapter 11 and the Prophets rule this out anyway. The Jews are not totally cast off but are the root that bears the branches the church, and will be restored eventually. Though Christians are spiritual Israel, physical Israel is not irrelevant.
misunderstanding two: that Christianity is parasitic on Judaism, and rendered irrelevant and a failure by restoration of Jews to the Land of Israel. No, in fact this is in line with Paul and the Prophets, for the Jews would be restored to the land in an unclean condition and cleansed later (Ezekiel) and will be practicing Orthodox Jewish worship sex separatist when Jesus comes back (Zechariah), and God will make Jerusalem a burden for all nations (ongoing and maybe getting more so I forget which Prophet's book that is in), and that eventually all Israel incl. physical will be saved.
the restoration of Jewish control in the land of Israel, then, is not in any way contradictory to Christianity. And membership in the Kingdom of Heaven is not the same thing as title to real estate.
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