Unless one willingly studies the Bible for himself, a person of any religious or irreligious position will neither understand the Old or New Testament. Such are at the mercy of their earthy "instructors".
Amazingly enough, the Bible is comprehendible. It reads like any biography, albeit with many more parts and chapters. It's not about you; it's not about me; it's not about anyone today (for the most part). It's about Israel. Read it like that and ignore your earthly instructors.
That is true to a point; however, the reality is that because of the work of the MESSIAH, gentiles now have free access to GOD the FATHER through the MESSIAH. The connection is that we (gentiles) have been grafted onto the root of Jessie. Many Christians wrongly believe that Christians usurped the nation of Israel. This is entirely in error. Though Jews still need to come to a saving faith in their MESSIAH, the promises to Abraham still stand in GOD's eyes. The regathering of the nation of Israel from across the earth was clearly prophesied in the Old Testament. The fact of Israel's resurrection is yet another proof that GOD's Holy Word is divine.
I recall a Nun telling us kids in Primary School that who are WE to question God's relationship with the Jews; after all He chose them and if God the Father wants to keep them all to Himself then that's His business BUT woe be US if we sin. I think she was telling us to mind our own bloody business and respect Jews as being is a unique relationship with God. Glossing over Jewish History from time to time I see her point.
"It seems that for Aquinas, Augustinian supersessionism (the replacement of the new Israel, the Church, for the old) was not sufficient.36 In his commentary on Romans, he addresses the story of the Jews using the theological concepts of predestination and election previously addressed in the Summa. Aquinas uses Paul to remind the reader of the ―greatness of the Jews‖ and of ―how the Gentiles have been drawn into that greatness‖ (Super Episotlas S. Pauli Lectura, Ad Romanos, 735).37 This acknowledged greatness of the Jews is the foundation for all his discussion, and he explains in some detail the reasons for this greatness, not limiting his use of scripture to Paul. The Jews enjoy ―an ancient (pristinam) dignity‖ (742), a dignity, a greatness which stems from their descent from ―Jacob who was called Israel (Gen 32:28)‖ (743).38 They have been blessed by God temporally with the gift of sonship (Ex 4:22) by means of the covenant sealed by circumcision, the law and divine worship; and blessed eternally with the gift of glory promised to the children of God (Ex 40:32). Aquinas writes that the ―promises made in the Old Testament and fulfilled by Christ seem made especially to the Jews‖ (744).39 The centrality of Christ is acknowledged as part of the Jewish story. They are great by origin, from the Patriarchs (745) and great because of their descendant Christ. Indeed it was Christ himself who taught that ―Salvation is from the Jews‖ (Jn 4:22) (746),40 and Christ is truly great, as Aquinas teaches, for he is God (747). Aquinas is struck by Paul‘s assertion that one can be adopted into the sonship of God, i.e., become a son of Abraham by imitating the faith and works of Abraham (―God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham‖ (Mt 3:9)) (344). Mere physical descent does not gift one with greatness—the dignity of the Jews refers to God‘s selection, a selection which ―applies generally to Jews and Gentiles.‖ Paul‘s astuteness in his use of the story of Rebecca‘s children is remarked upon and Aquinas utilizes this to discuss the mystery of God‘s election. Jacob and Esau are the sons of Rebecca and Isaac, and yet one was set over the other ―in virtue of the promise‖ (758) before their birth.41 Election is not by merit; it is never deserved. Jacob was elected so that God‘s purpose might be fulfilled: he was chosen ―not by reason of merits but of election, i.e., inasmuch as God himself spontaneously fore chose one over the other, not because he was holy but in order that he be holy‖ (759).42 Predestination is because of God‘s will. It has nothing to do with merit.43 40 Salus ex Iudaeis est (Cap.9 lect.1). 41 Quod per repromissionem (lit: counter promise) est unus filiorum Rebeccae alii praelatus (Cap.9 lect. 2). 42 Non secundum merita sed secundum electionem, id est inquantum ipse Deus spontanea voluntate unum alteri praelegit, non quia sanctus erat, sed ut sanctus esset (Cap.9 lect. 2). 43 In Catholic theology the term merit (meritum) is generally understood as a reward due to a person as the result of a good work done. It needs to be very carefully articulated to avoid the idea of ―earning‖ one‘s own salvation. Paul‘s citation from scripture, ―Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated‖ (Rom 9:13) is utilized to develop Aquinas‘ thought. God‘s love is first. Jacob did not merit this choice of God, ―[c]onsequently, one must say that God loved Jacob from all eternity‖ (762).44 God‘s love is the cause of all good that is to be found in a creature (ST I q.6 a.4). God elects someone not because of a good perceived, ―but it is because God loved him that God prefers him to someone by election‖ (763).45 Aquinas next addresses the question of rejection, an issue which also pertains to eternal life. Complexly, he asserts that while predestination is not a reward for merits foreknown, the foreknowledge of sins can be the reason for rejection, for punishment. The sins of the rejected they ―have from themselves, not from God‖ (764).46 They have chosen a lesser good at the expense of choosing God‘s friendship. Inevitably the question of God‘s justice arises. If merit does not lead to the reward of eternal life, God must be unjust. With this issue Aquinas brings the reader to the heart of the God question. Merit cannot be a cause of predestination for ―nothing which is an effect of predestination can be taken as a reason for a predestination‖ (772).47 Predestination does not pertain to distributive justice, but is to be seen in the light of things given spontaneously and out of mercy. For Aquinas to give alms to one beggar and not to another is a demonstration of mercy, and is unjust to neither beggar. Similarly, that God predestines anyone shows that God is merciful. On the other hand, those God does not predestine cannot be deemed to have been treated unjustly, for all have been ―born subject to damnation on account of the sin of the first parent‖ (773).48 Predestination is gratuitous; it is grace, gift (see also ST I q.23 a.5 ad 3 for very similar reasoning). God remains the epitome of mercy. Temporal graces are granted to those who are predestined, and so they are moved to good. God is judged the author of these good deeds; with regard to the hardening of people‘s hearts, and acts of malice, God is deemed to permit their actions ―by not affording grace‖ (784).49 It is important to note that there is no such thing as an ―anti-grace,‖ an inspiration of God by which we choose evil. Sin is freely chosen, we harden our own hearts.50 The reader of both Paul and Aquinas is still left asking ―why?‖ And it seems we will continue to ask why for Aquinas writes ―in this we are given to understand that one should not examine the reason for God‘s judgments with the intention of comprehending them, for they exceed human reason‖ (789).51 What remains of central importance is that all God‘s works seek to manifest God‘s goodness. With humans, made from dust, any good they possess must be clearly seen as due to God‘s goodness, while any lack of same cannot be seen as an injustice of God. When applied to the Gentiles, Aquinas finds the fact of God‘s election even more astounding. The Gentiles did not share divine sonship and so were not called the People of God. They did not enjoy the privilege of divine love, nor did they enjoy a share in the divine compassion which delivered the Jews 48 Omnes homines propter peccatum primi parentis damnationi nascantur obnoxii (Cap.9 lect.3). 49 Sed non apponendo gratiam (Cap.9 lect.3). 50 McCabe, ―Predestination,‖ 185. 51 In quo datur intelligi quod homo non debet scrutari rationem divinorum iudiciorum cum intentione comprehendendi, eo quod excedant rationem humanam (Cap.9 lect.5). from original sin by the exterior sign of faith, circumcision (ST III q.102 a.5). All of this has been achieved through Christ, through whom ―they have become God‘s people‖ (799)52 and even more powerfully ―sons of God by divine adoption‖ (800).53 Those who had clearly been defined as ‗not-my-people‘ can now be called children of God (800). Righteousness is not based on works, or on fidelity to the law, but on faith in Christ. Yet the complex question of the Jews and salvation remains central to Paul, and hence to Aquinas. While their sin is great (some of them crucified Christ) divine mercy ensured that they were not completely exterminated. God is merciful and just, God does not revoke his covenant. Israel is not abandoned. Israel cannot be, for God is faithful. Some Jews, a remnant (802), will be saved. Paul cites Is 10:22 and Aquinas struggles to interpret this verse: 54 ―Few will be converted from Israel…not all, not the majority, but a certain few‖ (802),55 and they will be saved because of ―the efficacy of the word of the gospel‖ (803).56 The evangelical word is efficacious as it explains the moral precepts of the Law. The word of the Gospel ―shortens the words of the Law.‖ It is, Aquinas suggests, ―more perfect,‖ ―more profound,‖ ―simpler and briefer‖ as it focuses everything on Christ, and Christ‘s sacrifice, and on the ―law‖ of charity (803). The focus has shifted from the Law of Israel and the People of God to justification through faith in Jesus Christ. The problem is not with the Law per se, for the Law of Moses ―if it is well understood‖ teaches righteousness (809).57 However now, henceforth, justification comes through faith in Jesus Christ (808), the foundation of the Church, a foundation which has become a stumbling block for the Jews (811), due to their ignorance and their unbelief. This is what leads them to persecute Christ and his followers.58 But, as Aquinas teaches, Paul felt compassion for the Jews, his brethren, and prayed to God for their salvation (Rom 10:1 ff).59 He did not see their fall as universal, nor unprofitable or irreparable. In Paul‘s desire for the salvation of the Jews Aquinas sees him as conformed to God ―Who desires all people to be saved‖ (1 Tm 2:4) (814).60 Paul, he tells us, had compassion for them as they sinned not from malice but from ignorance. They have a zeal for God, but zeal alone is 57 Vel sectando legem iustitiae, id est legem Moysi, quae est lex iustitiae si sit bene intellecta: quia docet iustitiam (Cap.9 lect.5). 58 For people of any faith, whether or not they profess faith in Jesus the Christ, it is the constant teaching of the Catholic Church that salvation is achieved through the incarnation of the Son, an event in history, and by the gift of the Spirit. This too was Aquinas‘ belief. Once more the issue of temporality and eternality are of importance. 59 From this we can learn that ―we should pray for unbelievers that they may be saved because faith is a gift from God‖ (814). 60 Et in hoc Deo conformabatur, qui, ut dicitur I Tm II, 4, vult omnes homines salvos fieri (Cap.10 lect.1). A consideration of natural law would be of interest here. While it is beyond the scope of this paper to engage in detailed discussion it is pertinent to note that Aquinas‘ ―notion of natural law, as it turns out, cannot be separated from his account of grace.‖ Fergus Kerr, review of ―Mathew Levering, Christ’s Fulfillment of Torah and Temple. Salvation according to Thomas Aquinas,‖ in The Journal of Theological Studies 55(2004) 733-737:733. insufficient for their ―zeal was not guided by correct knowledge as long as they were ignorant of the truth‖ (816).61 Aquinas next reinforces an important theological position. Despite their zeal for God, the Jews, he wrote, sought to establish their own righteousness based on the Law (819), and in doing this ―they did not submit to God’s righteousness, i.e., they refused to be subject to Christ through faith in whom people are made just by God‖ (818).62 The Jewish people thought they could merit salvation if they obeyed the law, but it is this very belief which is now leading them astray for God‘s righteousness is more perfect than that of the Law (820). There is a distinction between human righteousness and God‘s righteousness, a righteousness based on the Law and one based on faith, faith in Jesus Christ, the faith that leads to eternal life. Aquinas sees Paul, the Apostle, attributing to Christ what Moses ―said of the commandments of the Law; because Christ is the Word of God in which are all God‘s commandments‖ (825).63 God‘s salvific will has not changed, but human understanding has been greatly enriched. Having stated that the Jews have fallen because of their ignorance, Aquinas next addresses the perennial question of how people come to know God, to faith. By hearing, Paul tells us. This hearing can happen in two ways: first immediately from God revealing, which Aquinas terms an internal hearing, and secondly the hearing which comes from preaching. Preaching is a gift of God, and the preacher seeks to help people to live well in this world, and to reach the next. However, here we 61 Quia scilicet eorum zelus per rectam scientiam non ordinatur dum ignorant veritatem (Cap.10 lect.1). 62 Quia neminem ad perfectum adduxit lex, ut dicitur Hebr. VII, 19, sed ordinat homines in Christum quem promittebat, et praefigurabat (Cap.10 lect.1). 63 Nec est inconveniens si quod Moyses dixit de mandato legis, hoc apostolus attribuit Christo: quia Christus est verbum Dei, in quo sunt omnia Dei mandata (Cap.10 lect.1). Studies in Christian-Jewish Relations Volume 5(2010): Ryan 1-14 Ryan, Salvation is from the Jews Ryan 11
http://escholarship.bc.edu/scjr/vol5 move into the realm of mystery. In Aquinas‘ day just as much as in our own, not everyone who hears believes–the Jews heard and only some came to believe in Jesus. For ―the outwardly spoken word of the preacher is not sufficient to cause faith, unless a person‘s heart is attracted inwardly by the power of God speaking…Consequently, if people believe, it should not be attributed to the industry of the preacher‖ (842).64 It is God‘s work, and we are back again to the idea of election and predestination. Two things are required for faith, first the gift of grace which inclines the heart to believe, and the other is the decision about what to believe. So we can say about the Jews that while they sinned from ignorance [813] their sin is not entirely excusable ―because their ignorance was not invincible or rooted in necessity, but somehow voluntary‖ (845).65 They have heard, have they not, he wonders. They heard the teachings of the Apostles in Jesus‘ time, and before that they had the Law and the prophets.66 Hence their lack of understanding seems to be inexcusable, for unlike the Gentiles of yore or the unbelievers of today, the Jews have always had their Law and the prophets. So, the question remains, has God rejected them? Aquinas does not mince words–the fall of the Jews is deplorable, not entirely excusable (813), and yet it is not universal (859) for 64 Hoc autem dicit ideo ut ostendatur quod verbum exterius loquentis non est causa sufficiens fidei, nisi cor hominis attrahatur interius virtute Dei loquentis … Et sic quod homines credunt, non est attribuendum praedicatoris industriae (Cap.10 lect. 2). 65 Eorum talis casus non est excusabilis ex toto, quia eorum ignorantia non fuit invincibilis vel ex necessitate existens, sed quodammodo voluntaria (Cap.10 lect. 3). 66 With regard to those who have not heard, and so are excused from the sin of unbelief, Aquinas follows Church teaching and says they will not obtain God‘s blessing, the removal of original sin, or the removal of any sin they added by leading an evil life ―for these they are deservedly condemned.‖ However, adding his own caveat, he notes that if any of them ―did what was in his power, the Lord would provide for him according to his mercy‖ (849). The goodness and the greatness of God are paramount. ―God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew‖ (863).67 This is not the first time, Aquinas notes, that the Jewish people have turned from the worship of the one God. In the time of Elijah, and indeed in many other situations in the past, the prophets have had to intervene in the relationship between God and God‘s people ―in order that people‘s sins but not people be destroyed‖ (866).68 In his commentary on Romans 11:11-16, Aquinas moves to a central point of his discourse, and makes explicit the implicit principles of predestination. First, he reminds us that the fall of the Jews is not universal (859), and then journeys with Paul to show why the fall of some ―was neither useless nor irreparable‖ (878).69 Much of what is said in this section is a replication of what Aquinas already said in ST I q.23 a.6 ad 3. Everything rests on God‘s goodness. For Aquinas the subject of theology is always God (ST I q.1 a.7), a God that is good, merciful, and just. This God permits evil to happen, in this case the Jews to stumble and fall for the sake of salvation of others: ―The providence of God is operative in the fall of the Jews, the inclusion of the Gentiles, and the ultimate restoration of Israel – all essential components of τό μυστήριον τούτο (Romans 11.25).‖ 70 The fall of the Jews enabled the Gentiles to be saved–the crucifixion of Christ redeemed them through his blood, the apostles, rejected by the Jews, preached to the Gentiles, and even their scattering, the diaspora of the Jewish people, was useful as in this way the books of the Jews, giving testimony to Christian faith, were widely spread. 67 Dicit ergo primo: non solum ego (Paul) non sum repulsus sed Deus non repulit plebem suam, totam, quam praescivit, id est praedestinavit (Cap.11 lect 1). 68 Ut scilicet non homines, sed peccata hominum destruantur (Cap.11 lect. 1). 69 Hic incipit ostendere quod casus eorum non est inutilis neque irreparabilis (Cap.11 lect. 1). 70 Boguslawski, Thomas Aquinas on the Jews, 98. Studies in Christian-Jewish Relations Volume 5(2010): Ryan 1-14 Ryan, Salvation is from the Jews Ryan 12
http://escholarship.bc.edu/scjr/vol5 The fall of the Jews is reparable and will bring great goodness to the world, this is the underlying refrain. God permitted the Jews to do wrong and to be diminished for the benefit of the whole world. Thus, argues Aquinas, how ―much more will God repair their disaster for the benefit of the whole world‖ (884).71 It is this belief that spurns Paul on in his ministry. Paul himself is an Israelite by race and enjoys a place of eminence amongst the Jews, being a member of the tribe of Benjamin (861). His ―very zeal for the conversion of the Jews was the sign he adduced for stating that the fall of the Jews was reparable‖ (889).72 The reparation of this fall will also help to restore to ―their primitive fervor‖ Gentiles who have grown lukewarm (890). From Romans 11:16 on, Paul uses images, metaphors to remind the Gentiles of the pre-eminence of the Jews, and of how the Gentiles have been included within their story. Using Paul‘s writings as foundational, Aquinas goes beyond them to make his teaching. As the apostles who are holy were chosen by God from the Jewish people, so too the people must be holy; similarly as the Patriarchs, the root, are holy, so too must the branches, the Jewish people, be. The sanctity of believing Jews perdures, at least in potential: The Apostle is not speaking here of actual holiness, for he does not mean to say that unbelieving Jews are holy; but of potential holiness. For if their ancestors and descendants are holy, nothing prevents them from being called back to holiness themselves. (893)73 71 Si Deus propter utilitatem totius mundi permisit Iudaeos delinquere et diminui, multo magis implebit ruinas eorum propter totius mundi utilitatem (Cap. 11 lect. 2). 72 Unde ipsum apostoli studium quod adhibebat ad conversionem Iudaeorum, inducit pro signo quod casus Iudaeorum sit reparabilis (Cap. 11 lect. 2). 73 Sed dicendum quod apostolus hic non loquitur de actuali sanctitate; non enim intendit ostendere Iudaeos incredulos esse sanctos sed de sanctitate In this way Jewish sanctity is defended. It is well rooted. And while the Gentiles, a wild olive shoot, have been grafted on to the olive tree, they must not boast against the Jews as they are the supporting root. Aquinas is quite harsh in his words to the Gentiles, reminding them of their humble origins (895), and their promotion to the dignity of the Jews. The Jewish race is the olive tree and has borne rich spiritual fruit. The Gentiles, promoted to a partnership with the patriarchs, apostles, and prophets, are warned not to boast against the Jews, and to remember that ―Judea did not receive salvation from the Gentiles, but just the reverse: ‗Salvation is from the Jews‘‖ (Jn 4:22) (897).74 Gentiles are warned to be careful in their faith. It was God who permitted some branches to be broken off so that Gentiles might be grafted in (900); similarly God might permit the Gentiles to be broken off because of unbelief (902). Despair and presumption are equally to be avoided. Even though we have been speaking of predestination and election, the mysterious nature of these two activities of God is underlined by Thomas‘ advice to persevere in goodness for ―the situation is not immutable but could change in the future‖ (906). 75 The Gentiles could be cut off once again and the Jews restored to their former status. God‘s power can do this (909). Thus while Aquinas grounds his argument historically, he is simultaneously looking forward to the restoration of the Jewish people to the greatness ―which by natural origin pertains to the Jewish nation‖ (911).76 potentiali. Nihil enim prohibet eos reparari in sanctitate, quorum patres et quorum filii sunt sancti (Cap.11 lect. 2). 74 Id est Iudaea non accepit a gentilitate salutem sed potius e converso. Io. IV, 22: salus ex Iudaeis est (Cap. 11 lect. 3). 75 Quia non immobiliter sicut quod potest mutari in futurum (Cap.11 lect. 3). 76 Id est qui naturali origine pertinent ad gentem Iudaeorum (Cap. 11 lect. 3). Studies in Christian-Jewish Relations Volume 5(2010): Ryan 1-14 Ryan, Salvation is from the Jews Ryan 13
http://escholarship.bc.edu/scjr/vol5 The salvation of Israel is declared in Romans 11:26. Israel‘s blindness will end. Thomas reads Paul‘s eschatology thus: the fall of a part has permitted some Gentiles to be saved, more will be saved, and then ―when the full number of the Gentiles has come in, all Israel will be saved‖ (916).77 God is always active, hardening and selecting, always with mercy. ―Salvation is (indeed) from the Jews‖ (918)78 as the savior, God in human flesh, came from the Jewish people. The salvation which Christ brings is also for the Jews. While a few ―are converted with great difficulty‖ and ―a certain violence‖ (919) Aquinas interprets Paul‘s scriptural citation—that the Deliverer will banish ungodliness from Jacob (Is 59:20-21)—to refer to ‗the ease with which the Jews will be converted at the end of the world‘ (919).79 They will be saved by the new covenant, the new testament, brought about by the blood of Christ which has the power to remit sin (920). There will be no need for repentance ―for the gifts and the call of God are without repentance‖ (Rom 11:29). The Jewish people are beloved by God not on account of anything they or their ancestors (or descendants) have done, but on account of election: ―God from all eternity chose the fathers and the sons in such a way that the children would obtain salvation on account of the fathers‖…and this happens…‖through an outpouring of divine grace and mercy‖ (923).80 God does not 77 Et tunc, scilicet cum plenitudo gentium intraverit, omnis Israel salvus fiet (Cap.11 lect. 4). 78 Salus ex Iudaeis est. Io. IV, 22 (Cap.11 lect. 4). 79 Vel utrumque refertur ad liberationem a culpa sed dicit qui eripiat, propter paucos, qui nunc difficulter quasi cum quadam violentia convertuntur. …Dicit autem avertet impietatem a Iacob, ad ostendendum facilitatem conversionis Iudaeorum in fine mundi (Cap.11 lect.4). 80 Quod non est sic intelligendum quasi merita praestita patribus fuerint causa aeternae electionis filiorum sed quia Deus ab aeterno elegit gratis et patres et filios, hoc tamen ordine ut filii propter patres consequerentur salutem, non quasi merita patrum sufficerent ad filiorum salutem, sed per quamdam abundantiam divinae gratiae et misericordiae hoc dicit, quae intantum patribus est revoke his call. Israel will be saved ―because God wills that His mercy find room in all‖ (932).81 The action of God in predestination and election is an act of the manifestation of God‘s goodness and God‘s mercy. God allowed all to fall, all to err, Jew and Gentile alike, so that his mercy could be applied not to people individually but to all races of people. The statement82 applies to the genera of individuals, not to all the individuals of the genera. God wishes all to be saved by His mercy, in order that they be humbled by this fact and ascribe their salvation not to themselves but to God (932).83 Conclusion So what does this have to say to interreligious dialogue in the twenty-first century? While Thomas Aquinas cannot be deemed as having engaged in interreligious dialogue, his willingness to attend with great seriousness to another tradition is instructive. The theological question at the heart of his work remains consistent: What is the nature of this God we believe in? Are our teachings truthful, or as truthful as they can be given our limited intellect, to this God who is at once the God of the Covenant and the Trinitarian God revealed through the advent of Christ into the world? The specific question Aquinas seeks to address is complex, and while he cannot be said to have ―answered‖ the theological conundrum of predestination, he teaches us of the need to take other faiths very seriously, for exhibita, ut propter promissiones eis factas, etiam filii salvarentur (Cap.11 lect.4). 81 Deus voluit, ut sua misericordia in omnibus locum haberet (Cap.11 lect. 4). 82 ―For God has consigned all people to unbelief that God might have mercy on all‖ (Rom 11: 32). 83 Ad omnia genera hominum. Fit enim hic distributio pro generibus singulorum et non pro singulis generum. Ideo autem Deus vult omnes per suam misericordiam salvari, ut ex hoc humilientur et suam salutem non sibi, sed Deo adscribant (Cap.11 lect.4). Studies in Christian-Jewish Relations Volume 5(2010): Ryan 1-14 Ryan, Salvation is from the Jews Ryan 14
http://escholarship.bc.edu/scjr/vol5 the God of Jesus Christ wishes to save all peoples by his mercy, and moreover God wants people to have knowledge of his universal salvific will. (932) This desire to save all peoples is a desire concomitant with God‘s ―decision‖ to create–the Creator God is the God of the Covenant is the God revealed by Jesus Christ. The issue of predestination is essentially an attempt to understand the promise of eternal life with God, and the necessity to safeguard the human freedom to choose. We are not, as McCabe said ―trams, moving in predestinate grooves,‖ 84 but have been created by the communication of God‘s goodness to the world, with the possibility of accepting or rejecting this goodness. This paper explores specifically Aquinas‘ struggle to address the issue of the Jews, the Chosen People, and their relationship with God, following their ―failure‖ to recognize Christ as God. God‘s mercy and God‘s justice are at issue. The God revealed by Jesus Christ is a merciful and just God, merciful and just in what we might term a ‗Godly‘ manner. While Christians may seek to restrict salvation, Aquinas‘ study of God teaches him that ―God‘s salvific will has no other cause than his entirely free and disinterested love. We do not impose on it the intelligible structures of our mind.‖ 85 Aquinas‘ engagement with the issue of the salvation of the Jewish people leads him further into the mystery of God, and leaves him to wonder at this God of free and disinterested love. Today, interreligious dialogue must seek to do no less, as Daniel Madigan suggested in the opening paragraph of this paper."
It's been done already.
Greg
god culture without a God.
