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The biblical commission, the Jews, and scriptures - Pontifical Biblical Commission
Biblical Theology Bulletin, Fall, 2002 by Roland E. Murphy
Abstract
This article contains a summary and critique of the most recent document from the Pontifical Biblical Commission (2001) that was made available in an official English translation in 2002. The book-length study embraces both Testaments. The approach to the Old Testament explores "fundamental themes"--covenant, law, and so forth--well known from past studies in biblical theology, and interpreted here in the light of Christian faith. Attitudes toward the Jews are briefly examined in each book of the New Testament; general and pastoral conclusions are drawn.
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Vatican Council II brought on the reform of the Pontifical Biblical Commission in its personnel and in its position. The personnel now consists of about thirty members, scholars from various countries, who are qualified in biblical studies--in lively contrast to previous members drawn from Vatican bureaucrats, who relied on scholars for their decisions. The PBC is one arm of the CDF, or Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The 1993 document on The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church is a splendid example of the contribution of the PBC. Now in 2001 it has produced a book, THE JEWISH PEOPLE AND THEIR SACRED SCRIPTURES IN THE CHRISTIAN BIBLE (Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2002). The official English translation by Maurice Hogan is based on the French original. Cardinal Ratzinger wrote an introduction to it, dated to the feast of the Ascension, 2001.
The book has a specific stance: the Jews and their Scriptures are portrayed from the point of view of the Christian Bible. The work is divided into four parts. A brief introduction poses the question: "What relations does the Christian Bible establish between Christians and the Jewish people?" ([section] 1). Part 1 ([subsection] 2-18) affirms that the Jewish Scriptures are a "fundamental part of the Christian Bible." It also tackles a host of questions, such as authority, "conformity," canon, and hermeneutics--topics that could occupy several volumes. Part 2 ([subsection] 19-65) is the longest, an exposition of "fundamental themes in the Jewish Scriptures and their reception into faith in Christ." Part 3 ([subsection] 66-83) is entitled "Jews in the New Testament." After a sketch of the diversity existing within post-exilic Judaism, it describes statements about the Jews in each of the New Testament books--in a rather cursory manner. Part 4 ([subsection] 4-87) consists of conclusions, general and pastoral.
Part 2 constitutes the major portion of the book, "fundamental themes." It opens with a dense treatment of "Christian understanding of the relationships between the Old and New Testaments." It appeals to the well-known phenomenon (not a method) of re-reading (relecture) of the biblical text, found in both Testaments, wherein a later generation of believers deepens the understanding of their forebears. There is no enthusiasm for the allegorical approaches of the Fathers. The insistence of Aquinas on the "literal sense" led eventually to the "supremacy of the historical-critical method" ([section] 20). The PBC wisely insists that the prophecies are not "photographic anticipations of future events" ([section] 21), and that faith plays the key role in reading the Old Testament "in the light of Christ" (see 1Cor 3:14 in [section] 19). It describes the eschatological dimension of faith simply and directly. Like Jews, Christians too live in expectation: "The difference is that for us the One who is to come will have traits of the Jesus who has already come, and is already present and active among us" ([section] 21). The PBC appeals to an "internal dynamism" that finds its goal in Jesus. This is described as "a retrospective perception whose point of departure is not in the text as such, but in the events of the New Testament proclaimed by the apostolic preaching" ([section] 21; cf. [section] 86). These are helpful hints for a Christian reading of the Old Testament.
The "fundamental themes" are familiar from past studies of biblical theology, written mainly by Christian scholars. The topics are: revelation of God (God "speaks"), the human person, God as liberator and savior, election of Israel, covenant, law, prayer and cult (Jerusalem and Temple), divine reproaches and condemnations, and finally the promises. They are described on two levels, OT and NT, with some "progression" between the two being noted. It is misleading, however, to call these "shared" (French communs). The ancient Israelite and the Jewish tradition does not agree with the Christian development and meaning of the texts in question, as, for example, those dealing with election, law, and covenant. The overall perspective is that of Christian fulfillment, an interpretation of the themes in the light of Christian belief. This will doubtless be of some benefit to those Christians who are unaware of their Old Testament roots. "Appropriation" of Old Testament text is what occurs, not "sharing," because of the serious interpretive disagreements between the two religious bodies.
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