Roland Murphy, The Pontifical Biblical Commission, Jews, and the Bible - Book Review

As for "imperfect divorce laws," the phrasing is unfortunate, and the lack of discussion does not aid the problem. We might argue on the basis of the anti-divorce statements attributed to Jesus (e.g., Mk 10:2-12) that "divorce" is itself imperfect. This is not the same thing as to say that Old Testament (or Jewish) laws concerning divorce are "imperfect" (compounding the problem is the silence on what the laws are). One could make the counter case that the Roman Church's "laws on divorce" are also imperfect, but that would be similarly mean and unhelpful.

The PBC leaves its readers with an image of an Old Testament and a Judaism with "restrictive" and "imperfect" and "cultic" (the term codes negatively) concerns that are "of great importance." It offers no indication of how these Old Testament concerns are interpreted by the Jewish community from the Second Temple to today or of any comparable Catholic concerns. The "discontinuity" has become supersessionism.

Unfortunate Comparisons

From a discussion of how a comparison between Old and New Testament motifs can yield new readings for the New Testament, we turn to the PBC's actual use of comparison. Again, Murphy perfectly indicates the problems. Not only does the PBC fail explicitly to denounce supersessionism (2002: 148), but its tendency to juxtapose an "improved" New Testament against a flawed Old Testament is both unhelpful and even on occasion petty. For the PBC, the New Testament reproaches addressed to Jews are seen as not as frequent or as virulent as the accusations against Jews in Torah and Nevi'im (2002: 147-48). "The comparison," says Murphy dryly, "is not convincing" (2002: 148). His point can be developed.

We are told that there are more reproaches of "the Jews" in the Old Testament than that the New offers to members of its communities. This is statistically true. Then again, the Old Testament is substantially longer than the New, and the Old Testament reproaches are also addressed to any community--including the Church--that holds it canonical. We might also note that the definition of "reproach" will vary depending on the genre: a prophetic text is not the same thing as an epistle.

The PBC also dwells on Israel's disobedience. We read: "the Old Testament frequently gives an answer that expresses the disappointment of Israel's God, a response full of reproaches and even condemnations." We are told that Israel's disobedience began "from the day their ancestors came out of Egypt" and that it has continued "even to this day." Concerning the Deuteronomic History (Joshua, Judges, 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings), the PBC finds

   an unqualified negative judgement on the history of Israel
   and Judah between the time of Joshua and the Babylonian
   Exile. The people and their kings, with few exceptions, have
   generally succumbed to the temptation of foreign gods in
   the religious sphere and to social injustice and every kind of
   disorder forbidden in the Decalogue. That is why this history
   ended finally on a negative note, the visible consequences
   of which were the loss of the promised land with the
   destruction of the two kingdoms and Jerusalem, including
   the Temple, in 587.