7. Israel and the Church – The Two Explorers of the Promised Land: Toward a Christian Theology of Judaism
7. Israel and the Church – The Two Explorers of the Promised Land: Toward a Christian Theology of Judaism
A passage from the Book of Numbers, where two explorers come back from the land of Canaan, bringing with them a pole from which hangs a cluster of grapes, in addition to the fruit of the pomegranate and the fig-tree, helps us throw some light on some important questions such as: What relationship does Christian faith see between Israel and the Catholic Church? What is the reason for the significance and the continued relevance of Israel for the Church? This chapter examines three elements of continuity together with discontinuity between Israel and the Christian Church: the eschatological character of divine revelation in the First Testament and in the New Testament; the community-oriented notion of salvation, determined by the founding principle of the covenant between the eternal God and His people; and the messianic significance of the two peoples, of the one who waits as well as of the one who contemplates the fulfillment of the promises.
Keywords: Israel, Catholic Church, divine revelation, salvation, two peoples, New Testament, First Testament, God, covenant
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