Healing the Schism: Barth, Rosenzweig, and the New Jewish-Christian Encounter

Jennifer M. Rosner

Jan 2016 · Fortress Press

About this ebook

Two paradigm shifts hallmark Jewish-Christian relations in the twentieth century: the collapse of “Christendom” and the Holocaust. From within these shifts, reassessment of the Jewish-Christian relationship emerged. Over the second half of the twentieth century, a new theological account of that relationship has been constructed—one of recognition and reconciling encounter. That work is built largely on the legacy of two pioneering theologians: Karl Barth and Franz Rosenzweig. Healing the Schism attempts to map out the new Jewish-Christian encounter from its nascent origins in the work of these thinkers to its current state at the beginning of the twenty-first century. The goal in this study is threefold: first, to trace key influences in the theological genesis of this developing strand of Jewish-Christian dialogue; second, to outline dominant features of its present incarnation; and finally, to identify potential future directions for this trajectory. Ultimately, the key insight lies in the way these theologians redefine the relationship between Judaism and Christianity while maintaining a commitment to their own respective communities and theological convictions. This volume, thus, offers a constructive vision of Jewish-Christian encounter that affirms the irrevocable election of Israel and the universal, ecclesially mediated saving mission of Christ.

About the author

Jennifer M. Rosner is affiliate assistant professor of systematic theology at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. She earned a PhD in theology at Fuller Theological Seminary, is a graduate of Yale Divinity School, and edited Israel’s Messiah and the People of God (2011). This volume is based on her dissertation completed at Fuller Theological Seminary under the codirection of Howard Loewen and Mark Kinzer. She lives in Jerusalem, Israel.