Has God Only One Blessing?: Judaism as a Source of Christian Self-Understanding (Contraversions Jews and Other Differences) [Paperback]

Mary C. Boys (Author)

Book Description

Series: Contraversions Jews and Other Differences | Publication Date: May 2000

Are we rivals for God's love? The Church has changed its thinking about Judaism, yet these changes are not yet known by most Christians. This compelling book, by respected religious-education theorist Mary Boys, makes the academic scholarship highly accessible. Her foremost challenge is for Christians to reexamine their two-fold tradition that Christianity has fulfilled the covenant and therefore replaced Judaism, and that the Jews, in rejecting Jesus, are now rejected by God.

The book summarizes the Church's shared history with Judaism ... details the anti-Jewish bias in history, literature, and liturgy and how this bias exists today ... and examines how Church treatment of Jews played a role in the Shoah. The issues are presented without being reduced to simplistic hate. The author also includes practical pastoral points, not only suggesting sensitive ways for Christians to relate to Jews, but also revealing how encounters with Judaism affect the way Christians think, teach, and preach about life.

This book is important for pastors, preachers, DREs, religious educators, and members of liturgy and evangelization teams. It's also absorbing reading for adult classes, anyone interested in church history, all serious Christians, and Jews who want to situate the legacy of anti-Judaism while seeing substantial changes in thought.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Desiring to improve Jewish-Christian relations, Boys (practical theology, Union Theological Seminary, New York) provides both an ideological foundation for dialog and suggestions for church practice, emphasizing the Catholic experience. Notably, she offers a schematic description of how Christianity became distinct from Judaism and makes suggestions for Catholic liturgy about bridging the gap by changing how certain scriptures are read during the church calendar. Uniquely offering scholarship on many complex questions in one source, Boys also provides a valuable collocation of church policies. Books like Philip A. Cunningham's Education for Shalom (Liturgical Pr., 1995) or Helen P. Fry's Christian-Jewish Dialogue (Exeter Univ., 1996) focus on practical or theoretical discussion, respectively. Boys successfully marries the two, digging deep to propose applications of theological ideas. Though she builds her points well, she struggles with the broad spectrum of scholarly views or ideological backgrounds needed to explain them. Scholars will likely agree with her ideas while sensing that that they don't require the comprehensive scholarly underpinnings she attempts to supply. With lengthy endnotes and a bibliography, this is explicitly addressed to religious educators and theological students. Recommended for academic libraries with specialized theological collections.
-Marianne Orme, West Lafayette, IN
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

An excellent addition to contemporary scholarship on a range of issues relating to contemporary Jewish-Christian relations. -- Reviews in Religion and Theology

An excellent textbook or introduction to the subject for teachers and clergy. -- Margaret Shepherd

An exceptional book. -- The Catholic Journalist

Deserves great praise. -- Theoforum

I recommend this book to all those interested in furthering Jewish-Christian understanding. -- Journal of Theological Studies

Important undertaking. -- Commonweal

This book is a good primer on the topic for those seeking to do interfaith work. -- WATERwheel

This book is an excellent addition to contemporary scholarship on a range of issues relating to contemporary Jewish-Christian relations. -- Reviews in Religion and Theology

This is a thought-provoking and informative book. -- The Bible Today

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Paulist Press (May 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0809139316
• ISBN-13: 978-0809139316
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #282,252 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Christianity--Better Understood in the Light of Judaism, July 31, 2000

By 

Abelard Spring - See all my reviews

This review is from: Has God Only One Blessing?: Judaism as a Source of Christian Self-Understanding (Contraversions Jews and Other Differences) (Paperback)

In our contemporary era, it is not usually considered acceptable to explicitly embrace bigotry and religious intolerance. Yet, as Christians we often do it in implicit ways which have shaped us since childhood. In this powerful book, Mary Boys offers a review of the history whereby Jews and Christians moved from being siblings, to being rivals and finally, enemies. This is a situation that can be reversed as Christians learn more about Judaism and, in turn, understand their own religion with more depth.

Mary does not profess to be an expert of Judaica. But here grasp of catholic theology and history is superb. Carefully and objectively she lays out her case for why Christians should refuse the supersessionism which infects our tradition. As she explains, Christianity should be able to express the power which is inherent in its tradition without denegrating the faith of the Jewish people. It is not necessary to insist that Christians are the new People of God in a way which proposes that the Jews are no longer God's people. As the title suggests, Mary demonstrates that God has blessings enough for both.

As a doctoral student in a summer session at Boston College, I have had the privilege of studying with Mary Boys. Hers is a powerful and persuasive argument that seeks to recapture something authentic and true about the foundations of Christianity. It is too easy to misread the gospel accounts as if Jesus and the Jews were arrayed against one another. In reality, Jesus of Nazareth was a Jew himself and this fact is far too often forgotten by Christians.

Typical of other Pharisaic rabbis of his day, Jesus had a particular approach to Jewish Law and customs and he had his own group of disciples who referred to themselves as "followers of the Way." In this simple rabbi these disciples encountered the power of God, placing Christians in a position which should be one of gratitude toward the Jews, not condescension and condemnation.

As Christians, are we able to develop a new paradigm which is faithful to our tradition without demonization of the Jews? I believe we can. I believe we must, and Mary Boys points a way in which we can better understand ourselves in the process.

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Has God Only One Blessing", An Achievement., May 17, 2000

By 

Robert W. Bullock (Sharon, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Has God Only One Blessing?: Judaism as a Source of Christian Self-Understanding (Contraversions Jews and Other Differences) (Paperback)

With "Has God Only One Blessing" Mary Boys has made a major contribution to Jewish Christian relations. It is a singular contribution and advances the conversation to what is for Christians the most challenging area, which is the way we worship.

Jews and Christians have made enormous progress in mutal respect and understanding over the last forty years. Religious text books have been reviewed for negative stereotypes. We are quick to rally support for victims of discrimination and hate crimes. Our leaderships have made thoughtful policy statements. There are high levels of cooperation in efforts for justice and peace. Scores of colleges and universities have centers for interreligious study and research.

How Jews and Judaism are presented in our worship is quite another matter. Our words and our structures are riven with supersessionism, the assumption that Christianity fulfills and replaces Judaism.

It is this enormous diffuculty Mary Boys analyses with the a clear vision and practical directives. Her work is most welcome and merits great attention.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thinking Christians Will Change When They Read This, September 4, 2003

By 

G. Sudmeier (Foster City, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Has God Only One Blessing?: Judaism as a Source of Christian Self-Understanding (Contraversions Jews and Other Differences) (Paperback)

Mary C. Boys' book is desperately needed, especially in a culture where Mel Gibson's movie about the Passion is the only source many people will go to for their history (or lack of). After reading this book, if you are a thinking person, your spiritual foundations will grow and your previously mistaken understandings about Jews and Judaism (not to mention God's "irrevocable" gifts and call to Israel - Rom 11:25-36) will change for the better.

It is time to let theologians like Mary C. Boys pave a new path for the ongoing Christian culture and its relation to "the root that supports" it. Buy this book for your Pastor!