About
Christian and Jewish Documents
The Jewish-Christian dialogue has changed the relationship between the Church and Judaism, as well as the perception of Christianity on the Jewish side. The project Documents on Churches and Judaism is part of this process and documents church and Jewish statements on the relationship between the Church and Israel, between Christianity and Judaism, from 1945 to the present day. These texts are now also available online and have been edited by a Christian-Jewish editorial team for your research.
Two comprehensive print documentations already attest to the efforts to establish a new culture of relations between Christianity and Judaism:
Rolf Rendtorff / Hans Hermann Henrix (Hg.), Die Kirchen und das Judentum. Band I: Dokumente von 1945 bis 1985, Paderborn / Gütersloh 2001.
Hans Hermann Henrix / Wolfgang Kraus (Hg.), Die Kirchen und das Judentum. Band II: Dokumente von 1986 bis 2000, Paderborn / Gütersloh 2001.
These volumes have proven to be an important source for academic research on issues relating to the relationship between the churches and the Jewish people and Judaism, but also for providing reassurance in matters of schooling, education, and pastoral care. They remain indispensable as a fundamental work and are consulted on an ongoing basis. All of these documents can be found on the website.
The access to the documents since 2000 offered here is continuously updated and expanded. It is very gratifying that Jewish participation in this source work now allows for the presentation of even more in-depth and numerous Jewish texts.
Background
With the Second Vatican Council and its declaration on the relationship of the Church to non-Christian religions, Nostra aetate, of October 28, 1965, the Catholic Church and theology became aware that clarifying the Church's relationship to the Jewish people and Judaism was one of the Church's most important challenges.
For the Protestant Church, too, Nostra Aetate was an inspiration and impetus for its own clarification of the theological relationship between the Church and Israel. The Selisberg Theses played just as fundamental a role in this as the founding of the Working Group of Christians and Jews at the German Protestant Church Congress in Berlin in 1961. The search for a new theological relationship with Israel, based on the premise of the continuing election and rejection of Jewish mission, has shaped the debate ever since. This work has been significantly influenced by Christian-Jewish dialogue. Learning from each other about God, the God of Israel and Father of Jesus Christ, opened up spaces for dialogue that were based on the conviction that only through cooperation and exchange is it possible to live a life that is pleasing to God and benevolent toward humanity.
Even though the past decades could not rule out moments of irritation and confrontation, the Jewish statement on Christians and Christianity entitled Dabru Emet – Speak Truth of September 10, 2000, gives good reasons for its expression of confidence in Jewish-Christian relations: "In recent years, there has been a dramatic and unprecedented shift in Jewish and Christian relations... An increasing number of official Church bodies, both Rhoman Catholic and Protestant, have made public statements of their remorse about Christian mistreatment of Jews and Judaism. These statements have declaired, furthermore, that Christian teaching and preaching can and must be reformed so that they acknowledge God's enduring covenant with the Jewish people and celebrate the contribuation of Judaism to world civilization and to Christian faith itself."
Selection criteria
The project to provide the most reliable possible access to the documents from 1945–2025 in digital form online follows the same selection criteria as in the aforementioned document volumes. Official and semi-official statements by church bodies and church leaders are made available. A focus is placed on thematic and content-related aspects, insofar as preference is given to documents that make theological statements on the relationship between the churches and Judaism. It is a justified exception when a statement on anti-Semitism, the situation in the Middle East, and other political and social problems is made available in which theological reflection remains in the background or is not explicitly stated at all. The collection of documents made available here is therefore only relatively complete. Nevertheless, it is intended to provide a meaningful insight into the continuation of positions on Christian-Jewish relations and beyond. However, this service is not intended to provide a forum for positions that are pointedly hostile to dialogue.
Attachment of the documentation
The requirement for an online database to be searchable led to the texts being reorganized. Since the working group wanted to provide users with a clear overview of where to find which texts, it was necessary to revise the structure of the printed volumes. In addition to a clear structure, it was particularly important to name the denominational groups appropriately.
On the Jewish side, therefore, the classification into J.N non-Orthodox and J.O orthodox pronouncements was made. Add to that J.D with interdenominational documents.
On the Protestant side, it seemed important to no longer simply divide the pronouncements into ecumenical, German, and non-German, but to take into account the denominational differences and similarities. E.I continues to cover interdenominational texts. E.II then covers the texts of the established Protestant, Reformed, and United Churches as well as the pre-Reformation churches. E.III brings together statements from Protestant free churches, charismatic groups, and the Pentecostal movement. The texts of the Anglican Church and the Old Catholic Church can be found under E.IV. Orthodoxy now has its own category, O., which is further subdivided into O.I Eastern Orthodoxy and O.II Oriental Orthodoxy.
There has also been a restructuring on the Catholic side. Vatican, German, and non-German texts are no longer separated; instead, the Catholic world is divided into K.I with Vatican statements and K.II, which comprises the international and national statements of bishops, synods, and dioceses. K.II is therefore further subdivided into K.II.DE Germany; K.II.EU Europe; K.II. AM North and South America, and K.II.WK Other continents. This means that the Catholic world is represented in its entirety and perceived more appropriately in terms of its global significance.
After the working group had sorted all the new categories alphabetically, we looked with joy at a successful structure that puts Christian-Jewish texts at the forefront, followed by E, J, K, and O. OE concludes with Catholic and Protestant jointly authored, i.e., ecumenical statements. The work on the documents since 1945 therefore not only reflects the movements that have taken place within the Church and within Judaism, but is itself a reflection of this change and also its result.
Note: Despite careful searching and due to the constantly growing collection of texts, it is possible that certain categories have not yet been filled with text at the time of your search. Please check back at a later date or let us know if there are any texts you cannot find in our collection.
Construction
The structure of the individual sections and documents follows the proven structure of the two print publications Die Kirchen und das Judentum (The Churches and Judaism). Each document is presented in a four-part format:
- Reference number/Signature, chapter, and date of publication
- Author(s)
- Title
- Abstract, brief description of content and, if applicable, relationship to other documents
- Keywords, editorially determined keywords that provide additional information about the content of the document
- Text of the document
- Source, for Internet sources with the date of last access
Working group
The online documentation is constantly updated and expanded by an oecumenical and interreligious working group.
Prof. em. Dr. Hans Hermann Henrix
Prof. Dr. Reinhold Boschki – University of Tübingen
Rabbi Dr. Jehoschua Ahrens – University of Salzburg
Dr. Valesca Baert-Knoll – University of Tübingen
Moritz Sacherer – University of Tübingen
Rev. Dr. Jennifer Ebert – Theologische Hochschule Augustana, now managing director of the ACK in Bavaria
Dr. Axel Töllner – Theologische Hochschule Augustana
Funding
We would like to thank the Deutsche Bischofskonferenz (DBK) and the Evangelischen Kirche Deutschland (EKD) for their generous funding as well as the University Library of Tübingen for providing the website.
Published in cooperation with the Index Theologicus
Hosted by the University Library Tübingen
