Dabru Emet

Dabru Emet ( Hebrew דברו אמת 'Talking Truth' , according to Zech. 8.16 EU ) is a document that deals with Christianity from a Jewish perspective and thus takes a position on the interreligious dialogue . It was written by US Jews and signed by over 220 rabbis and Jewish intellectuals belonging to various currents of modern Judaism, but is not intended to be an official declaration of any Jewish organization or movement. Dabru Emet was first in on September 10, 2000 New York Times and the Baltimore Sun published.

In the document, despite theological differences, a common belief system of Jews and Christians is worked out. In eight points, it also deals with the history of the two religions, the common values, Christian and National Socialist anti-Judaism and Israel's right to exist . The background is the u. a. Interreligious dialogue got off the ground more strongly through the Second Vatican Council (Declaration Nostra Aetate ) .

The theses

Dabru Emet acknowledges how Christians appreciate Judaism in a more reflective way and no longer devalue it as a mere "precursor religion" and would like to respond to this. The eight theses are (quotations based on the translation by Christoph Münz):

“Jews and Christians worship the same God.” This is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Creator of the universe.
"Jews and Christians rely on the authority of one and the same book", namely the Tanach or the Old Testament , although they interpret this scripture differently in some points.
“Christians can respect the claim of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel.” The State of Israel is recognized by Christians in the meaning it has for many Jews; the Jews commit themselves in Israel to justice to all non-Jews there.
“Jews and Christians recognize the moral principles of the Torah.” This includes in particular the inviolable human dignity that man is bestowed in the image of God; Both religions can jointly testify to this holiness of man in the world.
“Nazism was not a Christian phenomenon.” In the long history of Christian anti-Judaism, one - but not the only - source for National Socialism is seen; nevertheless Christian Nazi opponents are honored. Given the efforts in Christian theology to clearly reject contempt for Judaism, Jews today do not accuse Christians for the mistakes of their ancestors.
"The humanly insurmountable difference between Jews and Christians will not be eliminated until God will redeem the entire world, as scripture prophesies." Both religions see themselves as being true to their revelation and tradition and respect the other.
“A new relationship between Jews and Christians will not weaken Jewish practice.” Rather, the dialogue also deepens one's own Jewish roots, it does not accelerate the rightly feared assimilation of Jews into their environment.
"Jews and Christians must work together for justice and peace."

Jewish reactions

One of the rabbis who received Dabru Emet positively was David Rosen , representative of modern Orthodoxy and president of the International Council of Christians and Jews (ICCJ) . Also the Orthodox-rabbinical document To Do the Will of Our Father in Heaven. Toward a Partnership between Jews and Christians points in a similar direction.

The document was radically rejected by Jon D. Levenson , who sees it as a "danger to Jewish practice and identity" and does not seek interreligious dialogue. Other representatives of ultra-Orthodox Judaism also criticized, such as Jacob Neusner and Hillel Goldberg.

Christian reactions

The Lutheran European Commission for Church and Judaism (LEKKJ), in which 25 Lutheran churches in Europe are represented, paid tribute to Dabru Emet in a statement from 2003 against the background of the Protestant reappraisal of anti-Judaism. The Catholic Church also recognized the document as a milestone.

author

According to the New York Times , the text was published by (National Jewish Scholars Project):

Tikva Frymer-Kensky , The Divinity School, University of Chicago , Chicago
Peter W. Ochs , University of Virginia , Charlottesville
David Novak , University of Toronto , Toronto
Michael A. Signer , University of Notre Dame , South Bend

literature

Rainer Kampling , Michael Weinrich (eds.): Dabru emet - speaks truth. A Jewish challenge to dialogue with Christians. Chr. Kaiser, Gütersloher Verlags-Haus, Gütersloh 2003, ISBN 3-579-05196-2 .
Hanspeter Heinz : How Jews see Christianity today. In: Freiburg circular . 10, issue 1, 2003, pp. 2-15 ( freiburger-rundbrief.de ).
Erwin Discherl, Werner Trutwin (Hrsg.): Talking truth - Dabru Emet. Jewish-Christian conversation about God, Messiah and Decalogue (= Forum Christians and Jews. Volume 4). Lit, Münster 2004, ISBN 3-8258-7949-6 .

Web links

Individual evidence

^ German translation: National Jewish Scholars Project. DABRU EMET *. A Jewish Opinion on Christians and Christianity. In: jcrelations.net. July 15, 2002, accessed on August 10, 2018 (* Redet Truth. Translated from English by Christoph Münz); also Frankfurter Rundschau . December 12, 2000.
^ Orthodox Rabbinic Statement on Christianity - To Do the Will of Our Father in Heaven - Toward a Partnership between Jews and Christians. Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding and Cooperation, December 3, 2015.
^ Jon D. Levenson: How Not to Conduct Jewish-Christian Dialogue. In: Commentary. December 2001, pp. 31-37. German translation by Rudolf Weckerling : How the Jewish-Christian dialogue should not be conducted. In: Encounters. Journal for Church and Judaism. Edited by the Evangelical Lutheran Central Association for the Encounter between Christians and Jews . Issue 3, 2002, ISSN 1612-4340 ( jcrelations.net , accessed August 10, 2018).
↑ Hannah Holtschneider: Dabru Emet and Jewish interpretations of Christianity . In: Coordinating Committee for Christian-Jewish Cooperation (Ed.): Dialog. Christian-Jewish information = you-śiaḥ . (Dialog-DuSiach). tape 62 , January 2006, ISSN 1816-6431 , p. 18–41 ( christenundjuden.org ; Memento in the Internet Archive of October 10, 2015 [accessed on August 10, 2018] Lecture at a colloquium on Dabru Emet at the Center for Jewish Cultural History at the University of Salzburg [undated; 2003 or later]; with bibliography for reception until 2004, mainly until 2002).
↑ Lutheran European Commission Church and Judaism (LEKKJ): An answer to dabru emet. Graz / Austria, May 12, 2003 (jcrelations.net, June 1, 2003, accessed on August 10, 2018) ( Memento from April 11, 2010 in the Internet Archive ).
↑ Joint contribution of the Evangelical Church of Germany (EKD) , the Union of Evangelical Churches in the EKD (UEK) and the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany (VELKD) , Joint Committee "Church and Judaism": "A Jewish Statement on Christians and Christianity" of the National Jewish Scholars Project (USA) ( Memento from February 15, 2017 in the Internet Archive ). Discussion contribution to the series of theses: "Dabru emet (speaks truth)". In: ekd.de. 2005, accessed August 10, 2018.
^ Scan from the New York Times. In: icjs.org. Institute for Islamic • Christian • Jewish Studies, Baltimore, MD, accessed on August 10, 2018 ( PDF; 148 kB ).

[1] German translation: National Jewish Scholars Project. DABRU EMET *. A Jewish Opinion on Christians and Christianity. In: jcrelations.net. July 15, 2002, accessed on August 10, 2018 (* Redet Truth. Translated from English by Christoph Münz); also Frankfurter Rundschau . December 12, 2000.

[2] Orthodox Rabbinic Statement on Christianity - To Do the Will of Our Father in Heaven - Toward a Partnership between Jews and Christians. Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding and Cooperation, December 3, 2015.

[3] Jon D. Levenson: How Not to Conduct Jewish-Christian Dialogue. In: Commentary. December 2001, pp. 31-37. German translation by Rudolf Weckerling : How the Jewish-Christian dialogue should not be conducted. In: Encounters. Journal for Church and Judaism. Edited by the Evangelical Lutheran Central Association for the Encounter between Christians and Jews . Issue 3, 2002, ISSN 1612-4340 ( jcrelations.net , accessed August 10, 2018).

[4] Hannah Holtschneider: Dabru Emet and Jewish interpretations of Christianity . In: Coordinating Committee for Christian-Jewish Cooperation (Ed.): Dialog. Christian-Jewish information = you-śiaḥ . (Dialog-DuSiach). tape 62 , January 2006, ISSN 1816-6431 , p. 18–41 ( christenundjuden.org ; Memento in the Internet Archive of October 10, 2015 [accessed on August 10, 2018] Lecture at a colloquium on Dabru Emet at the Center for Jewish Cultural History at the University of Salzburg [undated; 2003 or later]; with bibliography for reception until 2004, mainly until 2002).

[5] Lutheran European Commission Church and Judaism (LEKKJ): An answer to dabru emet. Graz / Austria, May 12, 2003 (jcrelations.net, June 1, 2003, accessed on August 10, 2018) ( Memento from April 11, 2010 in the Internet Archive ).

[6] Joint contribution of the Evangelical Church of Germany (EKD) , the Union of Evangelical Churches in the EKD (UEK) and the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany (VELKD) , Joint Committee "Church and Judaism": "A Jewish Statement on Christians and Christianity" of the National Jewish Scholars Project (USA) ( Memento from February 15, 2017 in the Internet Archive ). Discussion contribution to the series of theses: "Dabru emet (speaks truth)". In: ekd.de. 2005, accessed August 10, 2018.

[7] Scan from the New York Times. In: icjs.org. Institute for Islamic • Christian • Jewish Studies, Baltimore, MD, accessed on August 10, 2018 ( PDF; 148 kB ).