All in the Family

Christians, Jews, and God

by Michael Forrest and David Palm

At the Second Vatican Council, the Council fathers renewed the Church’s traditional teaching on her divine and universal mission in the context of the modern world. In so doing, they addressed themselves "not only to the sons of the Church. . . but to the whole of humanity"(Gaudium et Spes, no. 2). They were especially interested in the Church’s relationship to non-Christian religions and began to consider more deeply "what men have in common and what draws them to fellowship" (Nostra Aetate, no. 1).

Particularly in regard to the Jewish people, the Council fathers exhorted the faithful to pursue fraternal dialogue and collaboration in order to overcome centuries of mutual ignorance and confrontation.[1] The resultant dialogue and collaboration has led to many positive developments, such as a significantly improved rapport among Catholics and Jews. At the same time, certain difficulties have also developed. One such area of difficulty involves our understanding of the relationship among Christians, Jews, and God.

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