The
Bible and Anti-Semitism,
part 2
The
Bible and Anti-Semitism,
part 2
The Third Collect for Good Friday
Book of Common Prayer page 174O Merciful God, who hast made all men, and hatest nothing that thou hast made, nor wouldest the death of a sinner, but rather that he should be converted and live: Have mercy upon the Jews, thine ancient people, and upon all who reject and deny thy Son; take from them all ignorance, hardness of heart, and contempt of the word; and so fetch them home, blessed Lord, to thy fold, that they may be made one flock under one shepherd, Jesus Christ our Lord; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.
page 174
The Solemn Intercession for Good Friday
, part 4Merciful God,
creator of the peoples of the earth and lover of souls,
have compassion on all who do not know you
as you are revealed in your Son Jesus Christ.
Let your gospel be preached with grace and power
to those who have not heard it,
turn the hearts of those who resist it,
and bring home to your fold those who have gone astray;
that there may be one flock under one shepherd,
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Book of Alternative Services page 312
Comparing these two prayers,
how is
the Gospel presented?
What is the role of the scriptures? What is the focus of the prayer?
All of this is deeply rooted in the subconscious identity of the Christian inheritance, where, on the basis of reading and hearing the Bible, and of being faithful to the Church whose book it is, to be a Christian would appear to require that one be anti-Jewish, and it confirms at the heart of the Christian faith what Krister Stendahl, sometime bishop of the Church of Sweden, calls "the most persistent heresy of Christian theology and practice." Page 111 f.
What will it take to unmask this
demon and set us all free?
Reflect and comment
Good Book | Series 2 | Shoah - The Holocaust | Judaica