| 19.09.2003
Merkle, John C. ed.. Faith Transformed: Christian Encounters with Jews and Judaism
jcrelations.net
John C. Merkle, ed., Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 2003 216 pp., $23.95, paper.
Essays by eleven Christian scholars who have been at the forefront of Christian-Jewish relations in the United States, sharing how their encounters with Jews and Judaism have transformed their understanding and practice of Christian faith.
Faith Transformed sets forth a series of inspiring stories that trace the development of the rapprochement between Jews and Christians since the end of the Shoah. The essays by these Catholic and Protestant theologians reveal how it is possible to engage in the time-honored quest for 'faith seeking understanding' with intellectual rigor and a profound commitment to the service of the Church. Jews and Christians who read these essays will find the patience and fortitude to forge ahead with the new relationship between their communities. They will discover narratives of faith strengthened and renewed rather than weakened or diluted.
Michael A. Signer
Abrams Professor of Jewish Thought and Culture, University of Notre Dame
Contents
Introduction by John C. Merkle
Walter Harrelson, “What I Have Learned About Christian Faith from Jews and Judaism”
Alice L. Eckardt, “Growing Into a Daring and Questioning Faith”
Eva Fleischner, “Encountering Anew the Living God – in a Living People”
Franklin Sherman, “Steps Along the Way”
Norman A. Beck, “Replacing Barriers with Bridges”
Clark M. Williamson, “Blessed Chutzpah, Blessed Questions, Blessed Chaverim”
John T. Pawlikowski, O.S.M., “Drawing from Jewish Wellsprings”
Eugene J. Fisher, “Enriching Christian Life Through Encounter with Judaism”
Michael McGarry, C.S.P., “The Path to a Journey”
Mary C. Boys, S.N.J.M., “The Road Is Made By Walking”
John C. Merkle, “Faith Transformed by Study and Friendship”
Appendix: “A Sacred Obligation: Rethinking Christian Faith in Relation to Judaism and the Jewish People” (Christian Scholars Group on Christian-Jewish Relations, 2002)
Afterword by Irvin J. Borowsky
John C. Merkle is professor of theology at the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph, Minnesota, and Saint John’s University, Collegeville, MN. He is associate director of the Jay Phillips Center for Jewish-Christian Learning at Saint John’s University and the University of Saint Thomas, St. Paul, MN.