Pope Benedict’s Response to Rabbi Neusner

For Immediate Release

March 15, Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Husband of the Blessed Virgin, 2008

Theological dialogue with Judaism has been one of Joseph Ratzinger’s priorities for many years. As Pope, he worked through his vacation to finish his response to Rabbi Jacob Neusner’s 1993 book, A Rabbi Talks with Jesus. George Weigel wrote, in God’s Choice, his 2005 book on Ratzinger’s election to the Papacy, “Pope John Paul II wanted to reconvene this dialog [with Judaism] that was broken off in 70 AD.” Pope Benedict has “reconvened this dialog” with his new book, Jesus of Nazareth.
In 2007, Remnant of Israel and the Dallas Chapter of Catholics United for the Faith, launched a continuing seminar on First Century Judaism at Catholic colleges and universities, and online. These ongoing seminars were inspired by the following thesis:

Theological dialogue with Judaism is urgent today because Jesus and His Apostles, Apostolic Tradition and Sacred Scripture – the entire Deposit of Faith, are Jewish. Jesus and the Apostles came to perfect and to preach Judaism, not to replace it; they did not start a new religion, but remained faithful to Judaism.
The current, ongoing dialogue between the American Rabbi and the German Pope focuses on Matthew’s account of the events involving Jesus of Nazareth that shook the foundations of Judaism in the First Century AD. The subject of the 2008–2009 First Century Judaism Seminars will be Matthew’s account of Jesus.

Now, we are also launching a series of extraordinary 20th Century Judaism Seminars. The first of these, April 5 2008, at the University of Dallas in Irving, Texas (droginmark@yahoo.com for details), features Dr. Robert Moynihan, Editor of Inside the Vatican magazine, and Dr. Nathan Schmiedicke, Editor of the First Century Judaism Seminar and Scripture Professor at St. Charles Borromeo Archdiocesan Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

This April 5 seminar on 20th Century Judaism will examine the issues leading to the dialogue between Rabbi Neusner and Pope Benedict; and this will prepare for a much deeper study of Matthew’s Gospel in the subsequent First Century Judaism Seminars.

20th Century Judaism Seminar
Saturday April 5, 2008, 10 am to 1 pm; University of Dallas, Art History Building
Admission is free. Space is limited.

Sponsors:
Remnant of Israel and St. Stephen the Martyr Chapter, Catholics United for the Faith

Please distribution this to all who may be interested.
Thank you,
Mark Drogin

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