Jews and Christians Together. A. Christian van Gorder

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СКАЧАТЬ of Gehenna,” but these descriptions are probably borrowed from Christian sources. It is likely that such notions parallel dualistic ideas about a force of evil as described by Persian Zoroastrianism which were encountered during the Jewish diaspora in Persia. Early Jewish writers were slow to ascribe power to any other supernatural being beside God Almighty; this may explain why some Jewish theologians through the ages have seen notions of a devil and physical demons as instances of a false, dualistic view of divine power.

      Living in a Broken World

      John T. Pawlikowski claims that one of the “greatest moral challenges of our time comes in the area of ecology” as we become increasingly aware that “the continued destruction of our biosphere may reach the point where any possibility of healing the world has effectively vanished.”55 The pressing environmental crisis that faces our world in these times is an area where sincere and concerned people of all faiths can unite. Both Jewish and Christian faiths provide adherents with ample moral and theological resources to respond thoughtfully and constructively to our world’s increasing environmental challenges. Liturgical traditions that affirm our responsibility to care for the earth, for example, should join with creative expressions of worship and education to underscore God’s call for environmental stewardship.

      In Judaism, Genesis describes the creation and foundations of the natural world as inherently good. One can see in this affirming claim the heart of Jewish ideas about the promotion of environmental justice. Adam and Eve were called to carefully guard and preserve the Garden of Eden through their work and were not given a license to plunder it carelessly for their own selfish benefit. An individual cannot fulfill God’s charge to preserve the earth’s resources while at the same time relentlessly disregarding, abusing, exploiting, or destroying those resources. The scriptures, for example, command that farmers should leave their properties fallow every seventh year and that they should not immediately eat the fruit of certain trees but rather wait several years (Exod 23:11). The Bible also contains many verses that speak of protection for animals (e.g., Deut 25:4; 5:14; Exod 20:10).

      The lesson of the Tower of Babel is that trouble ensues when humans go beyond their role in the natural order of things. Creative and innovative abilities, gifts of God to humanity, should not become tools for callous exploitation or self-aggrandizement. The most glaring example of this is in Deuteronomy 20:19, where it states that one is not allowed to destroy (lo-tashchit) fruit-bearing trees in order to lay siege against a city. Even in the most life-threatening situations of war, one is forbidden to use trees for weapons or to waste them on the creation of weapons of warfare. If such is the prohibition during a stressful time like war, how much the more so is it forbidden during times of peace? This phrase is the source text for almost all the environmental laws expounded by scholars who study the Talmud.

      Humans should derive pleasure from the blessings of the physical world, made for our nurture and enjoyment. Some Jews have even claimed it is a sin when any individual does not fully embrace all the pleasures that the Almighty has provided for all of humanity to enjoy. Food, and all other sensual pleasures, are pathways to worship, not as evils to be avoided, except in unhealthy excess. When a person “blesses” bread and wine at a table (or numerous other encounters in nature), they are simply acknowledging with gratitude to God its inherent characteristics, as opposed to bestowing on it some magical power such as a transfer of goodness. One student said that the idea of tikkun olam seemed to counter what she had learned about how humanity was to “take dominion” over the earth (Gen 1:28):

      Because Christians believe the earth is only temporary, their goal on this earth is to get to heaven. That is why in the past, taking care of the environment was not the focus of Christianity. Growing up in a Pentecostal community, I was brought up not to pay too much attention to the world and my own body because the world and my body were only the temporary address for my soul. Now environmentalism is becoming very prevalent in various Christian communities. Even my own views about the environment and my own body have changed.56

      No Jewish Hair-Shirts

      A fundamentally different view about our human nature also leads to two distinct views on asceticism—rarely practiced in the long history of Judaism. Rabbis have long explained that God has given everything within our lives to be celebrated; nothing that God has created for our use is to be understood outside of the active presence of God’s love (Ps 16:8) . Humans are commanded to multiply (Gen 1:28), thus making celibacy rarely practiced (except for a time during the Second Temple period) in Jewish history.

      When individuals choose to fast, it is better that such efforts result in blessings for others (Isa 58:6–8) and are not done only for personal, spiritual gain. Material self-denial is expressly forbidden on the Sabbath and during times of feasting. The Nazirites, who made a vow (Num 6:1–21) to God not to cut their hair or drink wine, also had to bring a sin offering to the altar for their choice of seeking to know the Divine apart from the standard practices of the larger community. What is their sin? Perhaps it is that they are choosing not to enjoy some of the blessings that the Almighty has put on earth for their benefit.

      Christianity has been heavily influenced by Greek and Roman ideas about the inherently inferior nature of the physical world. St. Augustine brought the ideas of a dichotomous and fallen world into the heart of the Catholic tradition with his teachings on the superiority of the spiritual over the physical. It is possible that Christ had some ascetic practices, in keeping with John the Baptist and others who stressed fasting and denial much more than other Jewish teachers of his time. When Jesus, for example, condemns the rich man and claims that a rich man cannot enter heaven easily (Luke 18:25), such words could also have been proclaimed by those Hebrew prophets who condemned those choosing a life of comfort instead of generosity.

      Christians should appreciate how differing views of sin and the idea of an inherent sin nature affect varying Jewish and Christian considerations about the nature of the afterlife. A theological focus within Judaism on the inherent goodness of humanity has also played a role in why Jews seem far less concerned with grim and punishing visions of hell than some conservative Christians. These topics, of course, are mentioned, but with far less frequency in synagogues than in churches. Jews are encouraged to use the gift of time on this earth to sanctify this life and not to fixate on their eventual, possible status in the world beyond. Every day is a gift given by a God of love and mercy for our nurture and enhancement. One cannot escape living in this life by dreaming about the promise and hope of an ideal, future heaven.

      Teaching Circumcision

      The ritual of circumcision is a familial reaffirmation of faith before God and the entire Jewish community. God commanded that Father Abraham first administer this rite to himself, and then to his son Isaac on the eighth day after birth (Gen 17:10–12). It is not merely a surgical operation but an act of obedience to a divine command, and some Jews throughout history have chosen to die rather than cease to practice this ritual. Some rabbis have even claimed that the divine command to circumcise male children is more meaningful than any other commandment.

      Rashi, an eleventh-century commentator on the Torah and the Talmud, imagined a story illustrating the centrality of circumcision. He wrote that Kind David himself, who was physically fit, had just finished competing in his generation’s equivalent of the athletic Olympics. Since that kind of time and effort in athleticism and shaving the body was contrary to Jewish practice, David sitting in the bathhouse relaxing began to feel guilty that he was indiscernible from his non-Jewish competitors. When he looked down and saw his circumcision, he was comforted in remembering that he had not completely abandoned his commitment to his people.

      Adherents of both traditions accept that actions in the physical realm, such as circumcision, are related to an unseen spiritual dimension. The Passover meal and the ritual of the Eucharist (for Christians) are also material ceremonies that point to a higher spiritual meaning. All of life is to be united, not divided between that which belongs to God and to the realm of the physical.

      Conclusion

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