Lecture Nineteen: Systematic Approaches

Franz Mussner (Professor of Theology, Regensburg Germany) begins with Auschwitz

• p. 148 Auschwitz as hermeneutic function [relates to N.A.]
• Election of Israel
• note Romans 9:11-13
• continuing election of Israel [p. 148]
• Land of Israel [p. 151]
• note B. Klappert’s three models of “promise of land of Israel” [p.154]
• God’s continuing covenant with Israel [p. 154
• “Joy in Torah” [p. 155]—counters the myth of ‘legalism’
• Israel as saved in Rom. 9:4 [p. 157]
• Rom. 11:26
• models of salvation—p. 166
• post-Christum salvific model of Israel [p. 168 ff]

Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger
(as Prefect of the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; Cardinal of Munich; Professor of Theology)
“Israel, Church and World” (essay title)
Theological reflection which is grounded in Scripture
Begins with Auschwitz
Goal is reconciliation

• Emphasis is that the unity of Scripture [NT/OT] means that Christians can never be in conflict with Judaism
• see p. 36-37
• Focuses on Catechism to reveal the emphasis on Jesus within the context of the Jewish people
• no collective Jewish guilt p.42-43
• Christian sin crucifies Jesus [Council of Trent] p. 43

“The New Covenant” (essay title)

• focus on the meaning of ‘testament’ or ‘covenant’
• the ‘fulness of the covenant in Christ’ does not diminish the Sinai covenant p. 59-60
• Covenant established by God in Christ is present in the Hebrew Bible[“faith of Israel”] p. 63-67
• Covenant is relationship p. 74-77 [Martin Buber]

Problems with Ratzinger

• entirely self-contained
• no way out of the system?
• what is the purpose and meaning of the Jewish people post Christum? [in contrast to Mussner]