Jewish Roots of the Catholic Tree

And if some of the branches be broken off [i.e. the Jews], and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; Boast not against the branches. Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in. For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again.  [emphasis added] As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the father’s sakes.—St. Paul, Letter to the Romans 11 (KJV)

INTRODUCTION

At a recent Zoom meeting of the Calix Society, the theme was Lectio Divina, based on the Mass readings for January 15th (2nd Sunday Ordinary Time, Cycle C).    The Second Reading, St. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor 12:4-11), set forth the different gifts of the Holy Spirit.  One of the group discussed the gift (not mentioned in the letter) of the priesthood, the ability to consecrate the bread and wine.

As he was talking, the words of the liturgy came to me:

Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation,

for through your goodness we have received

the bread we offer you:

fruit of the earth and work of human hands,

it will become for us the bread of life.

I recalled how, when I first heard these words some 26 years ago, I had thought “that’s the Baruch, the blessing before eating at Passover.”   I mentioned this to my wife, a cradle Catholic who is much more knowledgeable in things Jewish than I—she has mastered Yiddish expressions, Jewish history, and, best of all, Jewish cooking.  She noted another heritage: the priest’s stole derived from the tallit, the prayer shawl Jewish men wore.  The discussion that followed, on other Jewish elements in Catholicism, I report below.  I should add that my good lady was more knowledgeable than I, both on Catholic teaching and on Jewish heritage.

CHRISTIANITY: ANOTHER JEWISH SECT?

In this discussion, she startled me by calling Paul her least favorite apostle. If it hadn’t been for Paul, she reasoned, Christianity might have been formed as just another Jewish sect, retaining most of its Judaic heritage, instead of just a portion of it.  I don’t agree. In order for Christianity to spread, it had to become separate from Judaism. As Paul argues to “the foolish Galatians,” it is faith in Christ, not obedience to the Law, that saves and sets us free.

As always, science-fiction makes the alternative history clear.  In a story (the title and author this old man can’t recall) Pontius Pilate is merciful to Jesus: he is not crucified and lives to old age.  Judaism becomes the official religion of the Roman Empire with the Emperor as its head. Christianity is aborted.  There is no resurrection, and we are not saved by the sacrifice of God’s only Son.  It’s a plausible outcome, and there are others that reach the same conclusion.   Here’s another thing that would prevent Christianity from spreading as a Jewish sect: circumcision.  Surely this would have been a bar to males converting as adults.  (And don’t argue about the spread of Islam, in which circumcision was required–the element of forcible conversion has to be taken into account.)

Despite the split of early Christianity from Judaism, there do remain Jewish elements in the Catholic faith. These I’ll discuss below.

JEWISH ELEMENTS IN THE CATHOLIC FAITH

First, the cornerstone of the Catholic faith, the Eucharist, is derived from the Passover celebration, the Last Supper.  At my first Mass, I was amazed by the similarities between the liturgy of the Eucharist and the Passover Seder: the ritual washing of hands, the offering of wine, and, most importantly, the sacrifice of the Lamb.

Another Catholic heritage from Jewish practice is that of confession of one’s sins.  Rather than addressing God directly to ask pardon for my sins (the Seven Penitential Psalms, Yom Kippur), I petition a priest, Persona Christi Capitis.  Rather than the Yom Kippur scapegoat sent to carry away the sins of the people  Jesus Christ as the high priest offered Himself, once and for all, as the sacrifice.  Also, there’s fasting, more strict in the Jewish tradition (24 hours without any food).

MY JEWISH HERITAGE

So, should I be proud of my Jewish heritage? According to St. Augustine (my favorite saint), it was the Old Testament, Judaism, that was the road to Christ, and it was God himself who kept the Jews from seeing Christ as Savior:

St. Augustine agreed with the older Christian tradition that the Old Testament prophesies bore witness to Christ and that the Jews should have recognized Him. But he developed the idea that God Himself was deliberately blinding the Jews from seeing this. He saw this as providential. Jews existed in large numbers throughout the Roman Empire and even outside of it. Their religion was ancient and respected even by pagans. Wherever they went, they brought Scriptures with them. When Christian missionaries began preaching the Gospel, they could then point to the books of the Jews as an independent witness to Jesus Christ.

—Arthur C. Sippo, St. Augustine’s Defense of Judaism, New Oxford Review, October 2009

St. Augustine’s point, in short, was that the Jews are “People of the Book.” As a convert, I am “a person of the Book.” I believe my Jewish heritage, secular though it was, has enriched my Catholic faith, as has my training as a physicist. I believe with St. Paul that God has not forgotten His covenant and that the day will come when my people will acknowledge the Messiah.