Intersecting Pathways: Modern Jewish Theologians in Conversation with Christianity (American Academy of Religion Cultural Criticism Series)

211 Pages·2003·0.62 MB·English

by  Marc A. Krell

Intersecting Pathways:
Modern Jewish Theologians
in Conversation with
Christianity
MARC A. KRELL
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
Intersecting Pathways
AMERICAN ACADEMY OF RELIGION
CULTURAL CRITICISM SERIES
SERIES EDITOR
Bjom Krondorfer, St. Mary’s College of Maryland
A Publication Series of
The American Academy of Religion and
Oxford University Press
ANTI-JUDAISM IN FEMINIST IMAG(IN)ING OTHERNESS
RELIGIOUS WRITINGS Filmic Visions of Living Together
Katharina von Kellenbach Edited by S. Brent Plate and
David Jasper
THE GREAT WHITE FLOOD
Racism in Australia PARABLES FOR OUR TIME
Anne Pattel-Gray Rereading New Testament Scholarship After
the Holocaust
ON DECONSTRUCTING
Tania Oldenhage
LIFE-WORLDS
Buddhism, Christianity, Culture MOSES IN AMERICA
Robert Magliola The Cultural Uses of Biblical Narrative
Melanie Jane Wright
CULTURAL OTHERNESS
Correspondence with Richard Rorty, INTERSECTING PATHWAYS
Second Edition Modern Jewish Theologians in Conversation
Anindita Niyogi Balslev with Christianity
Marc A. Krell
CROSS CULTURAL CONVERSATION
(Initiation)
Edited by Anindita Niyogi Balslev
Intersecting
Pathways
Modern Jewish Theologians
in Conversation
with Christianity
marc a. krell
1
2003
3
Oxford New York
Auckland Bangkok Buenos Aires Cape Town Chennai
Dar es Salaam Delhi Hong Kong Istanbul Karachi Kolkata
Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Mumbai Nairobi
São Paulo Shanghai Taipei Tokyo Toronto
Copyright © 2003 by The American Academy of Religion
Published by Oxford University Press, Inc.
198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York, 10016
www.oup.com
Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,
without the prior permission of Oxford University Press.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Krell, Marc A. (Marc Aaron), 1967–
Intersecting pathways : modern Jewish theologians in conversation
with Christianity / Marc A. Krell.
p. cm.—(American Academy of Religion cultural criticism series)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-19-515935-7
1. Judaism—Relations—Christianity. 2. Christianity
and other religions—Judaism. 3. Jews—Identity.
4. Judaism—Doctrines—Comparative studies.
5. Theology, Doctrinal—Comparative studies.
I. Title. II. Series.
BM535 .K74 2003
296.3'96—dc21 2002008643
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
To Julie
This page intentionally left blank
1
Acknowledgments
The following journals have allowed me to reprint material from my
published articles: brief selections from the introduction and
epilogue were published in “Decentering Judaism and Christianity:
Using Feminist Theory to Construct a Postmodern Jewish-Christian
Theology,” Cross Currents 50, no. 4 (winter 2000–2001): 474–87;
portions of chapters 1 and 2 in this book were published in “Schoeps
vs. Rosenzweig: Transcending Religious Borders,” Zeitschrift für
Religions-und Geistesgeschichte 52, no. 1 (2000): 25–37; a brief selec-
tion from chapter 3 was published in “Eliezer Berkovits’s Post-
Holocaust Theology: A Dialectic Between Polemics and Reception,”
Journal of Ecumenical Studies 37, no. 1 (winter 2000): 28–45.
In completing this book, I owe many thanks to the following
people: George Griener, Elliot Dorff, Claude Welch, Gary Lease, and
Stephan Kienberger. In particular, I want to acknowledge Arnold
Eisen and David Biale, who supervised the writing of this manu-
script in its original form as a dissertation. Professor Eisen was
instrumental in helping me to shape my argument in a concise, clear
fashion that showcases my own contribution to the field. I have been
profoundly influenced by the historiography of David Biale, whose
pointed comments enabled me to focus on my overall argument
without arguing against those whom I discuss. In addition, my
personal discussion with Richard Rubenstein provided me with
valuable insight into his work.
I would also like to express my special appreciation for the
recent guidance of my colleagues J. Edward Wright, Lawrence Baron,
Randi Rashkover, James Moore, and Zachary Braiterman, who have
viii acknowledgments
helped me transform the dissertation into a book. Their suggestions regarding
both content and structure led me to tighten this work considerably and weave
it together much more smoothly. I especially wish to thank Zachary Braiterman
for his comprehensive chapter-by-chapter commentary. His critical remarks
forced me to be more consistent in my portrayal of the fluid boundaries between
Judaism and Christianity, by encouraging me to focus more on the conversa-
tion between Jewish theologians and Christian figures rather than on who was
influenced by whom.
On a personal note, I would like to thank my mother, Florie Krell, for her
ongoing emotional support and friendship. Finally, I want to thank my part-
time editor, best friend and wife, Julie Schaefer Krell, who has been my stron-
gest supporter and source of inspiration. Through her companionship and love,
she has made me realize what is truly important in life. Together, we brought
into the world our greatest sources of joy, our sons Alexander Micah and Jonah
Evan.
1
Contents
Introduction: Uncovering Jewish-Christian Dialectic in History, 3
1. From the Outside Looking In: Franz Rosenzweig’s
Construction of a Jewish Theology in Light of His Ambivalent
Encounter with Christianity, 23
2. Hans Joachim Schoeps’s “Critical-Protestant” Theology:
A Jewish-Christian Amalgamation, 43
3. Beyond Borders: Richard Rubenstein’s Critique of Judaism
in Relation to Christianity after the Holocaust, 69
4. Between Dialectic and Dialogue: Irving Greenberg’s Organic
Model of the Jewish-Christian Relationship, 103
Epilogue: Jewish-Christian Relations in a Multicultural Society, 131
Notes, 137
Bibliography, 179
Index, 193