Jewish-Christian Dialogue and the Life of Wisdom: Engagements with the Theology of David Novak by Matthew Levering (review)

BOOK REVIEWS 336 was the universal Church. . . . It was a local Church because it was in a place, and indeed in one place, and there was no other place where the Church could be said to be” (122). This comment is curious, as it seems to espouse an overly sociological view of the Church. For, the Church was indeed in other “places” on the day of Pentecost, namely, in heaven (the Church victorious), in purgatory (the Church suffering), and, in fact, in all of humanity, at least if we follow Aquinas, who affirms that the entire human family belongs potentially to the Church (see STh III, q. 8, a. 3). But these are minor quibbles only and they more or less fade against the backdrop of a superb work that covers an enormous amount of theological terrain. This is a work of high-level theology written by a first-class theologian. PAUL GONDREAU Providence College Providence, Rhode Island Jewish-Christian Dialogue and the Life of Wisdom: Engagements with the Theology of David Novak. By MATTHEW LEVERING. London: Continuum, 2010. Pp. 208. $120.00 (cloth). ISBN 978-1-4411-3364-9. Matthew Levering’s Jewish-Christian Dialogue and the Life of Wisdom represents one of the finest examples of authentic Jewish-Christian dialogue available today. Levering’s treatment is not only nuanced and sensitive, but also courageous particularlyin articulatingChristianity’s commitments and in offering thoughtful but penetrating challenges and criticisms where Levering thinks they are necessary. As the subtitle suggests, the book enters the fray of JewishChristian dialogue by way of engagement with David Novak’s theology. As Novak is one of the most important contemporary Jewish theologians, and one who has long been involved with Jewish-Christian dialogue, his work provides important insights for Levering as he seeks to push Jewish-Christian dialogue further in a constructive way. That Novak writes the foreword (ix-xii) to this book, and a laudatory foreword at that, is a telling sign already of Levering’s success in engaging Jewish thought. Unlike so many other Christian theologians involved in Jewish-Christian dialogue, Levering eschews both the Scylla of a harsh triumphalist supersessionism and the Charybdis of the denial that Christianity supersedes Judaism in any sense. Levering follows his interlocutor Novak in insisting that a mild form of supersessionism is necessary for Christianity, one in which Jesus does not negate the Torah but rather fulfills it. On at least three occasions (full BOOK REVIEWS 337 quotation on p.16, quoted in part on pp. 132 and 153 n. 147), Levering quotes Novak’s provocative challenge to Christians who refuse to espouse any form of even mild supersessionism: “If Christianity does not regard itself as going beyond Judaism, why should Christians not become Jews? It is always a ready possibility. Where else could you possibly find the Lord God of Israel?” Levering begins his book with a brief introduction, “In the Footsteps of Rosenzweig and Buber” (1-11), wherein he provides a succinct overview of the book’s contents, and also explains what he hopes to accomplish by engaging Novak’s works, namely, to provide an “open philosophical exegesis of Scripture” (1-2). Levering makes clear the goal of such dialogue, namely, a “deeper appropriation of truth,” which, although always open to the conversion of one’s dialogue partner, does not have conversion as its primary end (5). He concludes by laying out what he sees to be the import of his book’s conversation: “What is at stake in the present book is thus not only whether Novak’s Jewish theology instructs Christians by its resources and conclusions, or whether Christians and Jews can dialogue constructively about the human creature’s stance vis-à-vis the Creator. At stake also is whether any avowedly Jewish or Christian understanding of human life is worthy of public consideration” (10). The first chapter (12-46) addresses the controversial topics of “Supersessionismand Messianic Judaism.” Levering’s overarching purpose in this chapter is to examine the question of whether or not there exists any real possibility ofauthenticJewish-Christian theological dialogue. Levering makes the case that such dialogue is in fact possible and he describes how Novak’s theology facilitates it. He...