Brothers in Hope (The Bridge: Judaeo-Christian Studies. Volume V) ed. by John M. Oesterreicher (review)

738 BOOK REVIEWS Brothers in Hope (The Bridge: Judaeo-Christian Studies. Volume V). Edited by JoHN M. OESTERREICHER. New York: Herder and Herder, 1970. Pp. 350. $7.50. This fifth volume in the series called The Bridge comes eight years after the fourth volume and follows in the wake of the Second Vatican Council's Statement on the Jews. Like its predecessors, it is a work of scholarly collaboration which should go far toward bridging the gap between Jews and Christians by helping Christians to be more aware of their Jewish heritage and by helping Jews to see that fulfillment of their hopes has been renewed. One of its most important, and best, features is its variety of content and viewpoint. The pre-conciliar volumes presented the studies and views of Catholic scholars exclusively, while in this volume Jewish as well as Catholic scholars explore the implications of the conciliar Statement on the Jews in careful, probing essays. The structure is similar to that of previous volumes. There is an Introduction together with the text of the Statement on the Jews, followed by ten contributions called Studies. Next follow another three contributions called Perspectives, which are shorter, more specialized or more tentative essays. These are followed by eight Documents, which include relevant statements by Pope Paul, the American Bishops, and members of the Institute of Judaeo-Christian Studies. Following three excellent Book Reviews come Notes and Acknowledgements, Contributors, and a very welcome three-part index of names, subjects, and Biblical references. While each of the essays is distinctly commendable, the preferences of this reviewer lie with the eloquent study of Ernst Ludwig Ehrlich on "What Vatican II Means to Us Jews," the expert treatment of" Jesus and His People's Tradition," by Herbert Haag, the practical implications developed in " Religious Instruction," by Sofia Cavalletti, and the very sensitive " The Theologian and the Land of Israel," by the editor, John M. Oesterreicher. One does not find a perfect harmony of views in the volume, and, as the editor remarks, the contributors do not resemble the members of an orchestra flawlessly performing a symphony. They are rather like players at a rehearsal who time their various instruments so that they may truly complement and support one another. They are courageous and forthright as they take the conciliar Statement as their point of departure and ask themselves, " where do we go from here? " This question and the title itself Brothers in Hope, may be taken together as the overriding and guiding theme of the work. There is a spiritual bond that ties the people of the New Covenant to Abraham's stock. Judaism is founded on the same Covenant and the same promises that Christianity is, and the God of the Covenant is the God of both Christians and Jews. The usual way of describing the difference between the two communities-that Christians BOOK REVIEWS 739 believe that the Messiah has come while Jews still await His coming-is neither exact nor complete. While the traditional Jew hopes that the Messiah will come, so does the Christian who expects Christ's return in splendor and majesty, when the full glory of God will be disclosed and the rich first fruits of our redemption made manifest, when a new heaven and a new earth will be a reality and the petition, " Thy kingdom come," lastingly fulfilled. Thus Christians and Jews are bound together, not only by their faith in the one living God and their love for him but also by their hope in the ultimate realization of God's reign. They are an ecumene, a brotherhood, sharing in this eschatological hope. A greater or mere appealing theme cannot be imagined for our despairridden age, and this volume admirably and beautifully continues the conciliatory work of its predecessors. Saint John's University Jamaica, New York THOMAS P. MALLAGHAN, c. M. The New American Philosophers. By ANDREW J. REcK. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1968. Pp. 349. $8.95. A sequel to his Recent American Philosophy (New York, 1964) which treated of American philosophy between the two world wars, Reck's The New American Philosophy concentrated on American philosophy since World War II. While...