Jewish Theology and World Religions ed. by Alon Goshen-Gottstein and Eugene Korn (review)

A coherent Jewish theology of world religions has not yet been composed. Christians were the first to develop such a discipline; people like John Hick, Leonard Swidler, Paul Knitter, and Perry Schmid-Leukel come to mind. From the Jewish side, little has been done in this growing field, although there have always been interreligious dialogs and indeed it has always been and is today impossible to avoid the religious other. There is a profound need for investigating traditional sources that have relevance to the Jewish relation to other religions and for revisiting early positions in light of today’s interfaith relations. The fact is that from a Jewish point of view, other religions were often seen as highly problematic. The religious other is frequently depicted negatively in the Jewish tradition. However, we are now more and more in contact with other narratives and with people of other religions who look for recognition and acceptance and who are ready to cooperate in order to create a more humane society. The encounter with real people rather than with abstractions and religious systems is challenging. In an increasingly global world, our contacts with others have become a daily reality. Moreover, there is a consensus between religious humanists that religions are valuable in as far as they contribute to the bettering of society. For these people, the “truth” of the various religions is measured in accordance with their effectiveness in promoting the formation of a peaceful society. In present-day open societies, the “truth” of religions is understood differently than it was in the past and is associated with moral purposes. This may lead to the recognition that the ultimate truth is not the possession of one particular religious community and that we all reflect aspects of the unreachable truth. From this perspective, one has to learn from other religious persons in order to approach what is finally unutterable. For all these reasons, in view of today’s challenges, it has become imperative to develop a Jewish theology of world religions and a praxis of interreligious dialog.

The rich volume under review portrays theological reflections on Jewish identity, Jewish norms concerning other religions, and Jewish relations with non-Jewish “others.” Many basic questions on the nature of identity, truth, general and particular revelation, avoda zara (idolatry), creation, and the Jewish “kingdom of priests,” as well as on relativism, pluralism, and dialog are raised. The volume focuses upon classical sources and understandings. But also new perspectives are offered and there is a sincere search for possible inspiration from other religions. A number of contributors to the volume look for sources in the Jewish tradition that may lead to a greater theological openness. More particularly, some authors think that Messianic perspectives could become inclusive and that the place given to other religions from an eschatological perspective offers a horizon in which other forms of religious life are recognized and valued. Likewise, the notion of the seven Noahide commandments, which offer a basic ethical code, is seen by some authors as highly inspirational. It is further noted that Abraham Maimonides, Maimonides’s son, for instance, offers inspiration in that he humbly recognized his own imperfection. He incorporated ideas of Sufis, whose teachings were Jewish, but the Jews lost these teachings over the course of time. Other rabbis have developed interreligious thoughts. An example is the twelfth-century Rabbenu Tam, who deemed that Christianity is not avoda zara, since Christians observe the Noahide commandments and are allowed what is forbidden to Jews: to worship another being next to God (shituf). The fourteenth-century Rabbi Menahem Meiri did not consider Islam and Christianity avoda zarah, since these religions promote an ethical life: religion has to be judged upon the ethical behavior of its adherents. Since Christianity and Islam prohibit murder, theft, sexual immorality, and cruelty, they are not illicit. In the eighteenth century, the German rabbi Jacob Emden also developed a positive attitude toward Christianity...