Clergy and Educators

Supersessionism

Part I: What is supersessionism?

The word "supersessionism" comes from the Latin super ("on," "upon," or "above") and sedere ("to sit"), as when one person sits on another person's chair, thereby displacing the other person. Christian theological super-sessionism -- as espoused, for example, by Augustine (5th century) and Martin Luther (16th century) -- makes the claim that, following the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Christians replaced Jews in God's love and favor and in the divine plan of salvation. According to the superses-sionist view, God repudiated the Jewish people for their rejection of Christ. As a result, God's covenantal relationship with Israel was abrogated, to be taken up by the Church; and the Mosaic Law (Torah) was annulled, to be replaced by the law of Christ. Christians inherited all the promises of God to Israel in the Bible; Jews retained all the Bible's prophetic criticism and condemnation. Jewish biblical interpretation was discounted, and the "Old Testament" was assigned only a provisional validity. Judaism came to be regarded as merely a historical and social entity at best, and, at worst, a dead faith, the victim of a Pharisaic-rabbinic obsession with legalistic piety.

In supersessionist theology Jesus' ministry is understood as having been in direct opposition to Judaism. In conse-quence, Jesus is completely removed from his first-century Jewish context, and he becomes the primary obstacle between Christians and Jews.

Part II: Why is supersessionism a problem?

Implied in the claim that Christians displaced Jews in the covenant with God is the notion that Jews should stop being Jews and become Christians. This ideology under-girds a "teaching of contempt" for Jews and Judaism that has marred relations between Christians and Jews for two millennia. Over the centuries anti-Judaic attitudes buttressed by displacement theology have produced evil fruit: legislation designed to discriminate against and suppress the Jews, and open acts of violence -- forced baptism, child stealing, population expulsions, and murderous pogroms. Habits of hatred ultimately paved the way for the Nazis' "Final Solution of the Jewish Problem."

The supersessionist theology that created so many burdens for Jews has proved to be a problem for Christians as well. Supersessionism distorted Christian doctrine as it developed in the early Church. It continues to influence much contemporary Christian theology and is continually reinforced by the preaching and teaching presented in many churches. To our shame, moreover, supersessionist attitudes have fostered among Christians demonstrably un-Christian behavior.

Supersessionist theology raises crucial questions that
a responsible Christianity cannot afford to ignore. For example, if Jews have been displaced in the divine plan of salvation, how do Christians account for Judaism's continuing existence and for the many faithful and theologically profound people who have been a part of the Jewish community? If a newer revelation displaces an older one, hasn't Christianity been displaced by Islam? Most significantly, what does supersessionist theology imply about the morality and faithfulness of God? If God's promises to the patriarchs and matriarchs of the people Israel could be nullified by the coming of Jesus Christ, what guarantee do Christians have that God's promises to anyone are reliable? The glaring weaknesses in displacement theology ought to make it obvious to Christians everywhere that supersessionism must be abandoned.

Part III: What can be done about supersessionism?

Before discussing those things that Christians can do to reverse the pernicious effects of displacement theology on our minds and hearts, it should be acknowledged with thanksgiving that thoughtful people in many denomina-tions have been working for a number of years to identify and eliminate the vestiges of supersessionism that still taint our faith. Devoted Christians everywhere need to expand these efforts and continue to work until every trace of the "teaching of contempt" has been eradicated.

Overcoming supersessionism is not an insurmountable problem, but it is a complex one. It requires the Church: (1) to question the appropriateness and credibility of its teachings about the God of Israel and the Israel of God, (2) to confront the implications of those teachings, and (3) to reexamine the major doctrines of the Christian tradition in light of what the Church will have learned in the process about itself and its relationship to Judaism and the Jewish people.

Moreover, the Church must reappraise its approach to the Bible. Christians need to acknowledge the anti-Jewish polemic in the Christian Scriptures and under-stand the historical reasons for its presence. In addition, we must recognize the religious importance of the Hebrew Bible in its own right and establish a proper understanding of the relationship between the two testaments. We must also develop more appropriate ways of interpreting scripture. Most fundamentally, we must acknowledge that Jesus of Nazareth lived his life, from the manger to the cross, as a Jew; and we must interpret Paul and his theology in the context of the Judaisms of the first century of the Common Era.

On the most elemental level, it is in the story Christians tell of divine interventions in human history and God's relations with humankind that we image our basic convictions and our understanding of reality and the nature of Christian life. If we are to overcome super-sessionism, we must change the way we tell this story.

Finally, we Christians must change our attitudes and behavior toward the Jewish people. We must jettison Christian caricatures and stereotypes of Judaism and learn how Jews understand their own religious beliefs. We must be in conversation with Jews as we do our theology. We must reexamine our efforts to convert Jews to Christianity, concentrating our energies instead on engaging with them in witness and service. Above all, we must teach respect for the Jewish people and for Judaism as a vibrant faith having its own integrity and witness to the world.

You may wish to read a review of Jesus, Judaism, & Christian Anti-Judaism.

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