Searching Her Own Mystery: Nostra Aetate, the Jewish People, and the Identity of the Church

by Mark S. Kinzer, Christoph Cardinal Schonborn (Foreword)

Vatican II's Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions (Nostra Aetate) transformed the Catholic view of the Jewish people and the Jewish religious tradition. Asserting that the Church discovers her link to the "stock of Abraham" when "searching her own mystery," Nostra Aetate intimated that the mystery of Israel is inseparable from the mystery of the Church. As interlocking mysteries, each community requires the other in order to understand itself. In Searching Her Own Mystery, noted Messianic Jewish theologian Mark S. Kinzer argues that the Church has yet to explore adequately the implications of Nostra Aetate for Christian self-understanding. The new Catholic teaching concerning Israel should produce fresh perspectives on the entire range of Christian theology, including Christology, ecclesiology, and the theology of the sacraments. To this end, Kinzer proposes an Israel-ecclesiology rooted in Israel-Christology in which a restored ecclesia ex circumcisione--the "church from the circumcision"--assumes a crucial role as a sacramental sign of the Church's bond with the Jewish people and genealogical-Israel's irrevocable election. "The implications of Nostra Aetate lay dormant for a decade or so until the Pontificate of John Paul II. Since then, Catholic thinkers have begun to probe more deeply how the mystery of Israel is related to that of the Church. Mark Kinzer has thought long and hard about these issues and the reader will be the beneficiary of his learning on this important issue." --Gary A. Anderson, Hesburgh Professor of Catholic Theology, University of Notre Dame, Indiana "This is another beautifully written and powerful theological work from leading Messianic Jewish theologian Mark Kinzer. Kinzer, who is not a Catholic but whose life has been marked by rich dialogue with Catholics, urges the Catholic Church to open up explicitly Jewish ecclesial environments for Torah-observant Messianic Jews within the Catholic Church. While I differ from him in significant ways, I agree with him that Catholics must attend ever more deeply to the implications of God's covenantal election of the Jewish people and to the enduring spiritual value, in God's plan, of the Jewish people's observance of the Torah." --Matthew Levering, Perry Family Foundation Professor of Theology, Mundelein Seminary, Mundelein, Illinois "Mark Kinzer has written a deeply thought-provoking and significant book on furthering the communion between Messianic Jews and the Catholic Church. He presents clearly and creatively his scriptural and theological arguments, and the interweaving of his personal pilgrimage to faith in Jesus. His subsequent journey in that faith adds poignancy and eloquence to his theological project. The theological academy, and especially the Catholic scholars within it, ought seriously to engage this book, and Catholic bishops ought to read it with a sympathetic eye and a discerning spirit." --Thomas G. Weinandy, Dominican House of Studies, Washington, DC Mark S. Kinzer is Rabbi of Congregation Zera Avraham in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and President Emeritus of Messianic Jewish Theological Institute. He is the author of Postmissionary Messianic Judaism (2005) and Israel's Messiah and the People of God (2011).

Genres: Theology, Religion

280 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 30, 2015

Reviews

[Ry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book. Dr. Kinzer gave a lecture to my class at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, highlighting his work as a Messianic Jew with the Catholic Church.

He makes extensive use of his nearly-native experiences with Catholicism as a Jesus-believing Jew to better understand the Catholic Church’s own nature as she “encounters Israel” within her own self-reflection. There is probably nobody better right now than Dr. Kinzer to probe some of these truths and what the Church could do to manifest truths she is discovering. The book is bold, but not terribly speculative theologically, relying heavily on Lumen Gentium, Nostra Aetate, Pope Benedict XVI, and Cardinal Lustiger, among others.

Lastly, his reflection on the Eucharist and its relation to Jewish life is extraordinary, especially for prayer.

[Elisa Guajardo Carothers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rabbi Kinzer does a remarkable job explaining how the Jewish faith is the root of all Christianity! A man of great knowledge Kinzer compares the Catholic faith to Judaism. A wonderful read for anyone who wants to learn more about the religion of Yeshua!

[Ben Smitthimedhin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a discussion with my priest not long ago about women's ordination. Among other things, I told him I found the argument from typology a bit arbitrary i.e. that because Jesus is male and the church female (as his bride), and the priest acts In persona Christi, the priest should therefore be male. "Why the focus on maleness as the distinguishing mark of Jesus rather than, say, his Jewishness?" I asked. "Why shouldn't we say that all priests should be Jewish because Jesus was Jewish and the church is gentile?" Appeals to analogical reasoning can sometimes be a bit slippery because the sacramental (and sometimes typological) pairings between OT and NT can be used to prescribe things that I don't think should be prescribed.

And so it seems that Kinzer here is doing something similar. His argument for a distinct group of Messianic Jews who abide by Torah and exist as part of the Catholic Church (like the Hebrew Catholics) stems from his contention that Jesus's Jewish identity should be taken seriously, Israel prefigures the church and takes on a priestly role, and there are elements within Jewish religious practice and ritual that instantiate (and not just foreshadow) Christian sacraments. I have no problem saying that the Eucharist and baptism find their source of meaning from the Passover and circumcision. I also have no problem saying that Israel did take on the priestly role and grafted the gentiles in.

My contention is with what Kinzer calls "Israel-Christology" and his extending Jesus' Jewishness to mean Jesus' Jewish followers have a privileged status within Christianity (not his words, though my impression), as I'm sure he'd be uncomfortable if someone were to make the same argument from Jesus' maleness.

[Vinnie Santini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting and thoughtful engagement with Catholicism and messianic Judaism. Just look at the heavy hitters on the back cover that recommend the book.