Aquinas On Israel And The Church [Hardcover]

The question of whether or not Thomas Aquinas's theology is supersessionist has elicited deep disagreement among scholars. Some maintain that Aquinas is the standard-bearer of a supersessionist church that undermines Judaism, while others hold that Aquinas avoids supersessionism altogether. Yet the discussion over whether Aquinas's theology is supersessionist has not always carefully interrogated the term supersessionism, nor has it taken into account some of Aquinas's most relevant texts on the subject of Israel and the Church: his commentaries on Paul's letters. Drawing upon the Pauline commentaries, Aquinas on Israel and the Church argues that while Aquinas's most commonly articulated view is that Jewish worship is discontinued after the passion of Christ, Aquinas also advanced views that set this into question, and in ways that support contemporary Christian teachings that affirm the value of postbiblical Judaism. Matthew Tapie carefully analyzes the terminology of supersessionism and develops a working definition that enables us to discern the tensions in the writings of Thomas and to understand the rival assessments of his modern interpreters. Guided by his insightful commentary, we come to see a Thomas who is both a son of his own age and a rich resource for those of our own times seeking a Christian theology of Judaism that is faithful to the teaching of Nostra Aetate. --Mark S. Kinzer, President emeritus, Messianic Jewish Theological Institute, Ann Arbor, MI Christians today often repudiate supersessionism, but they do not always carefully examine just what that is supposed to mean. We are in Tapie's debt for remedying this situation with special reference to the theology of Thomas Aquinas. Tapie's rich, thorough, and multidimensional picture of Aquinas's views on Jewish observance of the ceremonial law after Christ is destined to become a landmark. --R. Kendall Soulen, Professor of Systematic Theology, Wesley Theological Seminary, Washington, Dlc"