WASHINGTON (CNS): A Vatican document on understanding the Bible is important for Catholic-Jewish relations because it accepts as valid Jewish interpretations of Scripture which parallel Christian views, said several biblical scholars from both faiths.
This means that the Old Testament contains a divine revelation unrelated to the coming of Christ and Christianity which was valid for the Hebrews at the time of its writing and is valid for contemporary Judaism, they said at a May 7 conference in Washington.
Belief is the factor that distinguishes Catholic and Jewish readings of the Old Testament, they said.
Jewish scholars referred to the Old Testament as the Hebrew Bible.
The conference was held at The Catholic University of America and sponsored by the university, the US bishops’ Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs and the Rabbinical Committee for Interreligious Dialogue.
The Vatican document was prepared by the Pontifical Biblical Commission and made public last December. It is titled ‘The Jewish People and their Sacred Scriptures in the Christian Bible’.
