One of the great legacies left by Pope John Paul II is his great effort to bridge the historical and theological gap between the Catholic Church and Judaism.  On March 12, 1979, John Paul exclaimed that “Christians must…strive to learn by what essential traits the Jews define themselves in the light of their own religious experience.”  Likewise, in an address to the Delegates of the International Jewish Committee on Interreligious Consultations on June 9, 2005, Pope Benedict XVI announced his intention to “continue on this path” set forth by John Paul, and this in light of the “spiritual patrimony” shared by Christians and Jews.

In response to this charge, we at thefirstparish wish to announce the beginning of a new column for our online community called Jesus in Context.  The column will be a monthly series consisting of commentary focusing on the upcoming Sunday Gospel readings.  The comments will be geared toward shedding light on Jesus’ religion – first century Judaism – as well as on how Jesus likely experienced his religion as a faithful, first century Palestinian Jew and how his experience is portrayed in the Gospels.  In a nutshell, this is simply to set Jesus and the Gospels firmly within their original context – first century Palestinian Judaism.

In order to help bring Jesus’ religious experience to light, we will not only consult the Gospel narratives themselves, but also other primary sources outside of the New Testament – sources that tell us about the faith and practice of Jews, as well as the theology of first century Judaism.  Thus, we will often refer to the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament), the Pseudepigraphal writings, the Mishnah, and even the Talmud from time-to-time.  Moreover, Catholic, Jewish, and Protestant historians, theologians, and biblical exegetes will also be consulted for further relevant insights.

In addition to fostering a thoughtful and authentic understanding of Jesus’ Judaism among our Catholic readers, it is our hope at thefirstparish that this column will enrich our community’s reading and understanding of the Gospel narratives in preparation for their hearing the Gospel and the interpretive homily at Sunday Mass.