A Jewish Trinity
Contemporary Christian Theology through Jewish Eyes
The late rabbi Jonathan Sacks used to say that Christian theology is too important to leave to the Christians. Several generations of Jewish thinkers have done us Christians the favor of mucking around in our thought and offering corrections. Jules Isaac showed the Catholic Church that its own sources were not nearly as anti-Jewish as it thought, leading the way to the revolution of Vatican II and Nostra aetate. Sacks, Daniel Boyarin, Michael Wyschogrod, Peter Ochs, and others have shown us aspects of Christian faith which Jews can agree with, disagree with more profitably, and even challenge. This sort of ecclesial-synagogal exchange hadn’t happened since the first century, if then.
I’m tempted to say the most remarkable aspect of A Jewish Trinity is how unremarkable it reads to a Christian theologian, but that would do it a disservice. Alan Brill studied comparative mysticism at Fordham and teaches at Seton Hall, so it is not surprising that he is adept with modern Catholic sources like Karl Rahner. What is more surprising is his word of correction to his fellow Jews: Christianity has changed in modernity in ways that Jews should notice. It is not inscrutable—here he scrutinizes it with profit. Brill even encourages further change in us: more Moltmann and Balthasar, less Augustine.
Think how hard each of us is working to understand just our own faith. That a person of a different faith would so competently, even creatively, understand ours in addition to theirs is impressive.
