And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
Genesis 12: 31
As an amateur historian I am always impressed by those things of Man that have a permanent quality, that continue on through the centuries. One of the more unique of those permanent things is the Jewish people, a group that existed when the Egyptian New Kingdom was a prime power in the world. Throughout almost all that history, the Jews have been a defeated and oppressed people. For close to nineteen centuries they were exiles from their own land, despised alien outcasts among nations that usually loved them little, often the victims of casual murder, and almost invariably subject to unremitting hate. The survival of the Jewish people under these most unpromising conditions is the strongest secular support for their, and the Bible’s, contention that they are a people set apart, a Chosen People of God. Their constant companion throughout these many centuries has been an undying hate, a hate that always has its reasons. Some of the more popular recent ones:
- Jews are Communists.
- Jews are Atheists.
- Jews are Plutocrats.
- Jews are Oppressors.
- Jews are Racists.
- Jews are White.
- Jews aren’t White.
- Jews are Bigots.
- Jews are Universalists.
- Jews are Jews.
The reasons vary, but the addition of the word Jews to the chosen hatred does not. In regard to the Jews the hatred is almost always directed against all Jews instead of some Jews who could be accused of specific misdeeds.
Now, another of the permanent things of Man is the Catholic Church. From the beginning the Church has understood that the Jews, who brought the world the Messiah, still have a role in the plan of God. We see this in the writings of Saint Paul:
[25] For I would not have you ignorant, brethren, of this mystery, (lest you should be wise in your own conceits), that blindness in part has happened in Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles should come in.
[26] And so all Israel should be saved, as it is written: There shall come out of Sion, he that shall deliver, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob. [27] And this is to them my covenant: when I shall take away their sins. [28] As concerning the gospel, indeed, they are enemies for your sake: but as touching the election, they are most dear for the sake of the fathers. [29] For the gifts and the calling of God are without repentance. [30] For as you also in times past did not believe God, but now have obtained mercy, through their unbelief; 31] So these also now have not believed, for your mercy, that they also may obtain mercy. [32] For God hath concluded all in unbelief, that he may have mercy on all.
Romans: 11: 25-32
In his exposition on Psalm 59 Saint Augustine discusses the role of the Jews in the ongoing salvation of humanity:In his exposition on Psalm 59 Saint Augustine discusses the role of the Jews in the ongoing salvation of humanity:
7. They shall be scattered abroad in order that they may eat
Psalm 58:15; that is, in order that they may gain others, in order that into their Body they may change believers. But if they shall not be filled, they shall murmur.
Because above also he had spoken of the murmur of them, saying, For who has heard?
And You, O Lord,
he says, shall deride them, saying, Who has heard?
Wherefore? Because, as nothing You shall count all nations. Let the Psalm be concluded. See ye the Corner Ephesians 2:20 exulting, now with both walls rejoicing. The Jews were proud, humbled they have been; Gentiles were despairing, raised up they have been: let them come to the Corner, there let them meet, there run together, there find the kiss of peace; from different parts let them come, but with differing not come, those of Circumcision, these of uncircumcision. Far apart were the walls, but before that to the Corner they came: but in the Corner let them hold themselves, and now let the whole Church from both walls, say what? But I will sing of Your power, and I will exult in the morning of Your mercy
Psalm 58:16. In the morning when temptations have been overcome, in the morning when the night of this world shall have passed away; in the morning when no longer the lyings in wait of robbers and of the devil and of his angels we dread, in the morning when no longer by the lamp of prophecy we walk, but Himself the Word of God as it were a Sun we contemplate. And I will exult in the morning of Your mercy.
With reason in another Psalm is said, In the morning I will stand by You, and I will meditate.
With reason also of the Lord Himself the Resurrection was at dawn, that there should be fulfilled that which has been said in another Psalm, In the evening shall tarry weeping and in the morning exultation.
For at even the disciples mourned our Lord Jesus Christ as dead, at dawn at Him rising again they exulted. For You have become my taker up, and my refuge in the day of my tribulation.
God writes His will on our history in spite of all that human folly and malice can do to the contrary.
The only people on earth to definitively believe in one God. Monotheism began with Jews.
The only real difference between an Orthodox Jew in an Orthodox Catholic is that we believe Jesus Christ is the Messiah.
A male priesthood.
Oh how the devil must hate the Jewish People.
People laugh if you say you believe in the existence of the devil.
Explain it then. Explain the Jewish nation.
Almost all of my personal interactions with Jews has been with very good people. When I was 10, our next door neighbor retired from Chrysler and moved to Georgia. Our new neighbors were from the Bronx by way of Yonkers. Moving to a little town in Northeast Ohio with five Baptist churches was quite a culture shock for them, but we hit it off. I babysat for their infant daughter. The father worken in concession operations for the new Richfield Coliseum. He took my parents to opening night – Frank Sinatra. I went to hockey games, basketball games and other events for free.
One of my friends in DC was a Jewish girl from Forest Hills (Pittsburgh). We’ve kept in touch ever since.
One of the most complicated Jewish-Catholic situations was the massive emigration of Jews to the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the ensuing centuries. Catholic Poles and many Jews lived in the same nation, but the history of that arrangement can fill a book and is beyond the scope of this blog.
Agreed. I’ve felt for awhile that not only because of their survival, but just the sheer hate they inspire strike me as powerful proofs of the Bible’s truth. It seems like if there is no god, then the Jews should be no more hated than any other people – but what moves against them is hard to describe in any other word but demonic.
NW I also agree and believe that the Catholic Church is targeted for the same reason, more so than any other faith except the Jews. The Truth resides within the Church and God chose the Jews so the hatred of the world for both of them makes total sense.
Whenever an exorcist is needed, everyone calls a Catholic priest.
There wouldn’t be priests without the Jews and Jesus our Savior.
QED
Funny you should mention this David WS. I was reading this the other day:
https://www.local10.com/news/pope/christian-exorcists-meet-in-rome
I am going to check out the video from Dennis Prager on TV.
I would distinguish the views towards Jews separately from the modern state of Eretz Israel. This is not because I have some Animus towards Israel or that I have an unrealistic view of majority Muslim nations that Pat Buchanan has. Modern Evangelicalism has this notion that the re-establishment of the Jewish state – when Israel is quite a secular place- foretells the imminent Second Coming. To me this is nonsense.
“To me this is nonsense.”
Unless the Second Coming is soon. For myself I take Christ at His word that He will come like a thief in the night when we least expect it, and I make no predictions as to when as a result.
Like everything else about the second coming we get hints, clues, signs and so forth of where we are on the time scale relative to the second coming, but the end result is still like a thief in the night when we least expect it, unless of course if you are expecting it at any time and are awake. I would hate to be a scoffer and an unbeliever when it happens…
Whether the Second Coming occurs tonight as I sleep or alternatively I die in my sleep of a heart attack, the end result is the same – I will be standing before my Maker. Now does the return of the Jewish people to the Promised Land fulfill a number of Biblical prophecies? Regardless that Israel is a secular state, the answer is yes. Nevertheless, as i said, I may die before the Second Coming, so it behooves me to ensure my Confession is up-to-date, as it were.
I used to worry about things like John Darby’s and CI Scofield’s Rapture & Dispensation theology stuff. No longer. Pre-trib, mid-trib, post-trib rapture? Do I really need to know? What Donald says is true: Jesus will return like a thief in the night. But far more relevant to our personal situations is Luke 12:16-21:
16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man brought forth plentifully; 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns, and build larger ones; and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
Good advice from LQC. We are all of us living in the end times, if not The End Times; act accordingly.
So in the meantime, whatever wrong is done by Israel is excused and overlooked because the Jews will be brought into salvation at the completion of the Gentile numbers?
No, although I have noticed that most people who harp on Israel tend to have a special animus that they reserve for Jews. Whenever I have mentioned Jews or Israel in my posts on this blog, anti-Semites often come running just like Pavlov’s dog salivating at the ringing of the bell.
Until all of Israels surrounding neighbors agree that Israel has the right to exist then I will cut Israel a hell of a lot more slack than I would cut say…Hamas? Yeah, no nation on this Earth is perfect in all they do, Israel included, but if our country was surrounded by enemies the way Israel is and some of them want to annihilate us from the face of the Earth then I think we would change our tune a bit concerning Israel.