Past Challenges and Future Promise in Interreligious Encounters

Abstract

Past Challenges and Future Promise in Interreligious Encounters Tim Crain The refugee crisis has presented extraordinary challenges in the present day. Over 65 million people have been displaced over the past few years, which represents the greatest refugee crisis since the end of World War II. The vast majority of present‐day refugees are women and children, and very little has been done to ease the suffering of those exiled. The religious faiths of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have been very interested in the refugee crisis. The Abrahamic faiths have experienced challenges of their own throughout centuries of difficult relations, but an improvement of relations, along with a grave concern regarding the fate of refugees, holds particular promise in helping to ease the crisis. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: Commonalities and the parting of ways The commonalities between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are noteworthy. The three religions are monotheistic, focus on the written word, and demand ethical conduct. All three religions rest on the foundation of “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Yet far too often over the course of centuries, the common bonds were forgotten and the differences exaggerated. The difficult relationship led to centuries of violence, and although that was true with all three Abrahamic faiths, it was particularly the case with Judeo‐Christian relations. Christianity, in recognition of the common bonds shared with Judaism, should have been the greatest protector of Judaism, yet not only did it fail to protect the sister faith, it also became its greatest persecutor. Even though the foundation of Christianity is Judaism, early Christians believed that Jews had to embrace what they perceived as the perfection of monotheism, the Christian faith. Few Jews though were interested in converting to Christianity, and the Christian faith remained small in the Roman Empire, despite conversion attempts of Jews and Gentiles. At the start of the fourth century, Christianity remained a relatively insignificant religion in the Empire. All of that changed in 312 CE. The Emperor Constantine faced a significant insurrection. His mother Helen had been an avowed Christian, though Constantine was a Roman polytheist; prior to the Battle of Milvian Bridge, the new emperor experienced a mystical vision that led him to promise to convert to the monotheistic faith of Christianity if he was successful on the battlefield. Constantine prevailed and his conversion to Christianity greatly aided the expansion of the faith throughout the Roman Empire. In 313, Christianity became a legal religion with the passing of the Edict of Milan, and in 325, the religion was further codified at the Council of Nicaea. Constantine also aided in by constructing patriarch churches and monasteries throughout the Mediterranean. By 350 CE, nearly half of the Empire was Christian. Roman polytheism, or paganism as it was also called, began to significantly decline. Even as the Roman Empire began to deteriorate in the fourth century, Christianity continued to expand in the region. Although it had taken nearly three centuries, Christianity became the largest religion in the world by the end of the fifth century. Whereas Christianity became very prominent by the start of the sixth century, Judaism remained small. Adding to Jewish concerns was the fact that the Romans had expelled them from their homeland in the first century. The diaspora added many challenges to Jews living throughout the Middle East, northern Africa, and southern Europe. As the centuries progressed in the early Middle Ages, Christians continued attempting to convert Jews. However, Jews were no more interested in Christianity in the early Middle Ages than they had been during the Roman Empire. Christian frustration with the lack of Jewish conversion led to Christian anti‐Judaism, and the hostility continued for centuries. European Jews were viewed as an alien race who bore direct responsibility for the death of Jesus of Nazareth. The Jews as “Christ‐killers” dominated Christian attitudes throughout the medieval era. Life was not easy for European Jews, and it was particularly difficult in the Middle Ages. The vast majority of Europeans were illiterate, and the ignorance only fostered more problems. Jews were frequently attacked during Easter Week, as Christians would hear the Gospel of John's account of the crucifixion and death...