Rabbi Irving Greenberg, "For the Sake of Heaven and Earth: The New Encounter between Judaism and Christianity"

Tuesday, October 19, 2004 at 7:30 P.M., Walsh Hall Function Room (directions)

Rabbi Greenberg, the president of the Jewish Life Network/Steinhardt Foundation, is an Orthodox rabbi who for many years has been considering the covenantal relationship between Judaism and Christianity.

Goaded by his grappling with the horrors of the Holocaust, Greenberg joined the Jewish-Christian dialogue in the 1960's, initially to challenge Christians to overcome the legacy of the teaching of contempt. In the course of this dialogue, he was moved to a new appreciation of Christianity and began a decades-long project of developing a positive Jewish theology of Christianity. His new book is the culmination of this work and has been described in pre-publication reviews as "courageous," "important," "a major contribution," and "an unprecedented sign of hope."

In this collection of essays, he calls for Christians and Jews to come together in their continuously evolving partnership with God—dual covenants that demand "openness to each other, learning from each other, and a respect for the distinctiveness of the ongoing validity of each other."

Responding to Rabbi Greenberg's presentation will be:

Francis X. Clooney, SJ Boston College

Philip A. Cunningham Boston College

Steven T. Katz Boston University