The Isaiah Project: A meaningful encounter between Orthodox rabbis and Christian theologians around the Scriptures

The Dutch Centre for Israel Studies (Centrum voor Israël Studies, https://www.hetcis.nl/english) initiated a unique project 1.5 years ago, in which Orthodox rabbis and Christian theologians began to write together about the Book of the Prophet Isaiah. More than 2,000 Dutch theologians and church members receive an email every two weeks with a new episode. In this article, more information will be provided about the project and its background.

The Isaiah Project is a continuation of the Centre’s commitment to the ongoing dialogue between Jews and Christians concerning the interpretation of the Bible. This initiative followed the Parasha Project, in which Dutch Christians received a Jewish commentary on the Parashat HaShavuah (for those interested in these contributions in Dutch, please click on the link).

The subsequent project involved a deeper level of dialogue, with rabbis and theologians collaborating on a joint study of a book from the New Testament, namely Matthew (for the different contributions, please click on the link). The Jewish contributors provided valuable insights from the Jewish tradition, offering new perspectives on the Jewish context in which Matthew was written, and the Christian authors responded to these insights, offering insights from their own tradition.

For the Isaiah Project, it was agreed that we would write about Isaiah the prophet, as his book is at the heart of Christianity’s understanding of Jesus as the fulfillment of the prophecies in the Tanakh or Old Testament. Some of the Jewish contributors hesitated for a while, as this was about their own Scriptures (rather than Matthew), which would need more study for them, but they all decided to continue, for which we are very grateful.

The distinctiveness of this project can hardly be overstated. For centuries, the only mode of interaction between Jews and Christians regarding the meaning of Biblical texts, was through disputes, which resulted in a deep separation between Jews and Christians. This also led to a theological discourse in which there was no room for Israel. After the horrors of the Shoah (Holocaust), a new theological reflection on Israel started within many Western churches.

The Roman Catholic Church issued Nostra Aetate in 1965, a document that removed the accusations against the Jews that they had killed Jesus, and rejected the idea that the church had replaced Israel. This document, and others on the Protestant side, paved the way for a new era in Jewish-Christian dialogue.

The Isaiah Project is a result of this new era in which rabbis and Christian theologians can have a meaningful encounter around an open Bible. One of the aspects that makes it meaningful, is that we both learn from each other. As a Christian, I learn from new insights from the Jewish tradition and it makes me all the more aware of the fact that the Tanakh was first of all given to Israel.

For my Jewish writing partner, I offer insights from a Christian perspective that are sometimes new to him. Sharing our insights in this way brings us to a deeper understanding of Scripture, but also of ourselves. One aspect of this dialogue is essential: it is mutual and each one respects the perspective of the other.

In this way, the process transforms both parties as they learn to see reality from the perspective of the other. For centuries, we have talked about the differences, that still exist, but along the way, we also discovered that we have much more in common with each other than we originally thought.

For the different contributions (in Dutch) to the Isaiah Project, please click on the link.