Change the Gospels?
As Passion Sunday draws closer, the debate over the Gospels and their role in Christian anti-Semitism picks up steam. Do I think the Gospels are anti-Semitic? Yes…and no. They were written by Jews for Jews. However, they have ended up being read by non-Jews. And who the eventual readership has become has made all the difference in the understanding and treatment of the words. Jews have become “the other.”
What would I do–I would take the radical step and edit out the inflammatory statements about the Jews being responsible for Christ’s crucifixion. But once we start editing we’ll also need to be careful on exactly how much is cut; otherwise it will end up a Christian story for Christians; or some politically correct mishmash that is meaningless and colorless. Once we begin to edit we are also deleting or seriously mitigating the Jewish origins of Christianity, and that can have a negative cultural impact, too. The soul of Christianity does not reside in Europe anymore–Asia and Africa may well emerge and the major leaders and influencers as the century lengthens. They will impact how the Gospels are read, too.
It’s hard to say what the right thing to do is. No wonder theologians, historians, clergy and other interfaith parties are scratching their heads over this one.
