Editor's Introduction


Studies in Christian-Jewish Relations               Volume 2, Issue 2 (2007):1-2  

Studies in Christian-Jewish Relations 

A peer-reviewed e-journal of the Council of Centers in Jewish-Christian Relations 

Published by the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning at Boston College 

 

Editor’s Introduction 

Audrey Doetzel 

 

 

 

Volume 2, Issue 2 (2007): 1-2  

http://escholarship.bc.edu/scjr/vol2/iss2/ 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

Editor’s Introduction    1      http://escholarship.bc.edu/scjr/vol2/iss2/ 



Studies in Christian-Jewish Relations                    Volume 2, Issue 2 (2007):1-2 

Welcome to issue two of the 2007 volume of Studies in 
Christian-Jewish Relations. The two feature topics of this 
issue mark two significant events: the centennial year of the 
birth of Abraham Joshua Heschel, and the sixtieth 
anniversary of the 1947 Seelisberg International Conference 
on Anti-Semitism. 
 
Several noted Heschel scholars pay tribute to him as “one of 
the preeminent witnesses to God in the twentieth century” 
(Merkle). Their presentations highlight “his distinctive 
approach to religious diversity” (Kasimow), his ability to 
associate “mystical experience and contemplative prayer 
with prophetic action” (O’Hare), and his affirmation of “the 
all-embracing presence” of the One God of the Sh’ma 
(Merkle). 
 
Though few today, whether Jewish or Christian, fail to 
recognize Heschel’s  name and contributions, as a scholar 
and as an activist, many have little or no awareness of “a 
benchmark in the history of interreligious relations” – the 
1947 Seelisberg Address to the Churches (Barnett). We are 
grateful to the three scholars featured in this issue for 
sharing their research on this little-known event which spoke 
so eloquently to its times in the immediate aftermath of 
World War II. There is no question that this International 
Emergency Conference on Anti-Semitism, and especially its 
ten theses, served as the foundation of the new relationship 
developing since then between Christianity and Judaism. 
Christian Rutishauser, SJ, provides a comprehensive 
overview of the conference’s inception, a detailed 
presentation and analysis of its proceedings, and a 
perspective on the continuing relevance of its message sixty 
years later. Robert Ventresca introduces us to the highly 
regarded European thinker, Jacques Maritain. Though 
unable  to  attend  the  conference,  Maritain  contributed to 
its vision and proceedings through the urgent tone of his 

writings, a tone that was rooted in his awareness of “the 
place of anti-Semitism in the authoritarian and racist 
ideologies of interwar and wartime Europe.”  
 
We are also pleased to present here a rich selection of 
additional articles, conference proceedings, and book 
reviews, representing some of the best work in our field.  
 
The publication of this issue also marks a transition period in 
the history of this journal. At its Sixth Annual Meeting on 
October 21-22, 2007, the Council of Centers on Jewish-
Christian Relations appointed as journal co-editors:  Ruth 
Langer, associate professor of Jewish Studies in the 
Theology Department at Boston College, and John Merkle, 
professor of theology at the College of Saint Benedict and 
Saint John’s University. The entire membership of the 
Council of Centers expresses its gratitude to the out-going 
co-editors, Philip A. Cunningham and Edward D. Kessler, 
whose creative vision and diligent enthusiasm were 
responsible for the quality of the first two volumes of this 
journal. For me, as managing editor, it was a privileged 
opportunity to work with two extraordinary scholars deeply 
committed to the field of Christian-Jewish studies and 
relations.  
 
As we welcome Ruth Langer and John Merkle to the editorial 
board in the capacity of co-editors, I look forward another 
enriching and challenging experience, confident that the 
journal will continue to develop in a relevant and scholarly 
manner. As the new editorial team we have already chosen 
to recognize the sixtieth anniversary of the State of Israel as 
the feature topic for the 2008 volume and have put out a call 
for papers on this theme. It is our hope that this will enable 
scholars on an international level to engage in an exploration 
of theologies of the land and/or State of Israel. For more 
details on this call for papers, see: Call for Papers . 

Editor’s Introduction      http://escholarship.bc.edu/scjr/vol2/iss2/ 2

http://www.bc.edu/research/cjl/meta-elements/texts/SCJR/2008CFP-Israel.pdf