Opus Dei: Rabbi Escriva's Teaching on Work to the Talmudic Tradition

[Erasmus]

Opus Dei

These are segments of an article which originally appeared at Opus Dei's official website in 2002. It's has since been removed but is still available in the web archive, Wayback Machine:



Rabbi Angel Kreiman Links Escriva's Teaching on Work to the Talmudic Tradition

Rabbi Angel Kreiman, international vice president of the World Council of Synagogues, recently addressed a congress in Rome on Josemaria Escriva.

"Many of Josemaria Escriva's concepts call to mind the Talmudic tradition and reveal his profound knowledge of the Jewish world, as well as his passionate love, as he openly repeated, for two Jews, Jesus and Mary," said Rabbi Kreiman. "Moreover, that which most likens (Escriva's) teachings to Judaism is the vocation of man to serve God through creative work, perfecting creation [The Kabbalist doctrine, Tikkun Olam--"repair of the world"] every day, through perfection of work" ...

The Rabbi, who is a Cooperator of Opus Dei, said he wanted to demonstrate his special affection for the organization founded by Josemaria Escriva. "Opus Dei members helped me, right from the beginning of my [rabbinic] seminary studies, to persevere in my [rabbinic] vocation," he said, "and I have also seen them do it with other rabbis, for which I am deeply grateful."

http://web.archive.org/web/200202130...art.php?p=3007

This same Opus Dei formed rabbi, Angel Kreiman, announced in Oct 2005 that, "Forty years after 'Nostra Aetate' we are entering a promised land, in which for Catholic bishops and priests, preaching, the teaching of Jesus' Judaism, and of the Judaism of Peter and Paul, of the apostles, of the Jewish life of the first Christians, is a theological foundation."

Putting aside the fact that the Judaism rabbi Kreiman speaks of is the Pharisaic doctrine which Christ condemned and told His disciples to beware of, one must ask, what is this "promised land" that Rabbi Kreiman believes we are entering, and who promised it for that matter?
The Opus Dei formed rabbi goes on to say:

"The Catholic Church's support of Judaism is not like that of one country for another, based on material power. Christians' support of Judaism is a religious spiritual force" ...

"Both relations between Jews and Catholics, as well as relations between the Holy See and Israel, have increased so much. On the Christian side, I think the only limitation has been to indicate the dialogue with Jews as important but not urgent. Now, it is clear that the dialogue with Jews is not an option but an obligation. It is for Catholic people to accept the Jewish people as the original alliance" [???] ...

"For observant rabbis it is time to begin to think that the Church is not an enemy of Israel, but its best ally" ...

"... it is not only about saying that Christians and Jews are friends, that Jews are not accused of deicide; it must be said that Judaism and Christianity are the foundation of the struggle against paganism."

Zenit News Agency - The World Seen From Rome

I disagree. What truly must be said is that the rabbis are attempting to drag Christianity back to the paganism of Babylon and Egypt which they have preserved within their tradition of Judaism to this very day. That is the work which Opus Dei is engaged in.

Maurice Pinay Blog: Opus Judei

[Marcus Marulus]

A terrible mistake. If God's alliance with Jews is still valable today, then Catholic Church has absolutely no business, no reason to exist.

Catholicism and Judaism are irreconcilable. How could one possible make an alliance with the religious community that has Talmud as its fundament and Talmud speaks of Jesus Christ in the most scornful and hateful ways?

Old Testament Jews WERE God' s chosen people, but they are no more. Beacause even in the Old Testamantal times this chosen people betrayed God and turned to paganism and bloody human sacrifices hundreds of times...and their final act of apostasy consisted in rejecting Jesus Christ. Since they have rejected Christ, Jews ceased to be any kind of chosen people, they have absolutely no reason to be considered as having a special relationship with God. Therefore Church has absolutely no reason to have any special relationship with this people-religious community.

Judaism is a tribal religion that sees all non-Jews, goyim, the rest of humanity, as somehow sub-human, while Christianity is a religion founded on respect of every human person. Two totally irreconcilable worldviews indeed.

The only thing Jews and Catholics have in common is the text of the Old Testament. But Jewish and Christian interpretations of the Old Testament differ from each thousand miles away!

[Franze]

Catholics are the new jews, we have to know it, we are the chosen people.

[Menydh]

What? That's Protestant thinking!

[Errigal]

Originally Posted by Mynydd

What? That's Protestant thinking!

Calvinist thinking indeed! I think I can safely say that the fewer Jews a person has met, the more attractive is the idea of being a "new Jew".

From what I learned in Sunday school, the Jews are the ones who failed the test given to them on the first Good Friday by rejecting Christ. But the only Jews actually guilty of the death of Christ were those who failed to act morally on that day 2,000 years ago. Just as the only Romans guilty of the death of Christ were those who acted immorally on that day. As for the Jews of today, if I like or dislike them it is because of their recent behaviour as individuals and as a group in world politics and society.

As for my ancestors, we were nowhere near Jerusalem when all this happened. We only heard about it much later.

[Kernunnos]

Originally Posted by A Few Acres of Snow

Calvinist thinking indeed! I think I can safely say that the fewer Jews a person has met, the more attractive is the idea of being a "new Jew".

From what I learned in Sunday school, the Jews are the ones who failed the test given to them on the first Good Friday by rejecting Christ. But the only Jews actually guilty of the death of Christ were those who failed to act morally on that day 2,000 years ago. Just as the only Romans guilty of the death of Christ were those who acted immorally on that day. As for the Jews of today, if I like or dislike them it is because of their recent behaviour as individuals and as a group in world politics and society.

As for my ancestors, we were nowhere near Jerusalem when all this happened. We only heard about it much later.

The sionist of then were surely responsible for Christ death, but many decent jews couldn't know enough or were duped by zionist propaganda.

Anyway the problem in not in singling out the culprits for Christ's death, the problem is to avoid making today christians the stupid servants of the zionist through the destruction of the fundamentals of the christian faith , by turning it into a puppet branch of hebraism made for the inferior class of the goyms.

[Errigal]

Yes, they want modern Christians to agree to whatever Jews do in Israel and elsewhere to prove they hold no ancient hatred. It is a way to get what they want from Christians.

[Erasmus]

Originally Posted by Mynydd

What? That's Protestant thinking!

I think he meant that the Church is the New Alliance, a new Israel in spiritual sense:

"On the other hand, along with covenant theologians, Catholics acknowledge that the Church is spiritual Israel or, in Catholic parlance, the "new Israel" (cf. CCC 877). This too is indicated in Paul’s writings: In Romans 9:6 he says that "not all who are of Israel are Israel." This indicates the existence of two Israels. One—"all who are of Israel"—indicates the ethnic people, not all of whom believe in Jesus. The other Israel, the context reveals, does not include those who have rejected the Messiah. This new Israel, founded by Messiah, exists in spiritual continuity with the Old Testament saints and so counts as a "spiritual Israel." It includes Gentiles who believe in the Messiah and so through baptism are spiritually circumcised (Col. 2:11–12) and are reckoned as spiritual Jews (Rom. 2:26–29)."

Israel and the Church (This Rock: February 1999)

[Marcus Marulus]

An Italian Catholic theologian Curzio Nitoglia speaks out about the Opus Dei.

Más sobre el Opus Dei por el R. P. Curzio Nitoglia

[Franze]

Originally Posted by Erasmus

I think he meant that the Church is the New Alliance, a new Israel in spiritual sense:

"On the other hand, along with covenant theologians, Catholics acknowledge that the Church is spiritual Israel or, in Catholic parlance, the "new Israel" (cf. CCC 877). This too is indicated in Paul’s writings: In Romans 9:6 he says that "not all who are of Israel are Israel." This indicates the existence of two Israels. One—"all who are of Israel"—indicates the ethnic people, not all of whom believe in Jesus. The other Israel, the context reveals, does not include those who have rejected the Messiah. This new Israel, founded by Messiah, exists in spiritual continuity with the Old Testament saints and so counts as a "spiritual Israel." It includes Gentiles who believe in the Messiah and so through baptism are spiritually circumcised (Col. 2:11–12) and are reckoned as spiritual Jews (Rom. 2:26–29)."

Israel and the Church (This Rock: February 1999)

Yes, I wanted to say this. Israel, like a non-religious thing, it´s a blasphemy religiously speaking although politically it can be comfortable and an ally.

[Marcus Marulus]

Originally Posted by Peter

Yes, I wanted to say this. Israel, like a non-religious thing, it´s a blasphemy religiously speaking although politically it can be comfortable and an ally.

Whose ally can Israel be?