Nostra aetate (No. 4) as a Compass for the Jewish-Catholic Dialogue

Abstract

The article examines the Conciliar declaration in light of the previous historical circumstances and spiritual movements that led to the writing of this text and reflects on its theological importance. In the second step, the rich spiritual heritage shared by Christianity and Judaism is compared in terms of the concept of God, the Holy Scriptures and the expectation of the Messiah. Finally, some facts regarding the Wirkungsgeschichte of this Conciliar text are mentioned, particularly some initiatives of the Jewish-Catholic dialogue, the Catholic and Jewish documents following Nostra aetate (Nr. 4) and the interventions of the last three Popes.

Keywords

• second vatican council
• nostra aetate
• the jewish-catholic dialogue