Quote from Biblical Literalism

Biblical Literalism: A Gentile Heresy

by John Shelby Spong

HarperOne, New York, New York, 2016.   394 pages

"I will try in this volume to reclaim the Jewish past that can illuminate our gospel narratives in a way that is almost unimaginable. I will seek to demonstrate that the presence of an anti-Jewish bias over the centuries has kept the Christian church locked inside an anti-Semitic, Gentile exile. Part of my task in this book will be to pull back the layers of a long-standing Gentile ignorance of all things Jewish that has marked our traditional approach to the New Testament." (p. 30)

"Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, the time that focuses on the hope for the coming of the kingdom of God, is now over and the liturgical calendar of the synagogues moves to the next holy day. Matthew moves on with it. Now Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, becomes the focus of our attention.

It is crucial that Christians understand Yom Kippur, for this holy day of the Jews has probably influenced Christianity more specifically and more directly than any other season or holy day of the Jewish year. Yet Christians seem to know almost nothing about it. They do know some of the concepts associated with this day, while not being aware of their source. No one goes to a Christian service of worship without running into an ancient Christian hymn called Agnus Dei. That is the Latin title for the words 'lamb of God.' The identification of Jesus with the lamb of God was taken directly from the liturgy of Yom Kippur. The Christian fascination with the 'cleansing power of the blood of Jesus' is also directly related to Yom Kippur. In the more specifically liturgical churches, the blood of Jesus is said to be consumed in the Eucharist, bringing its cleansing power to our inner lives, out of which our evil deeds arise. In the more evangelical churches with less formal worship patterns, the external cleansing power of the blood of Jesus is celebrated in hymns. Being "washed" or "bathed" in the "blood of Jesus," as those hymns describe, is a sure way to be cleansed from the sins of the flesh, which itself began to be thought of as the source of evil."   (pp. 169-170)

-- quote submitted by Jennifer K.


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