Attached are excerpts from the most recent document (2015) of the Commission of the Holy See for Religious Relations with the Jews. Its full title is, “‘The Gifts and the Calling of God Are Irrevocable’ (Rom 11:29): A Reflection on Theological Questions Pertaining to Catholic-Jewish Relations on the Occasion of the 50th Anniversary of Nostra Aetate (No. 4).” It represents the current state of the Vatican’s thinking about Catholic-Jewish relations.

Using these selected excerpts, prepare a 5-page paper (double-spaced) that discusses three topics where this statement breaks with traditional supersessionism and / or goes beyond Nostra Aetate, 4. By “goes beyond” we mean that “Gifts and Callings” develops an idea that is only incipient or implied by Nostra Aetate or is something entirely new that is not found in Nostra Aetate.

Because this is an exercise in close reading, you do not need to do any outside research for this paper (though you can certainly draw on and quote relevant material from the course readings). You do not need a bibliography. You should not include any long quotations; anything more than a phrase takes up space better filled with your own analysis. You must cite all references to a primary text even if you just paraphrase or refer to it but do not quote it. Do so by writing “NA” for Nostra Aetate and “G&C [section #]” (e.g., G&C 17) for “Gifts and Calling.” You can use some simple reference style if you quote or cite other texts from the class readings.