Jewish fish (ΙΧΘΥΣ) in post-supersessionist water : Messianic Judaism within a post-supersessionistic paradigm

摘要

This article defines, explains and argues for the necessity of a post-supersessionistichermeneutical posture towards the New Testament. The post-supersessionistic reading of theNew Testament takes the Jewish nature of the apostolic documents seriously, and has as itsgoal the correction of the sin of supersessionism. While supersessionism theologically isrepudiated in most corners of the contemporary church through official church documents,the practise of reading the New Testament continues to exhibit supersessionistic tendenciesand outcomes. The consequence of this predominant reading of the New Testament is thecontinued exclusion of Jewish ethnic identity in the church. In light of the growing recognitionof multiculturalism and contextualisation on the one hand, and the recent presence of amovement within the body of Messiah of Jewish believers in Jesus on the other, the church’sestablished approach to reading Scripture that leads to the elimination of ethnic identitymust be repudiated alongside its post-supersessionist doctrinal statements. This articledefines terms, explains consequences and argues for a renewed perspective on the NewTestament as an ethnic document; such a perspective will promote the church’s cultivation ofreal embodied ethnic particularity rather than either a pseudo-interculturalism or the eraserfull ethnicity.